Cottage Industries and Whole-cloth Quilts
In July 2010 I blogged about Eleanor Beard and Vera Neumann. You can read that post by clicking on the highlighted words above.
Below are more textiles of early corded and quilted pieces from the Kentucky studio of Eleanor Beard.
Rayon or "artificial silk" quilts reflected a sea change in crib quilts style-wise in the late 1920s-1940s. They never became as widely popular to make, however, as patchwork quilts. Having raised three babies, it strikes me that these were "for show" quilts. In my opinion, no mother in her right mind would want to use them for daily use for they are very slippery.
Below are more textiles of early corded and quilted pieces from the Kentucky studio of Eleanor Beard.
Rayon or "artificial silk" quilts reflected a sea change in crib quilts style-wise in the late 1920s-1940s. They never became as widely popular to make, however, as patchwork quilts. Having raised three babies, it strikes me that these were "for show" quilts. In my opinion, no mother in her right mind would want to use them for daily use for they are very slippery.
Photos 1-3 are of an Eleanor Beard receiving blanket found recently on eBay. Unfortunately, the photos are not the best quality. This small blanket has a great deal of shattering to its delicate silk fabric. Note the specific reference to the cording and how it was done in Xenia Cord's comments below. Very interesting!
Receiving blanket #1 |
Receiving blanket #2 |
Cottage Industries and Whole-cloth Quilts
Quilt historian Cuesta Benberry wrote about Beard's quilting business in "Cottage Industries: A Chronicle," in Quiltmaking in America: Beyond the Myths edited by Laurel Horton and published by AQSG in 1994. Copies are readily available through the AQSG office at a very reasonable price. Click here for contact information. If you enjoy quilt history, this is is a "must have" book.
According to Benberry, the Eleanor Beard Hedgelands Studio of Hardinsburg, Kentucky got its start a result of Eleanor's husband accepting raw wool in return for goods purchased at his general store as he tried to help the cash poor local people get thru hard times. As the story goes, when Eleanor "discovered" this cache of wool in the attic, she saw a business opportunity, had it cleaned and processed, and employed local women to begin making silk comforters in a form we call "wholecloth" quilts today.
Below is a long quote fromAQSG member Xenia Cord that I am using with permission.(Comments like Xenia's are typical of the exchanges on the American Quilt Study Group history list. Access to the discussion list is one of the perks of membership in the organization.)
"Another exciting fabric new to the market was rayon, or artificial silk. Although the man-made fiber was invented in 1884, its full commercial capabilities were not realized until after World War I. At that time the rise in "boudoir quilts," as marketed by The Wilkinson Art
Quilt Company in Indiana and the Eleanor Beard Studios in Kentucky, made quilters aware that the soft, shiny fabric, like silk and satin, could be used to create copies of luxury beddings.
Two sides of a small EB handkerchief bag beautifully corded and quilted that recently sold on eBay. |
Eventually the market was expanded to include Madison Avenue boutiques,fittings for staterooms on luxury liners, and a commission line for Hollywood stars and others who were well-heeled. .... EBS offerings were commonly done in that beige-peach color seen in corsets and other lingerie, either in silk or rayon. Labels are usual; my understanding is that "Eleanor Beard Studios" came before "Eleanor Beard Incorporated" but I don't know when that shift occurred.
Xenia Cord also mentions Beard in her 1995 paper "Marketing Kit Quilts in the 1920s and 1930s" (pages 139-173) in Uncoverings, the annual volume of quilt research papers published by AQSG.
Click here to some examples of beautiful wholecloth quilt designs available today.
The history of the cottage industries in the Appalachia area is a very interesting study. I highly recommend taking the time to explore the historic Craft Revival and its impact on this area of the country. Although this particular North Carolina website is not addressing Kentucky where Eleanor Beard's business resided, the trials and tribulations surrounding those who were hired to work from their homes during the Craft Revival period were very similar within the greater Appalachia region.
Today the history of the craft revival within the Appalachia region continues to stir up discussions of sociological issues as our society ever wrestles with the questions of equal pay and fair play. Eleanor Beard is specifically mentioned in some of this research.
Wholecloth Crib Quilt No. 1
40.5 inces by 33 inches. Knife edge finish. |
The color is a creamy green on one side. |
This quilt is reversible. |
Attempting to show you the finished edge. |
Now you see it from the other side, a creamy peach color.
Wholecloth Crib Quilt No. 2
This quilt is pink on one side and soft silvery blue on the other.
Do quilters still call these Prairie Points? The points measure about 7/8 inches deep on this quilt. Though the quilt is hand quilted the points are machine attached between a knife edge finish.
The center medallion design on this quilt measures 17 1/8 inches by 15 1/2 inches. The first quilted border measures 5 inches wide; the 2nd measures 3 inches wide.
Here is a McCall's pattern for the type of wholecloth satin or rayon quilts as seen above.
This link was just posted on one of the quilt history discussion lists I subscribe to. It is a beautiful orange-red and salmon-orange two-sided Eleanor Beard full-sized bed quilt being offered by Maire McLeod at Ruby Lane here.
Here is another recent link on satin crib quilts posted to the Quilts-Vintage & Antique discussion list. The article itself was posted by Dawn Cook-Ronningen to her blog "Collector With A Needle" in 2013. Dawn's blog is a MUST read!
Wonderful post, Karen. Really enjoyed it! I have only seen boudoir quilts a couple of times in antiques shops here in New England. One was in great condition. We always regret the things we don't buy.
ReplyDeleteAmen to that, Patricia! Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. As you well know, its greatly appreciated that the stuff we love to write about gets read.
DeleteKaren, great post. I bought an Eleanor Beard quilt on eBay last year. It's cotton with an appliqued border, nothing in the center. I'll share the photo with you once I get it taken.
ReplyDeleteWould love to see a photo of your EB quilt, Beth! Thanks for stopping by.
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