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| pieced quilt, polyester, Peggy Davis Harmon, North Carolina, c. 1970, 62" x 81" |
This playful polyester quilt came from an eBay seller in Asheville, North Carolina. According to the item description, it was made by a woman in Madison County, the western mountains of North Carolina. I sent a note to the seller asking if we could retrieve more information, and she sent a link to the obituary of the maker,
Peggy Davis Harmon (1943-2016).
The pattern has many names, such as Snowball, Windmill Design, Pinwheel, and my personal favorite from the Kansas City Star, Love in a Tangle. By the 1970s, around the time the quilt was made, it could've had dozens of names.
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| #1499 in Brackman's Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns |
These designs may be found in my favorite resource for block identification, Barbara Brackman's Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns, #1498 and #1499, in the "Four Patch with Curves" section. There is also a note with the two designs: 1499 and 1498 are identical if set all-over. Each block has 24 patches, and the blocks cleverly mingle to create several secondary designs.
A closer look at the fabrics shows why polyester is such a fascinating, versatile material. Woven, printed and embossed designs offered an endless variety of options. Ultimately, these fabrics infused scrap quiltmaking with dynamic new combinations of color, pattern and texture.
Well, that funeral announcement just made me want to know more!!!! How did you get a quilt made by a woman whose life work was documenting life in her neighborhood? I am sure you will contact the husband to see what his memories of "quilting" in his home was all about.
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