Quilts M to
P
Medallion Quilt:
A quilt with a central motif as the focal point, which is often
surrounded by multiple borders.
Mill Wheel
Maker unknown
1920-1940
85" x 70"
Nebraska State Historical Society, Source: Pound Family,
7134-482
Olivia Pound, assistant principal at Lincoln
High School from 1918 to 1943, owned this Mill Wheel quilt. Pound
Junior High is named for Olivia and her family. The Mill Wheel
pattern belongs to the same family of pieced quilt patterns as
Drunkard's Path, Boston Puzzle, and Snowball, and can be varied
by the number of corners cut out and the arrangement of the blocks.
Miniature Quilt: Quilts
made on a small scale that are sometimes reproductions of full-sized
quilts. Blocks tend to be two to three inches in size.
Miter:
Two edges joined at a 45-degree angle. Miters are used in the
corners of borders and binding.
Mosaic
Star/Grandmother's Flower Garden
(top only)
Maker unknown
1930s
88" x 84"
Nebraska State Historical Society, Source: Roger T. Grange, Jr.,
8027-16 [dup 1]
The Grandmother's Flower Garden-style quilt
is one of the most popular within quilting circles. This labor
intensive and beautiful pattern grew in popularity in the 1920s
and emerged from earlier hexagon patterns known simply as Mosaic
or Honeycomb. Godey's Ladies Book published the hexagon
pattern in 1835 and early patterns were generally one-patch hexagon
repeats. In time, quilters arranged these hexagon shapes into
patterns of their own liking creating mosaic-like effects. By
the twentieth century the Grandmother's Flower Garden design
had emerged with the "flowers" surrounded by rows of
single-colored hexagons representing garden paths or hedges.
Mountain Star
Maker unknown, possibly made in Ohio
Circa 1920-1940
International Quilt Study Center, Ardis and Robert James Collection,
1997.007.0286
Muslin: A plain, undyed cotton fabric, available bleached
or unbleached. Muslin is commonly used in quilting as a neutral
background or as a foundation under thinner fabric.
Needle-Punching:
The process of inserting a needle through the layers when hand
quilting. It
is done to prevent shifting and to help the batting maintain
its loft. Also called needling.
Nine-Patch
Maker unknown, possibly made in Holmes County, Ohio
c. 1925-1945
73" x 69"
International Quilt Study Center, Ardis and Robert James Collection,
1997.007.0557
A very basic pattern, the nine-patch refers
to how many squares are within a single block. Nine-patch is
perhaps the most common with numerous variations on the theme,
but one-patch, four-patch, and even twenty-five-patch quilts
are frequently seen.
North Carolina Lily variation
Catherine Eby Miller, possibly made in Indiana
Circa 1857
86" x 84"
Nebraska State Historical Society, Source: Miss. Pluma Sageser,
10646-3
The name North Carolina Lily has often
been applied to combinations of diamond and triangle shapes that
make up flowers, stems, and leaves in appliqué or pieced
quilts. In this example it has been appliquéd by the donor's
maternal grandmother, Catherine Eby Miller, probably in Indiana
around 1857. The quilt was brought to Nebraska from Iowa by the
donor's mother in 1886 and was used in their sod house on a homestead
in Chambers, Nebraska.
This quilt illustrates two important trends
in nineteenth-century appliqué quilting: the predominance
of red and green and the reliance on simple shapes found in nature.
Many early appliqué quilters looked to nature for their
influence and floral shapes and designs were prevalent. It was
not until the late eighteenth to early nineteenth century, however,
that these shapes began to look more and more like identifiable
flowers and plants. Additionally, appliqué quilters, for
numerous reasons including aesthetic trends and available fabrics,
favored red and green color schemes. Technological advances throughout
the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries led to abundant
fabric choices and, in turn, abundant use of color and pattern
in quilts.
Novelty Print:
A fabric printed with small whimsical designs. Also called "conversation"
prints and "craft" prints.
Oak Reel
Maker unknown, possibly Pennsylvania
1880 -1900
97" x 96"
International Quilt Study Center, Jonathan Holstein Collection,
2003.003.0148
Purchase made possible through James Foundation Acquisition Fund,
partial gift of Jonathan Holstein
Ohio Star
Alternate names: Variable Star, Eight-Point Star, Lone Star,
Texas Star, Tippecanoe & Tyler Too, Eastern Star, Shoofly
Maker unknown
1870
Nebraska State Historical Society, Source: Mrs. B. N. Nesmith,
9406-32
The eight-point star is a basic and enduring
design in the quilting tradition. Numerous variations exist,
with even more numerous names to accompany them.
Ocean Waves
Maker unknown, possibly made in Holmes County, Ohio
Circa 1920-1940
83" x 66"
International Quilt Study Center, Ardis and Robert James Collection,
1997.007.0268
On Point: A block arrangement in which a block is placed
with its corners up and down and to the sides.
One-Patch: Any
quilt pattern that uses a single, repeated, shaped patch for
the pieced top. Commonly found in multicolored patterns and/or
varying fabrics.
Patchwork:
The process of making a quilt by sewing many small pieces of
fabric together. Also known as piecing.
Piecing: The
process of sewing two or more pieces of fabric together to form
a larger whole.
Pin Basting:
Using safety pins to hold the layers together during the quilting
process.
Postage Stamp Nine-Patch
Emma Herring, possibly made in Oketo, Kansas
1876-1896
74" x 61"
Nebraska State Historical Society, Source: W. J. Curtis,
9487-18
A very basic pattern, the nine-patch refers
to how many squares are within a single block. Nine-patch is
perhaps the most common with numerous variations on the theme,
but one-patch, four-patch, and even twenty-five-patch quilts
are also seen.
Emma Herring made this quilt, probably
in Oketo, Kansas, and gave it to her daughter, Vinnie Victoria
Herring, before her marriage in 1896. Vinnie and her husband
soon moved to Nebraska and lived there for the rest of their
lives.
Prairie Points:
Squares of fabric folded into triangles. Often used as an edging,
prairie points also can be sewn into other seams.
Puffed Squares
Alternate names: Biscuit, Bun
Maker unknown
1890s-1930s
86" x 66"
Nebraska State Historical Society, Source: Mr. & Mrs. A.
W. Epp,
10457-1
This style of quilt is made from individually
stuffed squares that are then sewn together. They were popular
in the Victorian era and the earliest known pattern dates from
the 1880s. Before the days of polyester batting, these quilts
could be quite heavy due to the stuffing of cotton or wool.
According to the family, Frank Bell of
Illinois, the donor's uncle, brought this quilt to Ong, Nebraska,
about 1885. Although the donor thought this quilt dated from
much earlier in the nineteenth century, it is likely that it
dates from the 1890s.
