Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-05-07
POETRY IN PATCHWORK.
Completing Work of Art In Nearly a
Thousand Pieces
NFVW nc WdShlNgFOn RepU6lican.

From the Washington Republican.
Mrs. John c. MulfOrd, wife of the clerk
at the Arlington Hotel, has finished a
''patchwork quilt that is not merely a
quilt, but work of art. 1t is a poem in
patches-a symphony in samples of silk
and SATIN. It is seven feet square and is
composed Of forty-nine different blocks,
arranged in rows, each row. separated by
division ribbon of dark red satin.
and each block divided from each
other by ribbon border of the same tex
ture and hue. Around the whole is a bor
der OF drab brown satin, traversed by
seven rows of stitching in various silks.
The pieces are chiefly silk, with many of
satin and few of velvet. There are
about 1000 pieces in the Quilt. and every
piece has history. There are in it sam
pies OF SILK from wedding dress, made
nundreds of years ago in England when
the looms wOve silk as enduring as time
mere are IN 1t specimens of the latest
styles of gentlemen's cravats. And be-
tween these two epochs are hundreds
OF pieces of different times and all
possible shades of color arranged in blocks
of general arabesque pattern, the whole
presenting unity of design that is mar
Felously symmetrical, and a blending
ana shading of colOrs that Is artistic in
the highest degree. Only an artist. with
a firm, bold hand, a quick, accurate eve.
ana a true perception of the harmonies of
art, could have made it. Some of the
pieces are mere shreds in 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.
The blending of the cOlors is the most
admirable feature of the whole work.
The arrangement of the pieces is equally
satisfactory. The general result obtained
is consequently artistic. Two of the
squares contains piece of brOcade silk.
of the now fashionable color, 'crushed
strawberry" 1t came from the wedding
dress of Mrs. MulfOrd's great grand
mother, and is 10 years old. Another
square contains a 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 the war
and which, having gone out of fashion,
has been replaced by nothing half so ele-
giant either in texture or in style. Again.
another block has a piece of wedding
dress of Mrs. Mulf0rd's bridesmaid, Miss
SherrOn, with her initials worked in it.
This is the only block in the whole Quilt |
which Mrs. MulfOrd did not work with
her own hands. Hundreds of these pieces |
were sent to Mrs. MulfOrd by her friends. |
One block is called the ''Beach Block" be- |
cause the wife of Hon. Lewis Beach. of New |
ork contributed most of the pieces In it. |
The predominant cOlOrs here are purple. |
crimson, black, light blue, green and 9TH |
ers, In one corner crescent moon, at |
tended by stars, CLEANS out from a field |
OF blue. In the centre a cluster Of leaves |
are beautifully worked. Very much of |
the work is difficult needle work, done bv |
Mrs. MulfOrd. Many of the pieces have
various designs painted on them by the
same lady, whose abilities as an artist are
highly appreciated by her friends.
Another block contains piece of Thos.
Jefierson's carriage lining, which, despite
that Presidents well known democracy,
was OF silk. The japanese embassy sent |
another block. On one of the pieces i'm
this block is painted the minister's name
in the strange, uncOuth japanese charac-
ters. 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
a piece on which is scratched
lifelike sketch of the fox
and the stOrk at the famous
dinner where the fox was wOrsted The
expression given to the eXpectant but /
disappointed fox is perfect. He is sitting
ON his launches; licking his chops, while
the stork, with his bill deep into the mar
r0W-necked jug, seems to say brisklv and Z
hospitality, Help yourself, Brother Rey-
nard!" In another square the sagacious
starring is dropping into the pitcher the
pebbles that will enable him finally 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.. G. Lambert, the silk manu.
acturer of Paterson, n. j., in importing
patterns from England has sent samples to
Mrs. MulfOrd to be worked in the quilt. Mr..
Lambert was so struck by the secrushed
strawberry" silk Of 10 years of age that
le manufactured a quantity exactly like
I. In one of the squares Little BOv
Blue" is blowing his horn, in all the glory
If the kensingtOn stitch, and in another
4 little girl on a stile seems to be IN doubt
which side of the fence to come down on.
4 very elegant block contains piece of
imported English silk, in which perfect
with cap still on, appeals
o the eye for approval ofits perfect shape.
)ne block holds number of elephants.
Another has pieces sent by Senator Platts
on, part of his cravat, in which little
1lSs, with ring IN their tails, are am
|lng along with a larger ring on their
)acks. But the quilt, to be fully described,
would require far more space than this
article can afford. 1t has been seen bv
Milne u ProctOr's decorators, who pro-
lounce it the finest piece of decorative
work they have ever seen. 1t has been seen
)y favored few at the hotel, who are in
'aptures over it. 1t is really a superb
lhair. Mr.. and Mrs. Mulford left Wash
ngtOn on Saturday for their home in Sa-
EN- y. D., and took the quilt with them.