The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1883-06-14
Poetry In Pat chwork.

| ootfS ih AAtchNofh.
Mrs. Mulford, wife of the clerk at
the Arlington Hotel, Washington, has
finished a patchwork Quilt that is not
merely a quilt, but a work of art. 1t
is poem in patches-ra symphony In
samples of silk and satin. 1t is seven
feet square and is composed of forty
nine different blocks, arranged in COWS,
each row separated by'a division ribbon
OF dark red satin, and each block divid-
ed from each other by q ribbon border
Of the same texture and hue. Around
the whole is, a borderg of drab brown
satin, traversed by seven rows of stitch.
| ing in various silks. The pieces are
chiefly silk, with many Of satin and a
few OF velvet. There areHabout 1000
pieces iii the quilt, and every piece has
silk from u wedding dress, made hun
the looms wove silk as enduring as
time. There are in it specimens of the
latest styles of gentlemen's cravats.
And between these two epochs are hun
dreds OF pieces Of different times and
all possible shades of color arranged in
blocks of a general arabesque pattern,
the whole presenting a unity of designs
that is marvelousy symmetrical, and a
blending and shading Of colors that is
artistic in the highest degree. Only an
artist, with Il firm, bold hand, a quick,
accurate eye, and a true perception of
the harmonies of art, could have made
it. Some of the pieces are mere shreds
III size, and none OF, them are large.
With these materials are displayed taste
and Judgment, and the result is not
merely quaint guilt but an arabesque
in art. - I e 2,2
The blending Of the colors is the most
admirable feature of the whole work.
The arrangement of the pieces is equal
ly satisfactory. The general result OBJ
tanned is consequently artistic. Two
OF the squares containcs Il piece of
brocade silk, Of the now fashionable
color, crushed strawberry. 1t came
from the wedding dress of Mrs. Null
ford's great grandmother, and is 10
years old. Another square contains
fragrant Of her own wedding dress.
Still another holds a small section of
her husbands wedding vest, one of
those patterns in light silk which were
fashionable before tho war and which
having gone out Of fashion, has been
replaced by nothing half SO elegant
either in texture or in style. Again,
another block has IL piece of wedding
dress Of Mrs. Mulford'S bridesmaid,
Miss Sherron, with her initials worked
in it. This is the only block in the
whole. quilt which Mrs. milford did
not WOlk with her own hands. Hun
dreds Of these pieces were sent to Mrs.
milford by her friends One block is
called the Beach Block, because the
wife Of Hon. Lewis Beach, of New
York contributed most of the pieces in
it. The predominant colors here are
purple, crimson, black, light blue, green
and others. In one corner crescent
moon, attended by stars, CLEANS out
from Il field Of blue. In the centre Il
cluster Of leaves are beautifully worked.
Very much of the work is difficult
needle work, done by Mrs. Mulfortb
Many of the pieces have various designs
painted Oh them by the same lady,
whose abilities as an artist are highly
appreciated by her friends.
Another block contains Il piece Of
ThOs. JetferSon's carriage Inning, which
despite that Presidents we'll. know de-
mocracy, was of silk. The japanese
embassy sent another block. On one Of
the pieces in this block is painted the
minister's name in the strange, uncOuth
Japanese characters. Mrs. Malone sent
some pieces, which were arranged in a
handsome block. In this occurs one Of
the few pieces of velvet in the quilt.
One block contains piece on which is
scratched a lifelike sketch of the fox
and the StOrk at the famous dinner
where the fox was worsted. The ex-
preston given to the expcctant but dis
appointed fox is perfect. lie is sitting
on his launches, licking his chops, while
the storll, with his bill deep INTO the
norrow-neckedj jug, seems to say briskly
and hospitrbly, Help yourself, Brother
Reyrard! In another square the saga
clous starting is dr0ppinginto the pitch
er the pebbles that will enable him fin
ally to take drink. In one block is
a piece OF silk from the curtains of the
White House. Some of the.blocks have
in them pieces of silk which are not
made in this country. Mr.. Lambert
the silk manufacturer Of Paterson, n.
D., in importing patterns from England
has sent samples to Mrs. MulfOrd to be
worked in the quilt. Mr.. Lamber, was
so struck by the crushed strawberry
silk of 110 years ago that he manufac-
turcd quantity exactly like it. III one
of the squares Little Boy Blue is blow
ing his horn, in all the glory of the Ken
sington stitch, and in another a little
girl on q .stile seems to be in doubt
which side Of the fence to come down
on. A very elegont block contains a
piece of imported English silk, in which
Il perfect strawberry, with cap still on
appeals to the eye for approval of It's
perfect shape. Que block holds num-
ber Of elephants. Another. has pieces
sent by Senator Platt's son, a part of
his cravat, in which little pigs, with a
ring in their tails, arc, ambling along
with q larger ring OH their Backs But
the quilt; to be fully described, would
require far more space than this article
can afford. 1t has been seen by bIinle
Il Proctor's decorators, who pronounce
it the finest piece Of decorative work
they have ever seen. 1t has been seen
by favored few at the hotel, who are
in raptures over it. 1t is really a SUI
perb affair. Mr.. and Mrs. Mulford left
Washington on Saturday for their home
in Salem n. ,J,, and took tho quilt with