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Rising Sun; Rising Sun, Wagon Wheel, Fly Wheel, Circle Saw, Wheel of Life, Oklahoma Star
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QUILT INDEX RECORD
12-8-484
Who documented this quilt?
Michigan Quilt Project; Michigan State University Museum Collection
Where are the records for this quilt housed?
Michigan State University Museum
Michigan Quilt Project Number:
94.0091
If this quilt is owned by a museum, enter the accession number:
7585.2
Object label:
Rising Sun
Alice Elizabeth Hardman
Alabama
c1870
Collection of Michigan State University Museum acc.#7585.2
Essay:
Alice Elizabeth Hardman made this quilt in Alabama. Her initials "A.E.H." are embroidered in red cross-stitch and "1853" is written in faded ink on the back of the quilt. The donor purchased the quilt at an antique show. Attached to the quilt was a card that stated Alice was married on February 21, 1873, so possible this was her wedding quilt. The curved piecing and pieced triangles on the outer edge of the circle are the work of a skilled needle worker.
The Florida quilt documentation lists two "Rising Sun" quilts, one from 1878 and one from 1864. The Texas quilt documentation project lists one "Rising Sun" quilt from 1825. All three of these quilts were made by quiltmakers in Alabama and passed down through their families. The fact that all these quilts were handed down with the makers' names and hometowns are evidence they were considered family heirlooms.
By Beth Donaldson, excerpted from American Quilts from Michigan State University Museum.
Owner's name for the quilt:
Rising Sun
Names for quilt's pattern in common use:
Rising Sun, Wagon Wheel, Fly Wheel, Circle Saw, Wheel of Life, Oklahoma Star
Brackman # or other source & #:
3390
Quilt top made by:
Hardman, Alice Elizabeth
Quilted by:
Hardman, Alice Elizabeth
If you are the quilt owner, how did you acquire this quilt?
Received as a gift
Where the quilt was made, state:
Alabama (AL)
Time period:
1850-1875
When was the quilt finished?
c1870
Quilt is presently used as:
Museum collection
Quiltmaker's gender:
Female
Quiltmaker's county:
Pike or Bullock
Quiltmaker's state:
Alabama (AL)
Quiltmaker's birth date:
11/22/1852
Quiltmaker's date and place of death:
11/17/1945
This is a:
Finished quilt
How wide is the quilt?
96"
How long is the quilt?
96"
Shape of edge:
Straight
Antique colors:
Cheddar Orange or Antimony or Chrome Orange
Quilt's condition:
Poor/very worn
What is inscribed on the quilt?
AEH
What is the date inscribed on the quilt?
1853
Method used to make the inscription:
Embroidery
Location of inscription:
on back
Describe the quilt's layout:
Block pattern
Number of quilt blocks:
16
Size of quilt blocks:
20 1/2" x 20 1/2"
Arrangement of quilt blocks:
Straight
Spacing of quilt blocks:
Separated by plain sashing
Sashing width:
1 5/8"
Number of borders:
1
Describe the borders:
3 1/2" using the same green fabric used in the sashing and the blocks.
Fiber types used to make the quilt top:
Cotton
Piecing techniques used to make the quilt top:
Hand Piecing
Materials used to make the back:
Cotton
Number of pieces of fabric in the quilt back:
3
What is the width of the binding (measure on the top only)?
less than a half inch
What kind of filling is used in the quilt?
Cotton
How are the layers held together?
Hand quilting
Color of thread used in the quilting:
Green, Gray, Cream
Number of quilting stitches per inch, place 1:
6
Number of quilting stitches per inch, place 2:
7
Quilting designs used, decorative motifs:
Feathering
Quilting designs used, background fills:
Parallel lines
Describe the quilting designs used:
Zig Zag
Exhibitions where this quilt was displayed:
American Quilts from Michigan State Universtiy Museum exhibit: Tokyo, January 28 - February 9 at Mitsukoshi Department Store, Nihonbashi; Osaka, March 5 - 19 at Takashimaya Department Store, Namba; Niigata, May 7 - 12 at Mitsukoshi Department Store; Kyoto, December 4 - 28 at Station Museum at Kyoto, Japan, 2003.
Related items such as diaries, obituaries, wills, household inventories, or pictures of the quiltmaker:
American Quilts from Michigan State University Museum (2003) book, page 35. Handi Crafts, Patchwork Quilt, 2003, Vol. 19 (Japanese quilt magazine).
Publications (including web sites) where this quilt or maker was featured:
An advertising card for the Northville Antiques Show, March, 15-17, 1991. On the reverse side the card says, "AEH Alice Elizabeth Hardman Born 11/22/1852 in Pike or Bullock County Alabama Married 2/21/73 Died 11/17/1945 Birmingham Alabama Source Can't Explain 1853 date From her application to Join D.A.R.
Source of the information on this quilt:
Museum employee
Ownership of this quilt is:
Public- Michigan State University Museum
Quilt owner's name:
Michigan State University Museum
Quilt owner's city:
East Lansing
Quilt owner's county:
Ingham
Quilt owner's state:
Michigan (MI)
How was this quilt acquired?
Gift
Tell the story of how the quilt was obtained:
7/6/1994, Albert and Merry Silber, antique dealer and donor
Describe anything about the history of the quilt that wasn't already recorded in a previous field:
This quilt was purchased at an antique show and the card that was attached to the quilt, stated Alice was married on 2/21/1873, so maybe this was her wedding quilt. The Rising Sun pattern has a strong tie to Alabama. Florida has documented two Rising Sun quilts, one from 1878 and one from 1864. Texas documented one Rising Sun quilt from 1825. All three of these quilts were originally from Alabama and all were passed down through their families with the name of the quiltmaker. The curved piecing and pieced triangles on the outer edge of the circle are the work of a skilled needle worker. The fact that all these quilts were handed down with the makers name and home town are evidence they were made as family heirlooms. Japan book caption: Alice Elizabeth Hardman made this quilt in Alabama. Her initials "A.E.H." are embroidered in red cross-stitch and "1853" is written in faded ink on the back of the quilt. The donor purchased the quilt at an antique show. Attached to the quilt was a card that stated Alice was married on February 21, 1873, so possible this was her wedding quilt. The curved piecing and pieced triangles on the outer edge of the circle are the work of a skilled needle worker. The Florida quilt documentation lists two "Rising Sun" quilts, one from 1878 and one from 1864. The Texas quilt documentation project lists one "Rising Sun" quilt from 1825. All three of these quilts were made by quiltmakers in Alabama and passed down through their families. The fact that all these quilts were handed down with the makers' names and hometowns are evidence they were considered family heirlooms.
Access and copyright information:
Restricted
Who photographed this quilt?
Fumio Ichikawa
Copyright holder:
Michigan State University Museum
Cite this Quilt
Hardman, Alice Elizabet. Rising Sun. c1870. From Michigan State University Museum, Michigan Quilt Project; Michigan State University Museum Collection. Published in The Quilt Index, https://quiltindex.org/view/?type=fullrec&kid=12-8-484. Accessed: 03/29/24
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Collection
Merry and Albert Silber Collection
Swanson, Lynne