Quilt, Crazy

Dateca. 1890

Maker Lena Coffin (1876-1951)

Maker Augusta L. Gardner Coffin 1838 - 1909

OriginAmerica, Maine, Northeastern

MediumWool, cottons; silk embroidery threads (confirmed by microscope)

DimensionsOH 86 1/2" x 73 1/2" (220 x 187 cm.)

Credit LineGift of Mr. and Mrs. Russell J. Edmunds

Object number2011.609.5

DescriptionThis is a rectangular crazy quilt composed of 42 blocks, each pieced with odd-shaped patches and put together to appear random in their piecing. It is made of woolen and cotton flannels and embroidered with various fancy stitches and outline-embroidered motifs using silk threads. The designs include baseball players, the Statue of Liberty, and a prominent rooster, along with other birds and animals. One block in the bottom right corner is stamped with the makers' name of Coffin. The cover is bound with a three-fourths-inch folded strip of brown cotton and backed in plaid flannelette. It is not quilted.

Stitches: buttonhole, chain, cross, fern, fly/feather, herringbone, knots, outline, satin and bundled satin, seed, stem,Label TextMost surviving crazy quilts are made of silks and velvets for use as parlor throws. This one is more utilitarian in its approach, consisting of forty-two blocks of woolen and cotton flannels and sturdy fabrics with a backing of plaid flannelette. It was intended for everyday use as a bed covering. One block in the bottom right corner is stamped with the makers' name of Coffin. Family tradition recalls that Lena Coffin and her mother, Augusta Coffin, created the quilt before Lena's marriage in 1895 to Emery Farnsworth, a fisherman and farmer of Maine. The quilt descended in the family of Lena's great grandson, who donated it to the museum.

Art of the Quilter:
Family history suggests this crazy quilt was made by a mother and daughter from northeastern Maine. Augusta and Lena Coffin lived in the coastal town of Jonesport. Instead of the delicate silks used on most crazy quilts, Augusta and Lena chose to use a variety of woolens and cottons, saving silk threads for the embroidered figures. The animals, fruits, and fishing scenes would have been familiar to members of the Coffin family, who worked as farmers, sailors, and fishermen.

The embroidered motif of the Statue of Liberty dates the quilt after the monument's dedication in 1886. Augusta and Lena likely worked the piece before Lena's 1895 marriage to Emery Farnsworth. Emery managed a cannery, and Lena assisted in the packing of both fruits and fish.Mark(s)One block in the bottom right corner is stamped with the makers' name of "Coffin."Provenanceca. 1890, made by Augusta Gardner [1838-1909] and Lena Coffin [1876-1951] (Jonesport, ME); 1951, passed by descent to Julia Farnsworth Elwell [1896-1983]; 1983, passed by descent to Barbara Elwell Edmunds [1920-2011] (Jonesport, ME); 2011, passed by descent to Russell Jay Emunds and Diane Roedel Edmunds; 2011, given to The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (Williamsburg, VA)