Ocean Waves Quilt by Susan McCord, circa 1880
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Artifact Overview
Susan McCord was an ordinary Indiana farmwife with an extraordinary genius for quilt making. This Ocean Waves quilt pattern was well-known in the late 19th century. But in McCord's hands the design is breathtakingly executed, formed of hundreds of tiny half-inch triangles cut from printed cotton fabrics. McCord finished the borders of this quilt with her unique meandering vines with colorful pieced leaves.
Artifact Details
Artifact
Quilt
Date Made
circa 1880
Creators
Place of Creation
Location
Not on exhibit to the public.
Object ID
73.120.2
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
Material
Cotton (Textile)
Calico
Batting
Technique
Applique (Technique)
Piecing
Quilting
Hand sewing
Roller printing (Printmaking)
Color
Multicolored
Pink (Color)
White (Color)
Green
Dimensions
Height: 76.5 in
Width: 70 in
Inscriptions
Mrs. C. M. Cannady
Specifications
Pattern: Ocean Waves with a Vine Border
Number of Pieces (top): 55 squares; 21 half-squares; 2 quarter squares
Fabric (top): Roller printed cotton calicoes, seaweed or parsley print
Piecing Technique: Hand pieced and hand appliqued
Number of Pieces (back): 3
Fabric (back): Cotton muslin
Stitches per Inch: 8-10
Quilting Pattern: Squares quilted with single flower design; rows of small triangles quilted straight line, cream triangles quilted in crosshatch pattern, vines and leaves outline quilted with background of crosshatch squares, outer border quilted with a larger diamond pattern.
Quilting Technique: Hand quilted
Binding: Turned in
Batting: Thin cotton batting with milling debris
Note(s):
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Related Artifacts
ArtifactPortrait of Green McCord and Susan McCord, circa 1885
ArtifactSusan McCord and Family at the McCord Farm, circa 1904
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