Chintz Medallion Quilt

The rich variety of colorful, ornately patterned fabrics gives this quilt an eye-catching energy. The center medallion—two blocks of the eight-pointed “Ohio Star” pattern—is surrounded by pieced borders of triangles, rectangles, and squares cut from printed chintz fabrics. Four long pieces with blue-and-white, garland-wrapped pillars form the quilt’s outer borders, with the strong vertical emphasis of the pillar designs ideally suited for the border edges. The random placement of the patterns and colors of the geometric-shaped pieces creates a visually interesting composition with a fresh, improvisational feel.

We don’t know the name of this quilt’s maker, but she likely lived in the eastern United States where imported chintz fabrics were readily available in the early decades of the 19th century, when this quilt was created.