Quilt, Appliqued "Ohio Rose"

Dateca. 1935

Maker Dorothy "Dot" Davidson Shaifer American, 1908 - 2005

OriginAmerica, Mississippi, Claiborne County

MediumCottons

Dimensions93 1/2 inches H X 61 3/4 inches W

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 number2025.609.12

DescriptionRectangular quilt from commercial pattern, one of a pair. The quilt is constructed of fifteen large blocks, of which seven are appliqued and eight are solid off-white cotton. Each applique block has a single centered rose flower of lighter pink with darker pink center and four pink buds with green stems, all on off-white ground. The white areas of the center are quilted with 5 to 6 running stitches per inch in the same rose and bud shapes, penciled in. The border on four sides is quilted with square grid and two-petal flowers. The border textile is mitered at the corners and the outer edges finished with straight-grain cotton binding. White cotton backing and medium thick batting.

Some irregular yellowing and stains.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.

Dorothy Davidson Shaifer (1908-2005) appliqued this quilt in the 1930s using a kit produced by Stearns and Foster. Founded in 1846 to manufacture cotton wadding, the company recognized quilters as a potential market. In 1928, they began selling cotton batting paired with quilt patterns under the name Mountain Mist. Project manager Frederick J. Hooker commented in a letter from June 1929, "We are manufacturers of cotton batting, one of the uses of which is as a filling for bed quilts of the hand-made variety. So as to make our batting more attractive to women interested in quilt making, we intend to print designs on our wrappers from which patterns can be made." The Shaifers purchased several Mountain Mist kits, including this Ohio Rose.Provenanceca. 1935, maker Dorothy "Dot" Davidson (Mrs. Sanfrid) Shaifer [1908-2005] (Claiborne County, MS); date unknown, descended to her daughter, Elizabeth Shaifer (Mrs. Al) Hollingsworth [1933-2016] (Claiborne County, MS); 2025, gift of Shaifer children via Mrs. Al Hollingsworth to Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (Williamsburg, VA)