By SUSAN EMERSON MELLISH
AntiqueWeek Correspondent

CINCINNATI — A special online auction of quilts and coverlets deacessioned from the Western Reserve Historical Society’s collection of historic textiles was presented by Cowan’s Auctions. More than 100 quilts and coverlets were offered for bids.

According to Emily Everhart, Director of Marketing and Public Relations at Cowan’s, “The Historical Society decided to focus their collection more and asked if Cowan’s would conduct this auction to help them do this.” Everhart added, “We were very pleased to host an auction comprised solely of textiles from the Western Reserve Historical Society.”

Of most interest were the Log Cabin quilts brought up for bids. It was a Log Cabin quilt top that grabbed the spotlight. Selling for $1,997 (prices include a 17.5 percent buyer’s premium) was a 19th century, American example done in the “Streak of Lightning” pattern stitched in black and multi-colored taffeta. This top was 57 1/2 by 44 1/2 inches.

A 19th century, American Log Cabin quilt worked in brown silk with velvet brought $440. This example was done in the “Courthouse Steps” pattern and measured 69in square.

Quilter and author, Jane Hall on the website www.womanfolk.com, describes the Log Cabin quilt pattern by saying “Beginning with a center shape, usually a square, the traditional design is made by sewing strips in sequence around the sides of the square, varying the values between light and dark.” In America, the Log Cabin pattern corresponded to the trek westward after the Civil War.
“Our earliest signed/dated Log Cabin quilt was made in 1869, according to Barbara Brackman’s database begun with the Kansas quilt project in the 1980s. The British Quilt Heritage Project found extant Log Cabin quilts made as early as the second quarter of the 19th century,” Hall said.

Crazy Quilts were also of interest at this Cowan event. Crazy Quilts are those examples that utilize a wild, undisciplined pattern made up of a wide range of varying textiles and fabrics. The term Crazy Quilt refers more to the pattern than the type of quilting used to make the piece A 1890s Ohio block Crazy Quilt having Wm. McKinley for Governor squares and ribbons incorporated into the pattern sold for $646. The quilt was from Warren, Ohio, and was embroidered with the names of “Minnie, Mother, Nettie, Mary, and Ellen.” The quilt measured 78 by 60 inches.

Also selling for this price was a 19th century American Crazy Quilt constructed of silks, satins, and velvets all joined together by “turkey tracks” stitching. Many of the blocks used in this quilt contained depictions of flowers and birds with all the blocks being contained within a wide burgundy embroidered border. This example was 75 by 69 inches.

And another Crazy Quilt that brought $646 was the 19th century American piece marked “L.A.T.” that also sported a square of quilting in each corner of its wide border. This quilt was almost square at 71 1/2 by 71 inches.

Appliqued quilts were also in demand. Topping out this category was a quilt done in a variation of the “Whig Rose” pattern. A repeating floral design in red, green, and yellow with vine, tulip and vase images, this 85 1/2 by 82 1/2-inch quilt also had a padded floral border. It brought $1,645. Diane Wachs, Decorative Art Director at Cowan’s said, “Vibrant color, quality of quilting and complexity of pattern are all aspects collectors look for in quilts.” She also pointed out, “Greens are fugitive in early natural die quilts and when greens go faint, it hurts the value of the piece. With that said, the Whig Rose that sold for $1,645 had strong greens and interesting detail in the borders - the grapes were dimensional, the handled vases and grapes were of different fabric, speaking to the fact the quilters used up what they had. And, the quilting was complex as well.”

Another quilt sporting a similar pattern was the “Whig Rose” appliqué quilt that brought $822. This variation had a repeating floral design in red, green, yellow and white as well as a vine and flower border. It was 81 by 79 1/2 inches. Beautifully stitched was the “Red Rose Wreath” quilt having red and green wreaths on a white ground with a sawtooth and vine border. This 86 3/4 by 86-inch quilt sold for $940.

A pieced “Drunkard’s Path” quilt in navy and white (83 by 81¼in) made $763, while a quilt in the “Cross and Crown” pattern done with green, red and cheddar flowers with a red cross and crown blocks (81½ by 67¾in) sold for $381.

A quilt featuring trapunto came up for bids. Also called the “stuffed technique,” trapunto involves at least two layers of fabric where the underside is slit and padded creating a puffy, decorative raised surface on the quilt top. A white quilt with trapunto measuring 86 by 83in made $323. What do collectors look for when buying quilts? Wachs said, “I’d have to say, complexity, color, execution of design and condition - not necessarily in that order, but there were plenty with all the bells and whistles in this sale.”

Of the coverlets offered, the signed and dated Know County, Ohio, example earned the top spot. Bringing $352, this mid-19th century example was crafted in three colors, blue, salmon and gold that was woven in a double rose and grapevine pattern. The corner blocks of this 84 by 77in coverlet were signed “W.IN MT. Vernon Knox County Ohio By Jacob and Michael Ardner 1857.
The sale including the buyer’s premium totaled $23,529 with many collectors actively bidding. “We knew some buyer’s were interested in the quilts because they planned to repurpose them into pillows or clothing,” Everhart pointed out. “But quilt collectors were very aggressive in bidding,” she added, meaning most of these quilts were still going to be kept intact.

Wachs agreed saying, “Looking over the list of successful bidders, there were seven who bought more than one quilt or coverlet. I would guess that of those people, some were dealers, and I am basing that on what they paid for the quilts. I also know those bidding to ‘repurpose’ quilts in most cases were not successful. There were some strong quilts in the sale. Also, there were a number of signed Ohio coverlets, and I suspect these went to Ohio collectors.