I want to make an authentic quilt from about 1840 – 1865. How common was tacking; what patterns were common, and which should be avoided; and what were typical borders?

Thank you for your concern about authentic quiltmaking in the mid-19th century. To answer your questions, tacked quilts were not common in 1840-1865. The tacking/knotting/tying techniques were much more common from the 1880s onward.

Patterns to avoid--Crazy Quilt, Double Wedding Ring, Dresden Plate, etc. Patterns that were popular at the time (1840-1865)--Nine Patch, Bar or Strip Quilt, -- and Applique floral quilts in red and green. Chintz applique patterns were very popular, too.

The period prior to the Civil War was a time of prosperity. There were even silk quilts made in the paper template mosaic technique. The problem is that the quilts made for soldiers had to be made of serviceable fabrics (warm and easy to launder and dry).

When people ask me what pattern is the most authentic--one that might have been taken to the Civil War battlefront, I suggest the Nine Patch in cotton prints. The batting was probably cotton and the backing was cotton, too. Weaving linen into sheeting (backing) just wasn't that common. Borders were not required. If they were there, the borders would probably be 2-3 inches wide. The corners might have been square or rounded off. These were quilts that had to be made quickly. Binding might have been made by bringing the backing fabric to the front, folding it under, and sewing it down. Or it might have been folding the top to the back and folding it under and sewing it down.

I've co-written a book Southern Quilts: Surviving Relics of the Civil War. Look for it in your public library--lots of stories, photos of quilts, etc. I also wrote an article about Civil War quilts for the Civil War Artifacts Forum 2002.

Prepared by Merikay Waldvogel, The Alliance for American Quilts board member, researcher, writer and curator of quilt related history,8/03.

 

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