North Carolina Lily Quilt Storyby Patricia L. Cummings
The “North Carolina Lily” design has been around since
the early 1840s, and has enjoyed many variations of style. A
similar block is the “Peony,” popular at about the same time. Both kinds of
quilt patterns represent the premiere of the utilization of geometric shapes
(diamonds) to convey flower petals, most often rendered in Turkey Red solids
or prints. The simplistic line configurations of the North Carolina quilt,
and its straightforward coloration of red and green on a white background,
make it a joy to create.
Fugitive Green Color Turkey Red is a particular red which is colorfast and was widely available by mid-nineteenth century. The crispness of the color can
make an antique quilt appear to be newly-made. Then, one looks a little more
closely and realizes that the green parts of the pattern have oxidized,
leaving only a trace of their former bright hue, now reduced to a light
blue-green or sometimes, a light tan color. Until 1860, with the invention of
aniline dyes, a stable and lasting green dye was difficult color to achieve,
and for the longest time green was made by combining blue and yellow, in a
process known as penciling (for example on Indian chintzes, and later, called overstrike printing. Janet's Quilt Top I would like to share with you the story of my first
close and personal encounter with a quilt referred to by its owner as a
“North Carolina Lily” quilt. About ten years ago, I was contacted by my
friend Janet, then in her eighth decade of life. Although I had known her
for awhile, she had never before mentioned the special quilt top that had
been given to her by a friend in Ohio. The oral history associated with the
piece was that it had been made by the aunt of that friend, in the 1850s. Hoping for the Impossible Her reason for calling me that day was that she wanted to
ask for some assistance in preparing the quilt top for hand quilting. She
stated that she had purchased a beautiful quilting frame and that she was
hoping that if I could just “work on it,” it could be quilted by some of the
needlework friends who had been coming to her home on a regular basis to
stitch and to enjoy her luscious raspberry pies.
After agreeing to look at the quilt top, I offered to
make some repairs to the gaping lapses in the border seams that had been
inadequately constructed by machine (the rest of the top was hand pieced, so
the addition of borders may have been an afterthought). Additionally, the
backing would have to be assembled, the layers would need basting, and the
whole business would need to be set into the frame. With all of that
accomplished, the next step was to instruct the ladies in the fine art of
hand quilting. On the appointed day, I showed up to present a lesson
beginning with, “This is a between.” So far, so good. However, as it turned
out, my friend’s enthusiasm for the project far exceeded that of her
recruits, and their help was limited to the initial meeting. Disaster Strikes at 3 a.m.
The events which followed would strike terror into the
heart of any antique quilt lover. The first catastrophe occurred at 3:00 a.m.
in the morning, when Janet’s cat accidentally became imprisoned on her
glassed-in porch. In the midst of an electrical storm, the wind had blown
shut the door separating the porch from the dining room, trapping the
animal. The terrified cat jumped onto the top of the quilt in the frame and
proceeded to have an accident.
Jarred awake by the thunder and lightening, my friend
went to look for her cat, and it was soon clear that neither the cat, nor
the quilt, were in good shape. She scurried to remove the basting stitches
which held the quilt into the frame, and quickly placed it into a bathtub
full of water, where she scrubbed it. When satisfied that it was
sufficiently clean, she carefully laid the quilt on a piece of plastic that
she had quickly gathered up to protect the surface of her lovely dining room
table. She decided to hasten the drying process with the aid of her
hairdryer. Another Kitty Problem
As if that trauma was not enough, shortly
thereafter, I received another desperate call. It seems that Mr. Kitty had
been at it again. This time, he had an abscessed tooth and had drooled blood
onto one of the blocks. Janet, a former nurse, had thought that pure Clorox
bleach would be good to use to remove the stain. Accidentally, some of the
Clorox migrated onto the red and green fabrics in the design, completely
removing the color. She wondered what to do.
Remembering events on the farm where I grew up, the kind
of call in this instance could loosely be compared receiving a call from a
neighbor who is reporting that your cows have broken through the electric
fence and are now halfway into another town! The response was a mix of
surprise and stupefaction. At that time, I was completely mystified and at a
loss as to what to suggest. I had invested so much emotional energy into the
project, I was heartbroken by this turn of events.
Out-of-State "Finisher" Saves the Day Time passed. Then one day, Janet called to say that she
had located someone in another state who does restoration work on old
quilts. This wonder lady not only replicated the damaged block using vintage
fabrics, with cloth that closely matched the original colors, but she had also hand quilted the quilt.
Quilt Finished and Ready to Pass On My friend was pleased with the nice quilting and the quilter’s choice of a pattern for the alternate, plain blocks. She
was also relieved that the heirloom that she had envisioned had finally been
finished. She could now have something that was meaningful to her to pass
down to her descendants. The fact that the quilt was finally done was music
to my ears! Not long after that, it became necessary for my friend to
enter a nursing home and shortly thereafter, she died. I hope that her
family is taking good care of this quilted treasure, a “piece of the past”
that she ensured be finished for them to enjoy. Although I know that I am
not politically correct in saying so, I hope that they do not own cats, and
if they do, that the cats not be allowed within twenty feet of this
wonderful piece of history with a family connection. Original Quilt is Inspiration for Doll Bed Design In appreciation of my efforts toward preparing the quilt
for finishing, Janet gave me one of two “extra” blocks which had come with
the quilt top. The other extra one she made into a pillow.
Using the block given to me as a guide, I was able to
draft both a 4” block, and a 12” block. I sewed together a sample block of
the larger size, and made the smaller size, too, which became incorporated
into a doll bed quilt.
Each time I look at these blocks, memories loom large of
good times spent together with my friend, in needlework activities, and in
discussions about quilting and old times. The block she gave me is a visual
reminder of an enriching relationship with a lady, who in the twilight of
her years, still had so much to share. I shall always cherish her final gift
to me, the best one of all, her friendship. ©Copyright 2002. Patricia Cummings, Quilter's Muse Publications, Concord, New Hampshire. pat@quiltersmuse.com
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