Birds Quilt

This quilt was sewn in 1977 from a kit by Herrschners Company.

In the center of the quilt are 12 birds arranged in four rows of three. This beautiful quilt’s cream-colored background fabric is subtly decorated with a beige and brown thread cross-stitch border. The leaves, tulips and rosettes of the border vine around the edge of the quilt in a gentle scallop pattern. This pattern of beige and brown is repeated in the 12 (four rows of three) central roundels which form leafy floral wreaths around the birds. As with many quilted birds of the 19th century, the species are not always identifiable. The blue birds in the top left and right corner appear to be kingfishers or stylized peacocks, one turned left, one turned right. Between them is a yellow bird, possibly a finch or Baltimore oriole. In the second row, two downward turned yellow birds, confronting, flank a blue jay.  The third row has two multicolored birds turning away from one another one another on either side of a cardinal. The final row shows two fanciful red birds (scarlet tanagers?), confronting, with a yellow bird between them. 

The multicolored bird is probably not one found locally nevertheless could be a reference to the distelfink tradition in Amish and Germanic quilts.  The arrangement of patterns resembles an album quilt. Birds usually connote freedom and prosperity. The Rankins enjoyed the natural world, as indicated in so many of these quilts; and they also were masterful quilters as shown in the exquisite needlework here.