Unfinished Mosaic Quilt Top
Attributed to Rebecca Pickens Salley (1832 – 1893) one of her daughters Emma Salley Evans (1869-1963) or Mary Boone Salley (1863-1941)
Orangeburg County, SC
ca. 1875
McKissick Museum Collection 2019.08.01
Made of fabric basted around hexagonal paper templates. The maker “fussy cut” the floral and striped fabrics used in this top to create a visually dynamic kaleidoscope effect. Family legend suggests the paper pieces were from letters written home by a Confederate soldier; but we have no evidence to support this claim. Closely examining the paper pieces used, they appear to be repurposed letters and handwriting practice exercises with the dates of 1872 and 1874 visible.
Hexagon or Mosaic Quilt
Ella Steele Stewart (1856-1936)
Fort Mill, SC
1868