107 x 96 in.
Gift of Mrs. Charles R. Sowder
The quilt was made in Kentucky{1}; Mrs. Charles R. Sowder; given to the John Herron Art Institute, Indianapolis, Indiana, now the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, in 1944. (1) IMA historical file, 44.114
This extraordinary quilt top is composed of about 19,567 hexagon pieces, each measuring three-fourths inches across. Mosaic, one of the oldest geometric quilt patterns, and its variations known as Grandmother's Flower Garden and Honeycomb were popular in England before 1800.
In the execution of this pattern, each piece had to be precisely measured, cut and sewn; otherwise , the pieces would not fit perfectly together, like the pieces in a jigsaw puzzle. Specific sections of different prints were carefully cut out in the hexagonal shapes and then were basted onto a paper or newspaper template. The pieces were then sewn together, and the newspaper linings were removed. Unfortunately, this top was never quilted and some of the paper was left in the hexagonal pieces.
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