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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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