Amish Sampler Quilt

One can see this fine quilt, made in 1987, from a Herrschner’s pattern, as a homage by Dorothy and Stan to the fine tradition of quilting within the Amish community.  With nearly 1800 Amish communities throughout the United States, quilting remains a living tradition among families. Stanley and Dorothy followed a series of standard patterns to create this Amish sampler, employing appliques of traditional Amish themes.  There are thirteen different themes here: doves, distelfinks flanking a heart, Amish stars, a stylized tulip, butterflies, a simple heart, a wreathed heart, a flower wreath, a small star, tulip squares, oak and acorn squares, a flower basket, a heart with tulips and a single four-leaf clover wreathed.

Amish quilts often employ images which can be traced back to a Germanic heritage, filtered as it was through the Pennsylvania Dutch tradition.  The two birds flanking a heart, for example, is a particular motif, that of a distelfink, a bird emblematic of happiness and good luck. Tulips, a Chinese flower cultivated in northern Europe from 1500 on, also speak of that heritage. Tulips are seen multiple times throughout this quilt. 

The quilt is bound and bordered by a deep brown fabric, the background of the quilt is off-white, the appliques are rendered in vibrant blues, reds, greens, purples and yellows.

It is possible that the one four leaf clover, the thirteenth motif in the quilt, was seen as the good luck charm of the piece. Quilters often sew in personal touches which are understood only to them. This quilt was registered with the Illinois Quilt Research project, quilt CU 343 and was signed by Dorothy Rankin, DJR, 1987.