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This exhibit will largely take place virtually, offering activities for children and adults in education and craft. ‘Stories & Stitches’ will also offer a way for all to participate by allowing submissions for online gallery of quilts on the McKinney Center’s Facebook page.

The exhibit will be open for appointment only visits at the McKinney Center, July 20th- August 7th, Monday through Friday, 9am-4pm. To schedule your private viewing of this exhibit please call 423-753-0562. Scheduled viewings will be 30 minutes at a time, but if larger groups or longer times are needed, please let us know when you call. Groups can be up to ten people at a time and admission is free, but a donation is appreciated.

To learn more about the Heritage Alliance and our archival collections, visit our website.

Click on any of the images in this digital exhibit for a full or larger view.

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Donated to the Jonesborough/Washington County History Museum's collection by Mrs. Beatrice Brown Webb. The quilt top is made of cotton and features the sugar loaf pattern. The pattern gets its name from the Colonial presentation of sugar in the late 1700s where it was sold in cone form. There are several small, red stains on the quilt, perhaps blood from the effort of hand stitching. Were the stains the reason this quilt was never finished?

Some quilters prefer to do the tops of quilts only and leave the batting in between and the back of the quilt to someone else to finish.

Date of creation unknown.  (Unless otherwise noted, photos courtesy of Skye McFarland.)

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This quilt was made by Mrs. Mary Ann Smith Bayless from Jonesborough. She was born on July 9, 1842 and died March 23, 1925. She made this quilt for her son James McBurny Bayless when she was 52 years old. The quilt was donated by her great-granddaughter Elizabeth Bosserman. The quilt features Mrs. Bayless' favorite flower, the pansy, and her favorite tree, the maple. Her name, the date, and James' nickname "Burnie" are stitched into the quilt.

Bayless' oral history includes stories of the family's pear orchard that was used during the Civil War for hangings. Mrs. Bayless would cover the dead with blankets and quilts that she had made and it was told that she chased the soldiers out of the orchard to prevent further hangings.

Quilt created in 1895. This is large for a Crazy Quilt.

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There is some absolutely beautiful embroidery work on the Bayless Crazy Quilt. This floral embroider is on a piece of velvet. You can also see the detailed stitch work and the various types of stitches used in this particular piece.

Crazy Quilts were a fad that swept the United States in the late 1800s. They were inspired by the International Exhibition of Arts, Manufacture and Products of the Soil and Mine at the World’s Fair held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (USA) in 1876. The exhibit from Japan included pottery with a crackled glaze and textile designs with more asymmetrical patterns than Americans were accustomed to.

Crazy Quilts were made using various types of fabrics, lots of scraps, and were sewn together with multiple types of stitching. They usually included personal touches from the quilter including name and date. These types of quilts were especially popular among the middle and upper classes of the Victorian era. They were intended to be bright and colorful. Most of them were ornamental and decorative in nature and were not meant to be used like a regular quilt.

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This quilt belonged to Mary and Billy Carpenter and was made by Mary. She ran the cafeteria at the Johnson City Middle School for a number of years and was a proud part of the Barter Theatre in Abingdon, VA. The quilt was estimated to be 100-150 years old when it was donated to the museum in 2006. Mary Carpenter died on January 15, 1969 at the age of 94.

The border on this quilt is made from ribbed velvet.

Exact date of creation unknown, but most likely late 1800s.

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This blanket was donated to the museum in 1983 by Mrs. Mara L. Osborne. Date of creation is unknown. It was woven as one piece, so the loom it was woven on was rather large. Its pattern is not a full diamond pattern.

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This piece was quilted and donated by award winning quilter Ms. Ercelle Hunter Snyder. The design is Grandmother's Flower Garden. Ms. Snyder shared in 2000, "Since retiring from teaching in 1977, I have completed 40 quilts. I have made an additional 130 tops which have been quilted by others. My quilts have won various prizes and honors. They have been exhibited in local, state, regional, national, and international shows. They have been sold on television. Many quilts have been given for wall hangings to various institutions including the Tennessee State Museum, Maryville College, Southern Baptist Seminary, Tennessee Baptist Children's Home, and many others."

This quilt was made in 1982.

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This is a wool, loom woven coverlet. It is displayed from the back so you can see the seam running down the middle where the two woven pieces were connected. The mark of an excellent weaver is the ability to weave the two pieces together seamlessly. That was not achieved here, but it is interesting to note that this coverlet is three colors where most coverlets were only two colors. A coverlet is an extra layer of bedding used for decoration or warmth.

