Mosaic Quilt

 Paper template-pieced mosaic quilts using small hexagon squares are among the oldest made in North American and England. This one is highly unusual in that it features mosaic, floral-like clusters, machine appliquéd on a muslin fabric square that is assembled block-style with sashing. It is also unique in consisting of just five, solid-colored fabrics; most mosaic quilts are very scrappy. Outline quilting around the floral clusters sets them off from the muslin ground and borders quilted in diagonal lines. Sashing is more complex than usual, with three stripes of fabric forming 9-patch blocks at the corners. The “chrome orange” or “cheddar” fabric in this quilt became popular after 1840 as an accent fabric.