by Patricia L. Cummings

The pattern, “North Carolina Lily,” has been around since the early 1840s, although it 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.

                      
                       Antique Quilt Top, North Carolina Lily pattern

Turkey Red is a particular red which was 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 overstrike printing.

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.

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.

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.

As if that traumatic event were 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.

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. 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.

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.

                                 
                      Doll bed quilt designed by Patricia Cummings

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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