Botch Handle Quilt
Unidentified Quilt Maker (initials, in quilting: B A R)
Circa 1860
78 x 92 inches
Found in Ohio
A striking combination of a large, bold patchwork design surrounded with a dense and delicate appliqued vining border.
Recently hand washed, this mid-19th century quilt is in very good condition. Very light areas of discoloration in the white ground remain, and the Turkey red is thinning in a few places.
The quilt maker left a break in the appliqued vine which allows for a feathered wreath initialed in quilting in the center: "B A R" ... The hand quilting is extraordinary here; it is dense and elaborate in design and the stitches measure a fine 10 -11 stitches per inch (counting one side only).