This is a windows pattern.

Donated to the museum in 1993 by Ms. Ida Bell Fox. Date of creation unknown but most likely pre-Civil War.

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Red and Blue Woven Overshot Coverlet Detail

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Red and Blue Woven Overshot Coverlet Detail

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Though popular in many states during the early to mid 19th centuries, the extensive development of overshot weaving as a form of design and expression was fostered in rural southern Appalachia. It remained a staple of hand-weavers in the region until the early 20th century.

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The backing of this quilt is wool and was hand loomed. It has been patched several times. It was donated to the museum in 1997 by Ms. Billie Davis. Date of creation is unknown, but most likely late 1800s. The pieces of fabric were tied together and not quilted. The tumbler pieces seem to be made out of various suit fabrics.

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This quilt was made by Mrs. Ella Charles Bean. Her husband was Edward Watterson Bean, a descendant of William Bean. William Bean is credited as being the first permanent European settler in the area that would eventually become Tennessee. The quilt was donated to the museum by her granddaughter Ms. Ada Jo Shell.

This type of pattern is known as an album pattern. The X's in the middle of the design were places for the quilter to write names. It was a popular pattern in New England in the 18th century, but it was included in women's magazines in the 20th century and spread throughout the United States. This quilt was most likely made in the 1920s or 1930s.

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This quilt top was donated to the museum by Ms. Beatrice Brown Webb in 1992. It is mostly machine stitched.

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Quilted by Mrs. Elmer Frost in Ashland, Kentucky where she was raised. It was donated to the museum in 1994 by Ms. Wilda Wilson. The patterned fabric used on this quilt helps date it to the late 1800s. It is a more detailed example of the Irish Chain pattern than the quilt above it.

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Donor and date of creation unknown. This coverlet was most likely woven in the early part of the 1800s. It is made of wool. The seam on this one is almost imperceptible. The two halves are perfectly aligned. The patterns used in this coverlet are the double bow knot and the table. This pattern is sometimes known as "Lee's Surrender."

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Blue and White Woven Overshot Coverlet Detail

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Blue and White Woven Overshot Coverlet Detail

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Take a closer look at the detail work in this coverlet. If you look long enough, the designs appear to move. This could also be seen as a leaf pattern.

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Quilted by the Ladies of Jonesboro for the "Merchant of the Year." The quilt was presented to John S. Mathes on December 15, 1860. The creation of a Friendship Quilt was a truly community event. Various quilters created their own squares and then pieced them together. Once finished, these quilts were often given as gifts to recognize significant events or contributions.

The quilt is dated 1860, but there is debate as to its true age due to the different types of fabric used in the floral applique. The bright green fabric was popular before the Civil War and does not fade. The beige fabric was once green. It is faded. This type of fabric was only available after the Civil War. The mystery remains. It is obvious this quilt has been washed at least once. (DO NOT wash your historic quilts, especially not in a modern machine.)

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When you look at the quilt, you can see the signed names of all the women who worked on the quilt. Their names appear in the squares they worked on. There are also four names on the edges of the quilt, one attached to each of the four borders. The names appear to have been written in the same handwriting in black ink.

Miss Julia Bayless, Miss Eva Hoss, Miss Maggie Hunter, Miss A.J. Hogan, Miss Mae Nelson, Miss C.J.Patton, Miss A. Telford, Miss Eva Telford, Miss K.G. Slemons, Miss Sallie Foster, Miss Sallie S., Miss Delila Early, Miss Ann Presnell, Miss Hannah Smith, Miss Mollie West, Miss H.I. Earnest, Miss Amanda Byerly, Miss Mary McFall, Mems Willis, Mary E. Embree, Adelia McLin, Ada Jordan, Martha Hall

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The quilt also includes a poem. The poem was written in brown ink and has been faded by time.

"In after years when you recall
The days of pleasure past
And think of joyous hours that all
Have flown away too fast
If some forgotten air you hear
Brings back past scenes to thee,
And sadly charms thy listening ear,
Keep one kind thought for me."

Yours Affectionately,
Mollie Mc. Dec the 15 1860

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Hand-woven, wool bedspread made in Bedford County, PA. It was used by the Russell family in Jonesborough at the Russell Hotel, today the Historic Eureka Inn. The bedspread was donated by Mrs. Carolyn Russell Dungan. Her father was John R. Russell. She grew up in the hotel in the early 20th century. Her mother managed the dining room. Carolyn married Mr. Frank Dungan in 1921. The Russell family operated the hotel from 1910-1922.

