Unfinished piece of patchwork, probably destined to be a quilt or a bedcover. Made from a range of glazed and printed cottons of the early 1800s. The small prints are typical of those used to make women’s dresses of this period. The reverse shows the technique of ‘piecing over paper’. Unknown maker.
The fabrics are mostly tabby weave with weave counts of between 18-40 picks per cm. Apart from the printed fabrics, there are some that have woven patterns. There are 14 chintz patches of different patterns. Nine patches have been pieced from more than one fabric with a seam of overcast stitching. Two patches have a 3/5 twill binding, and two have a check weave of cream cotton with blue and yellow silk stripes. There are also three plain dyed pieces (two yellow and one pink) and an undyed piece of cream cotton embroidered in very fine cross stitch with the initials 'MEP' in silk thread, which may be the initials of the maker. The paper consists of theatre play bills, hand written letters, sugar paper.
