QUILT INDEX RECORD

11-37-7185

Essay:

Lotus Eaters
2002
Sandra Townsend Donabed
Newton, Massachusetts
37" w x 35" h Hand appliqué; machine & hand quilted
Cottons; vintage embroidered linens

Sandra Donabed says that her use of old embroidery comes from her connection to the nameless women who tried to make their homes a bit brighter with their handwork. Over the years I have amassed great piles of stuff to keep me supplied forever. Each piece I hold makes me wonder about the woman who made it, or in the case of the tablecloths, the women who used them, who washed and ironed them, and eventually the woman who threw it into the pile for the yard sale." Lotus Eaters contains two tablecloths, two table toppers, several napkins, pillowcase embroidery, two dresser scarves with the same bird embroidery done by two different women, a pillow cover, and various cutouts from tea towels and "donations from a few special friends."

Gift of Sandra Townsend Donabed, 2005.01

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:

5697

Alternate inventory control number:

NEQM# 2005.01

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:

37.5

Length:

35

Quilt's title:

Lotus Eaters

Quilt top made by:

Donabed, Sandra Townsend

Quiltmaker's state:

Massachusetts (MA)

Quiltmaker's city:

Newton

Quiltmaker's country:

United States

Occupation:

quilt artist

How did owner acquire quilt?

Gift

Where the quilt was made, state:

Massachusetts (MA)

Where the quilt was made, country:

United States

Tell the story of how the quilt was obtained:

donated by maker

Time period:

2000-2025

When was the quilt finished?

2002

Format:

Finished quilt

Technique, embellishments:

Embroidery

Fabric fibers:

Cotton

Patterns:

Print

Describe the fibers or fabrics in the quilt top:

plain weave

Predominant colors:

Blue or Navy

Quilting:

Machine quilting

Motif design, decorative:

Feathering

Describe the quilting designs used:

birds

Number of borders:

2

Border; technique, fiber, weave, pattern:

linen, plain weave, print, -1"/ 2-1.5"/with corner squares

Binding and edging:

Separate binding applied

Binding; fiber:

Linen

Binding; weave:

Plain weave

Binding; pattern:

patterned fabric

Batting:

Cotton

Backing, number of pieces:

one piece

Backing, fiber:

Cotton

Backing, predominant color:

Gold

Inscription, content:

[front] Sandydonabed/ [back] Lotus eaters/Sandra Townsend Donabed/515 Centre Street/Newton,Massachusetts 02458

Inscription, front/back:

on back

Describe where the inscription was found:

on front

Inscription, technique:

Embroidery

Describe the method used to inscribe the quilt:

label on back

Condition:

Excellent/like new

Condition, structurally sound?

This quilt is structurally sound.

Pattern name, variations and comments:

Original

Details

• 

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

2002

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

Copyright holder:

New England Quilt Museum