QUILT INDEX RECORD

11-37-3662

Essay:

Bloodroot
1986
Ruth McDowell
Winchester, Massachusetts
114.5"w x 67"h
Machine pieced; hand appliquéd; hand quilted
Satin, cotton, polyester, velvet, and upholstery fabrics

The natural world has been an inspiration to American quiltmakers for centuries. The tradition of floral imagery is continued in Ruth McDowell's interpretation of the flowers that bloom in the New England spring. Bloodroot is an original three-dimensional and double-sided design. The bloodroot flowers are constructed of stuffed and padded satin and the stems are enfolded in two-sided quilted leaves. The quilt's back contains an array of solid and printed fabrics that create the wooded background of a New England scene. The New England Quilters Guild commissioned this quilt to be unveiled on June 6, 1986 at New England Images II, the Guild's second show held to raise funds to establish a museum dedicated to quilting.

Gift of The New England Quilters Guild, 1986

Where are the records for this quilt housed?

Massachusetts Quilt Documentation Project - MassQuilts

Who documented this quilt?

Massachusetts Quilt Documentation Project, MassQuilts; New England Quilt Museum Collection

MASS-Quilts ID Number:

5615

Alternate inventory control number:

NEQM# 1986.03

Ownership of this quilt is:

Public Museum, Library or Institution

Quilt owner:

New England Quilt Museum

Quilt owner's city:

Lowell

Quilt owner's state:

Massachusetts (MA)

Quilt owner's county:

Middlesex

Quilt owner's country:

United States

Width:

114.5

Length:

69.5

Quilt's title:

Bloodroot

Pattern name (maker/owner/historical):

Bloodroot

Quilt top made by:

McDowell, Ruth

Quiltmaker's state:

Massachusetts (MA)

Quiltmaker's country:

United States

How did owner acquire quilt?

Gift

Time period:

1976-1999

When was the quilt finished?

1986

Format:

Finished quilt

Layout:

Nontraditional or art

Technique, piecing:

Machine Piecing

Technique, applique:

Machine Applique

Technique, novelty:

Dimensional applique

Describe the techniques used to make the quilt top:

3 dimensional

Fabric fibers:

Cotton

Weaves/Surfaces:

Satin

Patterns:

Print

Describe the fibers or fabrics in the quilt top:

plain weave/pile weave

Predominant colors:

Cream

Overall color scheme:

Dark colors

Quilting:

Hand quilting

Motif design, overall:

In-the-ditch

Describe the quilting designs used:

free form

Quilting stitches per inch, place 1:

6-May

Binding and edging:

Separate binding applied

Binding; fiber:

Cotton

Binding; weave:

Plain weave

Binding; pattern:

stripe

Batting:

Cotton

Backing, fiber:

Cotton

Backing, weave and pattern:

multi pieced/Back is a landscape of mountains, trees, reversible leaves overhanging

Describe the back:

Different fabrics

Inscription, type:

Signature

Describe where the inscription was found:

on front

Inscription, technique:

Embroidery

Condition:

Excellent/like new

Condition, structurally sound?

This quilt is structurally sound.

Pattern name, variations and comments:

Original design

Details

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Date estimated by an antique dealer, quilt historian or appraiser:

1986

Describe the sources of the quilt's materials:

furnishing fabric

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

Copyright holder:

New England Quilt Museum