"More Beautiful Than Any Other": Quilts from the OSV Collection, 1790-1850
Women's Work
A young girl might learn to sew at three or four years of age - as soon as she could manage a needle and thread. The ladies of her family were responsible for the family's sewing and mending, including garments, bed linens, towels, tablecloths and other household textiles. Much of this work was accomplished in the afternoon, when the heaviest work of the day was finished and the light was best for sewing. Piecing a quilt was a portable project that could easily be carried to a friend's home, making the work much more enjoyable. Once a quilt top was pieced, friends and neighbors might be invited to a quilting party. Working together, the ladies would then make quick qork of the quilting, often completing it in a single day. | Pieced Quilt, circa 1835 From the Capen family, Stoughton, Massachusetts. Cotton, 117 1/2" x 101". OSV 26.23.143. This quilt is one of two from the Capen family in the Old Sturbridge Village collection; in fact, the quilts share many of the same fabrics. The OSV collection also contains two samplers by Azubah Capen (1814-1837). Perhaps Azubah or one of her female relatives created this quilt. |
 | Capen Family Register, circa 1824-37. Azubah Capen (1814-1837), Stoughton, Massachusetts. Silk on linen. OSV 64.1.105. |
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