Wabi-sabi Treasure © 2009 Bo Mackison
My great-grandmother, Sarah Margaret Smulling, was 18 years old when she made what she referred to in her diary as her “comfort” and entered it in the county fair. She brought home a blue ribbon. (still attached)
Embroidery Sampler © 2009 Bo Mackison
Sarah was born in 1866; she sewed and painted this coverlet c. 1884. She lived on a farm in Clark County, Missouri, near the town of Kahoka, where her older sister and brother-in-law had a millinery shop. Her sister brought home the scraps from her shop, and shared them with her younger sisters. Most evenings, after completing the farm chores, Sarah and her sisters would gather and each would sew or decorate their “comforts” or other pieced items.
Fan Applique © 2009 Bo Mackison
Since the girls were using scraps from a well-established and profitable shop, they had access to the finest of materials. Silk, damask, moire, chintze, brocade, velvet, and fine cotton – all were available for their use. Sarah appliqued many designs on this piece, including this elaborate orange fan in the above photo.
Painted Swan © 2009 Bo Mackison
Sarah evidently had some talent in the arts. She was the only girl in the family who actually painted on her fabric. Most of the small paintings are of the more common varieties of flowers–daisies, violets, wild roses–but she also painted several butterflies and this swan.
The quilt is done in mostly browns, neutrals, and oranges. Sarah added a five inch wide swath of bright pink chintz to her quilt, a rather usual finishing touch. Though there are worn places in the more delicate fabric, I consider this a special heirloom.
More close-ups photographs of other sections of the quilt are in this flickr set.
