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Hearts & Pomegranates; Four Block Applique

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QUILT INDEX RECORD

12-8-5250

Who documented this quilt?

Michigan Quilt Project; Michigan State University Museum Collection; Cuesta Benberry Collection

Where are the records for this quilt housed?

Michigan State University Museum

Michigan Quilt Project Number:

08.0070

If this quilt is owned by a museum, enter the accession number:

2008:119.10

Object label:

Hearts and Pomegranates
Lena Moses and Livia Moses
Roanoake, Virginia
1975
Collection of Michigan State University Museum acc.#2008:119.10

Essay:

From Cuesta,
Made by the sisters, Lena and Livia Moses, Roanoke, VA. as a birthday gift for me. I had sent the pattern to them and they liked it very much. They made several quilts of this design. A boutique owner in Atlanta just snapped up these quilts for sale in her shop, and wanted more. I met Lean and Livia back in the early 1960s, early on in my career, and we remained friends until their deaths.

This quilt recalls early quilting designs in America. Pomegranates were thought to symbols of fertility and good harvests. Hearts were used in many designs in early America art, especially in quilts seen in Pennsylvania area. The colors, too, are evocative of work done in the 1800s in that area. German settlers brought these colors to America. What is interesting about this quilt is that the sisters chose to work the applique designs on only one piece of fabric instead of four large blocks and then adding a border. This made the work mored difficult. They had mastering quilt making techniques.

By Mary Worrall

Quilt's title:

Hearts & Pomegranates

Names for quilt's pattern in common use:

Four Block Applique

When was the form filled out?

4/22/08

Quilt top made by:

Moses, Lena; Moses, Livia

Quilted by:

Moses, Lena; Moses, Livia

If you are the quilt owner, how did you acquire this quilt?

Received as a gift

Where the quilt was made, city:

Roanoke

Where the quilt was made, state:

Virginia (VA)

Where the quilt was made, country:

United States

Time period:

1950-1975

When was the quilt finished?

1975

Why was the quilt made?

Gift or presentation

Details about why the quilt was made:

The quilt was made by two sisters, Lena and Livia Moses of Roanoake, VA. The quilt was made as a birthday gift for Mrs. Cuesta Benberry. Mrs. Benberry had sent the pattern to them and they liked it so much that they made several identical quilts. A bouti

Quilt is presently used as:

Museum collection

Quiltmaker's gender:

Female

Quiltmaker's city:

Roanoke

Quiltmaker's state:

Virginia (VA)

Quiltmaker's country:

United States

This is a:

Finished quilt

How wide is the quilt?

82"

How long is the quilt?

88"

Shape of edge:

Straight

Shape of corners:

Straight

What color is the quilt?

Beige or Tan; Green; Orange; Red

Quilt's condition:

Very good/almost new

Type of inscription:

Multiple Names

What is inscribed on the quilt?

Two printed tags: Handmade by Lena Moses Handmade by Livia Moses

Method used to make the inscription:

Attached label

Location of inscription:

on back

Describe the quilt's layout:

Block pattern

Number of quilt blocks:

4

Size of quilt blocks:

28" x 28"

Arrangement of quilt blocks:

Straight

Spacing of quilt blocks:

Side by side

Number of borders:

1

Describe the borders:

Appliqued border of red and green squares and diamonds appliqued 8" from edge of quilt.

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Cotton

Piecing techniques used to make the quilt top:

Machine Piecing

Applique techniques used to make the quilt top:

Hand Applique

Materials used to make the back:

Cotton

What color is the back of the quilt?

Beige or Tan

Number of pieces of fabric in the quilt back:

3

Describe the back:

Same fabric used throughout; Solid/plain

Materials used in the quilt binding:

Cotton

How is the binding made?

Bias grain

What is the width of the binding (measure on the top only)?

half inch - one inch

What kind of filling is used in the quilt?

Polyester

How are the layers held together?

Hand quilting

Number of quilting stitches per inch, place 1:

6

Number of quilting stitches per inch, place 2:

8

Width between quilting lines:

1"

Quilting designs used, overall motifs:

Grid/crosshatch; Outline

Describe the quilting designs used:

Chain in border

Source of the information on this quilt:

MSU 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)

Quilt owner's country:

United States

How was this quilt acquired?

Purchase

Tell the story of how the quilt was obtained:

This quilt was collected by Cuesta Benberry to further her research on quiltmaking and/or African American quiltmaking. Her son donated the collection to the Michigan State University Museum when she passed away in 2007.

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

How did the quiltmaker participate in the creation of the quilt?

Made entire quilt

Who photographed this quilt?

Pearl Yee Wong

Copyright holder:

MSU Board of Trustees

Cite this Quilt

Moses, Lena; Moses, Livi. Hearts & Pomegranates. 1975. From Michigan State University Museum, Michigan Quilt Project; Michigan State University Museum Collection; Cuesta Benberry Collection. Published in The Quilt Index, https://quiltindex.org/view/?type=fullrec&kid=12-8-5250. Accessed: 03/28/24

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