Images(4)

Quilt, "All Hands Around"

Dateca. 1865

OriginAmerica, Mississippi, Claiborne County

MediumCotton

Dimensions84 ½ X 83 ½ in.

Credit LineGift of The Children of Elizabeth Shaifer Hollingsworth - Allison Shaifer Hollingsworth Moxey, Ann Davidson Hollingsworth Weeden and Christopher Alton Hollingsworth, and The Children of Sanfrid Davidson Shaifer - Mary Laura Shaifer Bell, Jodie Stovall Shaifer Huddleston and Sanfrid Davidson Shaifer, Jr.

Object number2025.609.43

DescriptionSquare quilt pieced from plaids, checks, stripes, and dots with red and blue predominating. The quilt has nine large blocks, each having an eight-pointed star at center and four partial stars around the center star. The blocks are separated by red plaid cotton sashing, which also forms a border on all four sides. The quilt is stitched with 4 running stitches per inch in a fan pattern. The backing is open weave pale blue stripe, and the batting cotton. Backing is brought to the front and stitched to form the edge finish.Label TextThis quilt is part of a large donation of quilts by the Shaifer family of Claiborne County, MS. These 46 quilts were made by women from four successive generations of the family, dating from the mid-1800s to the 1980s.

This quilt has an unidentified maker. It was part of the belongings of Amanda Caroline Guice (1844-1930), who married A.K. "Kell" Shaifer in November 1865. However, the stitches don't match Amanda's work on other extant quilts. Guice was part of a robust quilting community in Port Gibson, MS. Local diarist Spooner Forbes wrote in January 1873, "Mrs. Shaifer [referring to Amanda] and the Andrews and Wheeless girls here quilting." Perhaps this "All Hands Around" quilt was made by a local quilter and given to Guice as a gift?ProvenanceDates unknown, unknown maker; dates unknown, Amanda Guice (Mrs. Abram K.) Shaifer [1844-1930] (Claiborne County, MS); dates unknown, descended in family to Elizabeth Shaifer (Mrs. Al) Hollingsworth [1933-2016] (Claiborne County, MS); 2025 gift of Shaifer children via Mr. Al Hollingsworth to Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (Williamsburg, VA)