The Log Cabin Living: Artifacts from 19th Century Life exhibit at Job Carr Cabin Museum encourages visitors to take a closer look at more than 20 objects in the museum's collection.
View of the bedroom area at Job Carr Cabin Museum. This exhibit space showcases two quilts -- a heritage quilt hanging on the wall and a modern quilt displayed at the end of the bed.
Quilting gained prominence during the Colonial Era of the United States due to the expense of importing fabric and the limitations of homespun cloth. Its popularity continued through the Civil War era and beyond. Scrapping smaller pieces of material together to create warm and useful household items was a practical and economical skill. Quilts are also a form of artistic expression, an opportunity for building and strengthening community, and a means of preserving family history, incorporating clothing items from significant events or beloved family members.
The heritage quilt displayed on the back wall of the bedroom area at Job Carr Cabin Museum dates to about 1890. The quilt showcases the "Log Cabin Barn Raising" pattern, featuring concentric diamonds with light and dark fabrics contrasting with each other. It was made in stages with the center of the top constructed first. The quilt was crafted with reused clothing scraps, including a blouse, skirt, suit, and necktie. The center of each square is made of Chinese silk from cigar bands. The silk was soaked in salt water to increase its heft. The salt, however, is the reason that some of the squares have deteriorated over time. This portion of the quilt shows a high level of detail and care, as the pieces are nearly uniform in size and neatly hand-stitched together.
A close-up view of the repurposed fabric at the center of the heritage quilt at Job Carr Cabin Museum.
Constructing quilts from repurposed fabric was common in the 1800s, especially when women were responsible for making all of the clothes, blankets, and other fabric items for their families. This practice also served as a form of memory book, as the quilter chose fabric pieces that may have meaningful family connections.
The heritage quilt top was later enlarged, likely by a second person. The outer edge of the quilt's top is just barely visible in the museum display case, but appears to have been assembled more hastily. The fabric pieces are larger and more irregular in size and shape. Although the colors match those of the original center part, the fabric is all flannel and likely from material purchased specifically for this quilting project. Perhaps the unfinished top became useful and needed to be completed hastily, maybe to add warmth during a cold winter.
A close-up view of the flannel fabric used in the heritage quilt at Job Carr Cabin Museum.
The back of the heritage quilt is made of salt sacks from a mill in Minnesota. This may give us a clue about where it was made. The salt, however, could have been shipped to market and purchased elsewhere.
The Log Cabin Barn Raising pattern in the heritage quilt at Job Carr Cabin Museum.
Sewing machines became wide-spread in the second half of the 19th century as new patents and industrial mass production made them accessible to home consumers. The antique quilt above the bed is tied with black yarn and a treadle sewing machine was likely used to complete the project.
Volunteer Meg Justus showed her quilts to visitors of Job Carr Cabin Musuem. Meg passed away from cancer in 2017.
The modern quilt on the museum bed, sewn and donated by museum volunteer Meg Justus, features the popular Civil War pattern "Corn and Beans." The quilt top was machine-pieced, while the quilting itself, joining the backing material to the front, was done by hand. Settlers on the Oregon Trail crafted quilts that served various purposes, from lining or covering wagons to padding fragile items, covering windows, and in some instances even replacing coffins.
Quilt made by Meg Justus in the "Corn and Beans" pattern.
The patterns on quilts often reflected women's experiences on the trail and the frontier. Quilts depicted images of western flora and fauna, with patterns like "Pinwheel" suggesting movements and wind. Widespread quilt designs of the time included "Wandering Foot," "Bear Paw," and "Friendship Star."
Women posing for a portrait, likely at a quilting bee. Courtesy of the Digital Public Library of America.
Quilting also fostered friendship with quilting bees, where women gathered to work and build community. During these ceremonies, groups would work together to make "Friendship Quilts" with names and notes from close friends. Bringing these quilts across the country on the Oregon Trail also served as a reminder of people and friends from back home. After moving to a new community, women could join or establish quilting bees to connect with their local community.
Take a closer look at the Museum's quilts in this short video:
Sources
Flagg, Nancy, and Mary Bowlby. “Women’s Work: Textiles at the Museum.” Job Carr Cabin Musuem, Job Carr Cabin Museum, www.jobcarrmuseum.org/blog/women-s-work-textiles-at-the-museum. Accessed 29 Nov. 2023.
“Frontier Quilts.” Notes from the Frontier, Notes from the Frontier, 31 July 2019, www.notesfromthefrontier.com/post/frontier-quilts.
“Quilt Discovery Experience.” National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, 9 Feb. 2022, www.nps.gov/home/planyourvisit/quilt-discovery-experience.htm.
"Quilts of the Old West ." American Eras. Encyclopedia.com, https://www.encyclopedia.com.
About the Author
Gabby Quinnett graduated from the University of Washington in 2022 with a degree in history. She currently works at Iron Mountain on the IMES team as a historical imaging technician. She began volunteering with Job Carr Cabin Museum in 2023. She is grateful to the museum for allowing her continue to explore, learn, and educate within the historical community.
About the Editor
Madeline Teddy completed an internship with Job Carr Cabin Museum in Fall 2023. She was a graduate of University of British Columbia majoring in history and classical Near Eastern religious studies. She hoped to take her studies further and become a musum curator.