Vigo County Historical Society

Historical Treasure Article

Historic Treasure of the Week - January 30, 1983

By Ada Hodge

Vigo County Historical Society

The Vigo County Historical Society has a representative collection of coverlets. This one pictured here is a blue and white "overshot" coverlet, woven in two strips about 36 inches wide and then sewn together down the middle.

It was woven on a simple loom of the kind used during the Revolutionary period by the women to provide textiles for their families when fabrics could no longer be imported from England. Later, on the frontier, the women used this same kind of loom for the family's textile needs and made coverlets to decorate the home. Often the coverlets, used as bedspreads, were the only decoration in the home. In planning and weaving this item, creative talents could be expressed. Patterns were exchanged through letters, and the way this weaving developed was different from that of other countries.

Seldom can patterns be identified since women used variations of a popular pattern. This coverlet was a variation of a "wheel" design. It was woven in Fayette Township by Sarah Frances Pennington, grandmother of Mrs. Elsie Culler Weir, the donor. The weaver probably spun the wool, grew the indigo plant and prepared the dye. If some of the motifs are not of equal size, which prevents perfect matching, they were sewn together. Just think of the homemaker's interruptions to stri the supper or quiet a child. The coverlets are treasured in a different way from the more perfect work of the professional weaver of coverlets.

The Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley will be closed through February. It will open March 1.