Textile Treasures Await at the American Museum & Gardens
Are you joining us at the American Museum & Gardens on 12 July for the Selvedge Makers’ Fair? If so, you’re in for a real treat - your ticket also includes full access to the museum’s extraordinary estate and world-renowned textile collection.
Just ten minutes from the centre of Bath, this is the only museum of American decorative and folk art outside the United States. Inside, you’ll find over 12,000 fascinating objects, including more than 250 quilts and 200 rag rugs. From bold Hawaiian appliqué and intricate Amish patchwork to Navajo weavings and rare quilts from Gee’s Bend, the displays are rich in texture, history, and story. Hooked rugs, woven coverlets, and samplers are beautifully arranged in immersive period rooms.
The museum is set within acres of wildlife-friendly gardens with sweeping views across the valley, and you can enjoy seasonal lunches at the American Garden Deli - made using produce grown right on site. On 12 July, the Selvedge Makers’ Fair takes centre stage in the 18th-century stable yard, where thirty hand-picked artisans will showcase vintage finds, rare fabrics, and handmade textile treasures. Whether you’re a maker, collector or curious visitor, it’s the perfect day out.
To whet your appetite, we’re sharing a few favourites from the museum’s remarkable quilt collection below.
Amish Log Cabin Quilt – Barn Raising Variation
c.1895 Honeyville, Indiana Hand sewn L 196 cm × W 196 cm (77 in. × 77 in.)
Indiana is home to the third largest Amish population in North America. This quilt was sold at an estate sale of the property of Anna and Jacob Eash, an Amish couple who lived in Shipshewana, Indiana. It is possible that the quilt was made by one of their ancestors.
The plain wool fabrics in red, purple, blue and green are typical of those found in Amish quilts. The quilt top has been backed with blue flannelette, which has been turned to the front and stitched in place to create the binding.
Barn raisings are popular communal events among Amish communities. While the men are building a new barn on someone’s farm, the women of the community gather to provide meals and make quilts. The layout of these Log Cabin blocks mimics the way the four sides of a new barn lie flat on the floor before being pulled upright.
Feathered Star Quilt
Estimated date 1850–1910 USA Machine sewn, hand appliquéd and quilted L 259 cm × W 210 cm (102 in. × 82½ in.)
The Feathered Star block used in this quilt is a classic pieced design. It was a favourite with many quilt makers because it gave them the opportunity to show off their skill in working with tiny triangles. This is not a pattern for the beginner; the piecing is extremely complex, and it takes a confident hand to ensure all the triangles retain their points.
In this variation of the block pattern, eight-pointed stars composed from diamonds have been appliquéd onto the centre squares of the feathered stars and the plain white blocks between them. There is a delicacy about this design that is echoed in the dainty scalloped appliqué border and the neat stitching. The bold use of clashing orange and pink fabrics gives this quilt a modern appearance.
The patchwork blocks have been outline quilted, with small hearts stitched on the orange points of the stars. Additional elaborate designs fill the white spaces.
Baltimore Album Quilt Top
Inscribed 1850 Baltimore, Maryland Machine and hand sewn L 297 cm × W 294.5 cm (117 in. × 116 in.)
2001.47
Album sampler quilts are constructed from different patchwork blocks joined together, some or all of which have names inscribed on them. The exceptional condition of many examples supports the idea that they were intended as gifts that honoured the givers as much as the recipients.
Baltimore Album quilts were made for, or by, someone living in Baltimore during the period 1846 to 1852. The recurrence of the same blocks in different quilts has led some quilt historians to suggest they may have been available in kit form or professionally designed.
Two of the blocks here have a particular connection to Baltimore. The first is the image of a ship, probably a Baltimore Clipper, in the centre of the top line. The second is in the middle of the bottom row and includes motifs that represent the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, which was established in Baltimore in 1819.
-
Further Information:
American Museum and Gardens, Bath
The Selvedge Makers' Fair takes place on the 12 July, 2025. to get your ticket, head to our events page on the American Museum & Gardens website.
-
Image Credits:
All images as credited within the article.