1875 - 1880 "Tumbling Blocks" Parlor Throw
date: label: date made
content: 1875-1880
name: label: maker
content: unknown
notes: label: Description
content: This machine pieced and quilted example of the “Tumbling Blocks” pattern was given to the donor’s aunt by her great-great aunt, Julia Ross, in 1878. It is not known whether Julia made the parlor throw. She lived in Indianapolis, Indiana.
label: Description
content: The “Tumbling Blocks” (also known as “Baby’s Blocks” or “Cube Work”) are 7/8-inch silk diamonds, precisely machine stitched, to create the overall geometric design. The pieced center section is tied with a thick silk thread, but only through the cotton lining and batting. The “Blocks” are framed by an 8-inch machine-quilted blue silk border. The use of various silk fabrics; plain-woven, faille, brocade, damask, woven stripes, and even a few with cut velvet motifs, contribute to the eye-catching quality of this parlor throw.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: Indiana, Indianapolis
topic: label: Subject
content: Quilting
setName: label: See more items in
content: Home and Community Life: Textiles
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content: Textiles
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content: Domestic Furnishings
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content: Quilts
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Mrs. Victor C. Barringer
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: TE.T13572
label: catalog number
content: T13572
label: accession number
content: 258907
objectType: label: Object Name
content: quilt
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: fabric, silk, satin, cotton (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: thread, silk (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: filling, cotton (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 56 in x 55 in; 142 cm x 140 cm