Pale Blue Whig Rose Coverlet

Pale Blue (maybe even light gray) Whig Rose Coverlet - wool and cotton

I saw this coverlet on eBay a few weeks ago.  It's very similar to the other whig rose reproduction coverlets I have from the 20th century.  (They are softer than the older ones.)   I thought they were probably all made by The Goodwin Guild,  but maybe not?  Not all of them have tags to prove their provenance.

What makes this listing so interesting is the paperwork and the history of the coverlet and the weavers who made it (although not included in the purchase):

 There is a Wisconsin connection, too!

Viola did the fringe treatment on the edges.  I don't think I have another one quite like this.  

Interesting to have it up close to study!

  

Art and Viola's Weave Shop in California.  I think this might be more about them?

The fact that this coverlet was made within my own lifetime (I was a teenager in the 80s, and in no position to weave myself back then, although I already had a huge fascination for Gramma Medo and her spinning wheel), I still had an appreciation for those who did weave.  It makes me feel closer to them somehow, in that long line of weavers before me.  Sigh!  And now I am making cloth too!  ;-)

It makes me wonder if some of my other reproduction coverlets (without tags) were made by this couple instead of The Goodwin Guild?    Star of Bethlehem is featured in the paperwork above-- I purchased the "Pumpkin Spice" coverlet last fall in the Star of Bethlehem pattern.  Maybe it was made by this couple?

Meanwhile, I am contemplating my next weaving project.  I know it will be difficult to make the circles of a whig rose even and true circles.  So perhaps it's better if I continue to collect whig roses, instead of attempting to make them as misshapen coverlets?  Or try a smaller scale like a scarf or table runner?  Or go for a more square design?

I was the only one to put in a bid on this one, and I won!

Raspberry Coverlet in a Simplified Whig Rose

Raspberry Coverlet

Yes--another coverlet!  Apparently, I was the only one to bid on this one on eBay.  A very reasonable price at $50.   I was perfectly prepared to be outbid on this one, but I got it!

What is the pattern?  I poured through my coverlet pattern books trying to identify the pattern, but I never came up with an exact match.  From a distance, it looks like a basic grid where the squares and lines dominate. 

 

When you move in a little closer, I can see inter-twining rings -- almost like a simplified Whig Rose pattern -- That's also apparent in the 4 roses and diamond motif in the corners [highlighted in the draft above], but it lacks the larger roses.

The reverse side, with pink roses. 

Even though it's all squares, you still get a feel for octagons and circles in the overall pattern. 

 

Whig Rose draft - p.120 of Carol Strickler's American Woven Coverlets.

 

 

 

It was a little musty smelling, so I let it air out in the sunlight and open air this afternoon.  That made a big difference!

I also noticed that it looks like the reds ran and made it pink.  You can tell by looking at the fringe / tassels at the corner where some of the warp strings are still white.   It's ok-- I still like it.

A Christmas Surprise

My friend, Nancy made this lovely painted mosaic rock in response to the cranberry coverlet I posted a few weeks ago.  I love it!

It has a subtle texture where the paint dots are slightly raised. She studied the whig rose pattern, got out some graph paper and managed to translate a flat 2D pattern onto the curved surface of a 3D rock.  That is no small feat!  She said it was a challenge, but made it work.  I'm so pleased!

This my new favorite paperweight in my office at work.

Thank you, Nancy, for the thoughtful and practical gift.  I'm glad my arts-and-craft explorations are influencing your art.  That is the highest compliment!

Happy Holidays, My Friend!