Annual Delaware Antiques Show 2019

mid-nineteenth-century patterns that ranged in difficulty and popularity. At least four family groups are represented among the signatures: the Meads, Mekeels (fig. 2) , Pecks, and Wilcoxes, each with different sewing and signing techniques. Of the five unquilted blocks, three contain signatures, including one by Annie Peck backstitched in the familial style and thread color of the Pecks’ signed squares (fig. 3) . In its unfinished state, Annie’s square provides a glimpse of the maker’s creative process, giving us the opportunity to think about the female relationships involved and the motivations behind each square. Album quilts were frequently made to honor a major life event such as a wedding, a child’s birth, or the departure of a community member. They were also created to raise money for social reform causes and to document female family members at large meetings such as family reunions. Such female gatherings could be quite productive. It was not uncommon for quilts to be completed and sold within a day. In the case of the Harrison album quilt, however, the blocks were likely made by individuals as solitary projects and compiled later by a single quilter. Quilting in the 1800s is largely remembered in America as a social activity, where groups of women came together as part of “frolics” or quilting parties. When considering the domestic and album quilts created by women at home or in smaller family groups, however, the space a woman occupies behind her needle is as important as the one she holds in a sewing circle. Within the confines of an eleven-inch block of fabric, the female makers of the Harrison album quilt worked within a more contemplative environment, which allowed them time to think about their motivations and exercise creative liberties. The squares served as channels for engaged creativity. Fig. 3. Detail, quilt square signed Mary B. Peck. Fig. 2. Detail, quilt square signed Philena Mekeel. — 109 —