Carpenter's Square

Carpenter's Square Quilt Top

Carpenter's Square Quilt Top

Name/Title

Carpenter's Square

Entry/Object ID

1997.001.018

Description

Hand pieced top in red and white. Does not lay flat (no sleeve). Initial "E" embroidered in lavender in corner. *A quilt in the same pattern and color scheme made by the Spitzer family cousins is in the Valentine Museum Collection.

Context

Mary Spitzer Etter of Harrisonburg, Virginia donated her family's entire quilt collection to the Virginia Quilt Museum in 1997. The collection contained 27 quilts, most of which were made by Mary's aunts, the Spitzer sisters. Their names were Sarah Josephine Spitzer (Walters), Margaret Melinda Spitzer (Jones), and Ellen Rebecca Spitzer. It is unknown if the other two Spitzer sisters, Hannah Spitzer (Brown) and Jane Spitzer (Evers), did much quilting. Of the quilts completed by the Spitzer sisters, there is a single initial embroidered on the front of quilt to mark who made each quilt. Ellen Spitzer's daughter, Irene, also completed three pieces of the collection. Some of the quilts contain blocks were done by Mabel Spitzer, Mary's mother. These blocks were then quilted by either Berta or Effie Long, Mabel's neighbors. There are a few quilts not made by a Spitzer, yet they were still made by relatives of the Spitzer family.

Collection

Permanent Collection

Acquisition

Accession

1997.001

Source or Donor

Mary Spitzer Etter

Notes

Donated Feb. 23, 1997

Made/Created

Artist

Ellen Rebecca Spitzer

Date made

circa 1900

Inscription/Signature/Marks

Location

Corner

Transcription

"E"

Material/Technique

Embroidered

Other Names and Numbers

Other Number

H211

Dimensions

Dimension Description

Overall Quilt Dimensions

Width

83 in

Length

94 in

Dimension Description

Individual Block Dimensions

Width

28 in

Length

28 in

Dimension Notes

9 Full Blocks Total (3 Half Blocks)

Material

Cotton

Color

Red, White

Condition

Overall Condition

Good

Notes

Some staining