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A Unique and Outstanding Antique Quilt Collection
East Tennessee is known for its rich and varied quiltmaking tradition dating back to the late 1700s when the area was settled. The Mall at Johnson City, which is located in the heart of Johnson City, salutes this exceptional heritage by continually displaying a selection of rare antique quilts from Eastern Tennessee for the enjoyment and benefit of its patrons.
A valuable collection of antique quilts is owned by the mall, and the display is made up of five quilts. The artifacts give an overview of the quiltmaking styles popular in this region during the heyday of quiltmaking over 100 years ago. Many of the quiltmaker's names are not known, but the quilt patterns and the fabrics reflect those found in typical quilts from the area. The anonymity of these artists does not diminish the value of their achievements, and their simple honesty and dedication to the craft of quiltmaking radiates from their art.
The curator of this quilt collection, Merikay Waldvogel, was co-director of the Quilts of Tennessee survey which documented over 2000 quilts made in Tennessee before 1930. She chooses quilts which represent the continuum of East Tennessee quiltmaking styles of the 1800s. Located next to each quilt displayed is illuminating information on the particular quilts, and the history of the area's quiltmaking tradition in general; viewers can learn how the quilt was made as well as information about how to estimate the date of the quilts with similar styles and fabrics. They will also learn interesting facts about quilts in the Civil War, fabric printing techniques, and women recycling flour sacks into quilts, to mention only a few.
What might surprise the viewer is the wide range of styles and fabrics available to the quiltmakers during the 1800s. Many think the East Tennessee area was a frontier area with remote farms dotting the landscape. The image was true for some families living in the mountainous areas, but even they had access to the latest quilt styles, fabrics and patterns. Traveling peddlers brought them cloth, coffee, and other goods they could not produce themselves. Country stores grew up at crossroads, and cities had larger dry goods stores which sold items transported by boat and train.
By the late 1890s, most families had easy access to postal delivery either at their homes or at a local general store. Mail-order catalog firms capitalized on this access to new customers. Well-known companies such as Sears Roebuck sent catalogs out by the thousands, but other lesser-known mail order companies grew up specializing in fabric and quilt patterns.
The quilts in the collection prove East Tennessee quiltmakers were in the mainstream of American quiltmaking—incorporating the best of the past with the best of the present. The only new quilt in the collection, the Tennessee Star, was made and designed especially for The Mall at Johnson City. It, too, carries on this tradition. The mall's logo is based on an early quilt design pattern—Double Wedding Ring. Together they create an exciting kaleidoscope of color.
A Walking Tour of The Mall at Johnson City Quilts
Location: Next to Entrance D
Quilt Name: OCEAN WAVES
Maker: Great Grandmother Jones, East Tennessee 1890
Pieced, cotton fabric, hand-quilted.
This is an everyday pieced quilt made of a variety of scrap fabrics.
Location: At Entrance to Belk's Home Store
Quilt Name: STAR WITH ZIG ZAP BORDER
Maker: From the Black Family Estate, Johnson City, Pre-1850
Pieced, cotton fabrics, hand-quilted.
This handsome quilt is an exceptional example of an early pieced quilt. Each star block has hundreds of pieces, the white background is densely covered with the intricate stars, and the zig zag border adds a distinctive touch.
Location: At Entrance to Belk's Home Store
Quilt Name: CAESAR'S CROWN
Maker: Unknown, Polk County, Tennessee, c. 1880
Pieced, cotton fabric, hand-quilted.
Although this pattern was available by mail order, the quiltmaker probably drew her own pattern by copying a quilt made by a friend or a family member.
Location: Upper Level by Elevator
Quilt Name: THE TENNESSEE STAR
Maker: Jane McElroy, Knoxville, Tennessee 1991
Machine pieced, cotton fabric, machine quilted.
This computer-generated Tennessee Star quilt design incorporates the mall logo and the popular Double Wedding Ring pattern.
Location: Upper Level by Elevator
Quilt Name: PINE TREE
Maker: Unknown, East Tennessee c. 1890
Pieced, cotton fabric, hand-quilted.
Dozens of variations of Pine Tree have been found. No doubt quiltmakers moving to a forested area such as Upper East Tennessee enjoyed putting trees in their quilt designs.
The Mall at Johnson City is proud of its regional heritage, as well as its regional draw and shopping environment.
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