Vintage 1950s Folk Art Embroidered Ladies Quilt – Hand-Stitched – 80” x 81”

This absolutely charming and highly unusual vintage 1950s folk art quilt features a delightful parade of hand-embroidered ladies, each uniquely dressed and posed among simple floral motifs. Rendered in bold black embroidery against a vivid yellow ground, the figures have a storybook quality. The quilt comes with a note about its maker: Stella J. Moyer of Pennsylvania, who (according to the note) was born in 1898 and passed away in 1959.

The design reflects mid-century folk art sensibilities—playful, individualistic, and unconcerned with strict pattern conventions. Each woman appears as her own vignette, suggesting this may have been a personal or narrative piece. The bright yellow ground reinforces a cheerful, postwar aesthetic typical of the 1940s–1950s era.

The hand-quilting is exquisite and has been done in a consistent allover tiny diamond or cross-hatch grid in the body of the quilt and in a variation of a beautiful tulip motif pattern along the four-sided cream/off-white border. The back is also cream/off-white cotton, while the quilt has been knife-edge finished and hand-stitched closed all-around. The cotton batting is very lightweight.

CONDITION: The quilt is in excellent, never-used vintage condition with no issues noted.

Details
• Date: 1950s (maker died 1959)
• Maker: Stella J. Moyer
• Type: Hand-embroidered and hand-quilted folk art quilt
• Design: Whimsical ladies in dresses with floral accents
• Materials: Cotton top, batting, and backing
• Colors: Bright yellow ground with black embroidery; ivory/cream border and backing
• Quilting: Hand quilted in diamond grid; tulip quilting on border
• Size: 80” x 81”
• Condition: Very good vintage condition; clean and well-preserved with expected gentle age-related wear (please adjust if needed)

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