Antique Touching Stars Quilt | Late 19th Century | Hand-Pieced & Hand-Quilted | 75” x 81”

This is an early Touching Stars quilt, dating to the late 1800s, constructed by hand and hand-quilted. The quilt is made from a rich mix of late 19th-century cottons, including early plaids, shirtings, and small-scale prints in deep reds, indigos, cadet blues, purples, greens, and soft yellows. The fabric palette and print scale are consistent with post–Civil War era textiles, well before the feed sack period.

All construction is hand-pieced and hand-quilted, with the hand-quilting in outlines of the diamonds that make up the stars, in floral motifs within the deep red/yellow open areas and in diagonal and crosshatch grids, all finely quilted in tiny, even stitching.

The back is a small-scale red and blue geometric print that has been turned to the front to form a very narrow binding and hand-stitched. The cotton batting is very lightweight.

This quilt is in excellent antique condition and appears to have been a trousseau quilt or kept for display and only lightly or rarely used.

Details:
• Pattern: Touching Stars
• Date: Late 19th century (circa 1880s-1900)
• Construction: Entirely hand-pieced and hand-quilted
• Size: 75” x 81”
• Fabrics: Early cotton prints, plaids, and shirtings
• Condition: Excellent antique condition

The quilt comes from a smoke-free, pet-free home and is pictured on a queen-size bed.