Sampler Quilts
Collectors seek Sampler quilts for their visual interest as well as their rarity. Fewer Sampler quilts than Albums were made, although it is sometimes a subjective call as to which is which. Since Sampler quilts often served as learning tools, a young quilter had the opportunity to try many patterns, and the variety and juxtaposition of patterns in the finished quilt could be quite engaging.
Like Album quilts, Sampler quilts were made with a different pattern in each block. The two types of quilts are similar in appearance, but they differ in terms of the quilt makers' intent. Some served the same teaching purpose as needlework samplers, but others were made much later in life, closer in spirit to Friendship or Album quilts. Sometimes a quilt maker created a commemoration in quilted form, saving a block from each quilt she had made in the past, or using the practice blocks from quilts she intended to make. In addition to creating a sampler of quilt patterns, some makers displayed different quilting styles in each block.
The patterns in a Sampler quilt tend to be pieced, rather than appliqué, although this is by no means a hard rule. In a true Sampler each block presents a different pattern, and in some cases, a different size as well. Sampler quilts may or may not have sashing that separates the blocks. It is not uncommon to find a Sampler quilt in which each block directly abuts the next. While Album quilts frequently have one or more dates, Samplers generally have none. Album quilts are also more likely to show occasional repeated blocks.
Collectors seek Sampler quilts for their visual interest as well as their rarity. Fewer Sampler quilts than Albums were made, although it is sometimes a subjective call as to which is which. Since Sampler quilts often served as learning tools, a young quilter had the opportunity to try many patterns, and the variety and juxtaposition of patterns in the finished quilt could be quite engaging. There is also the charm, similar to that of Doll quilts, of seeing the earnest first efforts of a budding craftswoman. Some collectors dislike the haphazard effect created when the blocks are dissimilar sizes, but that, again, is a matter of taste. Prices for Sampler quilts are influenced by factors such as the number of blocks, fineness of patterns, arrangement of blocks, and choices of fabric.
Mother Daughter Quilts
The term "mother-daughter quilt" does not refer to family ties. It relates purely to the discrepancy in age seen between some quilt tops and their backings. It is not uncommon to find that a quilt top was appliquéd or pieced in one generation and the quilting finished in another. Such quilts are generally less desirable to collectors than one from a single era.
In instances in which the more recent fabrics and quilting are compatible with the older part, the quilt's other features - it's workmanship and artistic elements - may ameliorate or overcome the inconsistency. Quilts that have been completed with glaringly out-of-period materials - a 19th-century top, for instance, with synthetic batting - are of little interest to the collector.
As in all decisions about which quilts to collect, a great deal of subjectivity comes into play. What one purchaser may find acceptable, another may not. Find out whether the quilt was assembled at one time. If not, the price should reflect the disparity.
View more Sampler Quilts for sale on my website.
Strippy Quilt with Carpenter's Wheel: Circa 1880It is difficult to characterize this unique quilt. The Carpenter's Wheel center is surrounded by Flying Geese; King's Crown and Rolling Stone corner blocks. I'm not sure whether this is enough to characterize it as a strippy sampler quilt. The quilt was found in eastern Pennsylvania. It is imaginative and well made. It is in pristine, unwashed condition. Measurements are 68" x 76"; circa 1880. View this quilt.
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