Vintage 1951 Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe Quilt – Signed & Dated – Folk Art Quilt – 48” x 64”

An exceptional 1951 pictorial appliqué quilt of the nursery rhyme The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe. It is beautifully preserved with an elaborate hand-appliquéd scene with the old woman, her many children, a shoe-shaped house, flowering trees, and a colorful garden.

The quilt is signed and dated on the reverse with the embroidered inscription “Made for M.F.W. by F.P.W. 1951.”

The figures are individually appliquéd in a combination of solid cottons and small-scale gingham prints, with hand-embroidered facial features, clothing details, flowers, and other embellishments. It is framed in blue, surrounded by a broad white border filled with elaborate hand-quilted feather designs, and finished with a wide pink outer border.

The extensive hand quilting includes a braided rope pattern in the inner border, a finely quilted crosshatch grid in the center of the quilt and a diagonal grid along the outer border.

The back is white cotton as is the binding that has been machine stitched to both sides. The cotton batting is lightweight and thin.

Details:
* Date: 1951, signed and dated
* Size: 48” x 64”
* Pattern: The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe
* Materials: Cotton solids and small-scale cotton gingham prints
* Hand-appliquéd pictorial figures, trees, flowers, and shoe-shaped house
* Hand-embroidered facial features and decorative details
* Entirely hand quilted, including elaborate braided rope patterns
* White background with blue framing and wide pink borders
* Embroidered maker and recipient initials on reverse
* American folk-art nursery-rhyme quilt

CONDITION: Excellent vintage condition, particularly for a quilt made in 1951. The appliquéd figures, embroidery, and intricate hand quilting remain beautifully preserved. The colors are bright, and the quilt presents exceptionally well. Please examine the photographs as they form an important part of the description. The quilt has been soaked, freshly hand washed and line dried, giving it a light, natural, sun-dried cotton scent (not artificially fragranced).

This quilt is a real piece of under-appreciated folk art that is becoming more difficult to find, especially in excellent condition.