Woven Coverlets
The production of handwoven coverlets went into decline before the American Civil War (1861-1865), when factory-made blankets became available. Read on to discover the stories behind some of the American woven coverlets in the museum’s collection (get closer by clicking the coverlets).
/Collections/Textiles---Costime/Quilts---Coverlets/uafp_textiles_and_costume_woven_coverlets1)
Pictured left is a Jacquard coverlet from Pennsylvania dating 1840 – 1860. This woven coverlet uses natural white cotton and wool dyed with indigo. It is woven in two pieces joined by a centre seam. The pattern is of a general type known as a ‘fancy weave’. It was woven by a professional weaver using a loom with a jacquard attachment. This device was invented by Frenchman, Joseph Marie Jacquard, and was introduced to America in the early 1820s. It organised the warp and weft threads according to holes on a series of punched cards, and enabled weavers to produce coverlets with elaborate and complicated patterns. Description
/Collections/Textiles---Costime/Quilts---Coverlets/uafp_textiles_and_costume_woven_coverlets2)
Pictured right is a Overshot coverlet from Virginia dating 1800 – 1850. This overshot coverlet is handwoven using natural white cotton and indigo blue wool. The pattern is called Undulating Herringbone.
The term ‘overshot’ comes from the weaving technique. The horizontal (weft) yarn ‘overshoots’ or floats over three or more vertical (warp) yarns at a time. The raised weft yarn is vulnerable to being snagged or worn away.
/Collections/Textiles---Costime/Quilts---Coverlets/uafp_textiles_and_costume_woven_coverlets3)
Pictured left is a Overshot coverlet from Virginia dating 1850 – 1900. This coverlet was hand-woven using wool and cotton. The pattern is called Governor’s Garden or Rose in the Wilderness. It was commonly woven in Appalachia, a region in the east of America, by weavers from Ulster as well as from Germany.
On the 28th May 1863, The Belfast Newsletter recorded the departure of 253 handloom weavers and their wives and children from the town of Lisburn, County Antrim. Both the Germans and the Ulster-Scots came to America with strong weaving traditions.
/Collections/Textiles---Costime/Quilts---Coverlets/uafp_textiles_and_costume_woven_coverlets4)
Pictured right is a coverlet found in Ulster, but probably made in the United States of America from 1820 -1850. This coverlet is woven from cotton and wool, in a pattern called Lovers Knot with a Pine Tree border. The pattern is repeated on the reverse side in a lighter colour.
This is a double weave coverlet, woven in two layers that interlock whenever the design changes colour. The resulting coverlet is warm and heavy. Double weave coverlets were expensive to make, as they were complicated to weave and used a large amount of yarn. They were often commissioned from professional weavers as gifts or to commemorate special occasions.
Ask an Expert
If you would like further information about this collection you may contact the
curator by following this link and
completing the short form.