The pattern is snowball with trees. This is mostly likely a summer/winter coverlet.

You can still stay at the Historic Eureka Inn today and enjoy a delicious brunch with their Eureka Bites!

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This crazy quilt comes from the estate of Martha Baxter. It was donated by Mrs. Sue Henley who lives in Martha's old home on Main Street. Date of creation unknown, but it was most likely quilted in the late 1800s. This crazy quilt includes lots of ribbons in its construction. All three of the crazy quilts in the Heritage Alliance's collection are finished.

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This baby bed quilt was used by former mayor Kevin McKinney. It was made in 1953 by his grandmother Corrie McKinney. In 1987, Kevin McKinney was elected Mayor of Jonesborough, and he was the first African American to serve in that position. His father Ernest McKinney, Sr., was elected Alderman of Jonesborough in 1968, and he was the first African American to serve in that position. The McKinney Center is name after their family's legacy.

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This type of quilt is sometimes referred to as checkerboard.

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Quilt Exhibit Opening with Merikay Waldvogel

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Quilt Exhibit Opening with Merikay Waldvogel

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On July 17, Merikay Waldvogel joined us for the virtual opening of the Stories & Stitches exhibit. The opening was livestreamed to the McKinney Center's Facebook page. You can watch the whole video now on YouTube!

https://youtu.be/YGRi-NM8618

Merikay Waldvogel is an author, curator, and quilt researcher. Co-directing the Quilts of Tennessee survey with Bets Ramsey in the 1980s sparked a keen love for Southern quilts and quiltmakers. Her writings include: Quilts of Tennessee (1986), Soft Covers for Hard Times (1990), and Southern Quilts of the Civil War (1998). She has served on the Board of Directors of American Quilt Study Group and the Alliance for American Quilts. In 2009, she was inducted into the Quilters Hall of Fame.  (Photo courtesy of Tom Pardue.)

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Now's your chance to showcase your own, homemade quilts! Submit pictures of your quilts and information to the McKinney Center by using the Google Doc linked below.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdFu_o5m56vDUr4LH4PhdNH0GFDoOX3VTti70m3PMb4vic-jw/viewform

If you don't want to use the Google Doc, or have any issues with the form, you can submit your quilts and stories directly to Skye McFarland at the McKinney Center via email at skyem@jonesboroughtn.org.

(Photo courtesy of Tom Pardue.)

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Stay tuned to the Heritage Alliance and McKinney Center's Facebook pages for a Crazy Quilt Try-It Challenge, Story Times with quilt inspired books, and an Historic Quilt care video from the Heritage Alliance.

Story Time - https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=303657524166711 featuring The Quilt by Ann Jonas

Crazy Quilt Try-It Challenge - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rN4HRwDnh_0

Quilt Care Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdHh8oGTwlM

Quilt Care Handout - http://www.heritageall.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Historic-Quilt-Care-101-One-Sheet.pdf

Remember, you can schedule your time to visit the exhibit with your own, private viewing through August 7 by calling the McKinney Center at 423-753-0562.

(Photo courtesy of Tom Pardue.)

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Donate to the Heritage Alliance and McKinney Center

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Donate to the Heritage Alliance and McKinney Center

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The Heritage Alliance and the McKinney Center rely on donations for much of our programming. Donations to the Heritage Alliance will help with the preservation of these historic quilts. We need to purchase new tissue paper for them and new PVC rods for them to hang on since their old ones are warped. You can donate to the Heritage Alliance here.

Donations to the McKinney Center will help with their public programming. You can donate to the McKinney Center here.

Your support is appreciated!

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Thank you to the McKinney Center for hosting our quilt exhibit. Thank you to Merikay Waldvogel for sharing her quilt expertise with us. Thank you to Linda Crouch-McCreadie of Tennessee Quilts for sharing your knowledge with us and letting us borrow your quilt displays for the exhibit. A big thank you to our Programming Coordinator Megan Cullen Tewell for sewing the sleeves into all of our historic quilts.

Thank you to you, the viewer, for visiting our Stories & Stitches digital exhibit.

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Funding has been provided by Humanities Tennessee and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act economic stabilization plan of 2020.