Quilt (Whitework quilt)

Description

This quilt made by Abigail van Nostrand is an example of a stuffed whitework quilt from the early nineteenth century. The ground is exceptionally finely quilted with fifteen stitches per inch in a cross-hatched pattern. There is a central basket filled with five long-stemmed flowers, done in stuffed work. This motif is surrounded by several decorative borders including feathering, beads and pinwheels, floral and grape leaf vines, and swags with bows and arches. The final and outermost border is a band of small, interlocked chains. There is a bouquet of flowers in each corner. It is possible Abigail started making this quilt in advance of her wedding to John van Nostrand in 1808. However, it was not signed and dated until a year later, possibly before the birth of her first daughter, Almira. The van Nostrands were early settlers of New York and John had a business as a wholesale merchant. Whitework quilts like this one are evidence of both the maker's skilled needlework and the owner's weath, as they had the resources and time needed to keep these quilts clean.