On September 16, 2005, we visited The Brick House Museum in Kennebunk, Maine that owns a Civil War Quilt made in 1864 by the Ladies Aid Society, Portland, Maine.
The striking quilt features a poem on the back:
Ye have fought our battles for (now?)
Showing how the brave can die
We are waiting to receive you
When you lay your armors by
We’ll stitch with the needle
And fight with the tongue
‘Till every old rebel
Is conquered or hung.
Hope is the anchor of the soul
‘Tis Jesus makes the wounded whole
Believe in Christ, the Victory’s won
Look up, by faith, receive thy crown.
The quilt was a gift from Mrs. Fordyce Perkins in the name of her mother, Mrs. Annis Edna Boynton, in 1951.
The “potholder” style quilt has four blocks across and five blocks down that were finished separately and whipstitched together. The appliqué motifs include:
Bunting flag “Portland”, star in center, “1884” lighthouse with flag w/ inked inscription bunting
Anchor Bible drum center stars
Crossing flags eagle with arrows on left, barge or gunboat? Two color star
Cannon and cannon balls cartridge bag and water canteen cannon cannon balls
American flag crossing swords pieced basket with written inscription bunting flag
stylish handle
Background: brown with variable tint (home-dyed?). Appliqués: red and blue.
Here is a photo of another quilt of the same style, an “early quilt-as-you-go” or “lap quilting” method. Each block is made separately and bound and only then joined together by whipstitching. What appear to be sashings are actually two block edges coming together.
Photo taken by James Cummings at a rural Maine quilt show
For more information about Civil War quilts, please visit a file on our main website: http://www.quiltersmuse.com/civil-war-quilts.htm
