Woven coverlet

A woven coverlet or coverlid (derived from Cat. cobre-lit[1]) is a type of bed covering with a woven design in colored wool yarn on a background of natural linen or cotton. Coverlets were woven in almost every community in the United States from the colonial era until the late 19th century.[2]

For other uses, see Coverlet (disambiguation).

History
Medium blue, dark rose and beige coverlet composed of 2 panels and top and bottom have been hemmed by hand with large whip stitch; red, blue and black thread is used. In some places hem is coming out. Coverlet is very worn with several repairs, holes and frayed places
Overshot coverlet once owned by William and Elizabeth Conner, 19th century

Coverlets of 18th century America were twill-woven with a linen warp and woolen weft. The wool was most often dyed a dark blue from indigo, but madder red, walnut brown,[2][3] and a lighter "Williamsburg blue" were also used.

Two beds topped by colored coverlets
Jacquard coverlet, 1858, Children's Museum of Indianapolis.

From the turn of the 19th century, simple twill-woven coverlets gave way to patterned hand-woven coverlets made in two different ways:[2]

  • Overshot weave coverlets were made with a plain woven undyed cotton warp and weft and repeating geometric patterns made with a supplementary dyed woolen weft. Made on a simple four-harness loom, overshot coverlets were often made in the home and remained a common craft in rural Appalachia into the early 20th century.[4]
Wool and cotton double cloth coverlet, early 19th century, in the Cooper Hewitt.
  • Double-cloth coverlets were double-woven, with two sets of interconnected warps and wefts, requiring the more elaborate looms of professional weavers. Wool for these coverlets was spun (and often dyed) at home and then delivered to a local weaver who made up the coverlet.[2]

Summer-winter coverlets were reversible, and the summer-winter term refers to the structure not the color. The summer-winter coverlet should not be confused with double weave and is more closely related to overshot. Like double weave, it is dark on one side and light on the other but there is only one layer of cloth, therefore it is much lighter in mass and thickness.

Following the introduction of the jacquard loom in the early 1820s, machine-woven coverlets in large-scale floral designs became popular.[5]

See also
Dark blue and white, double jacquard coverlet with self fringe approx. 2.25" on two sides and bottom. Top is hemmed. Two trade blocks reading "J. Klein / Hamilton Co. / Indiana / 1859''. Woven below is "Sophia E. Gwinn Aged 16". Floral baskets border on three sides. Side borders have two rows of stars below the baskets. Field has floral medallions and eight pointed stars
Double jacquard coverlet with self fringe, woven by John Klein in 1859

Notes
  1. Wedgwood, Hensleigh (1855). "On False Etymologies". Transactions of the Philological Society (6): 70.
  2. Weissman, Judith Reiter and Wendy Lavitt: Labors of Love: America's Textiles and Needlwork, 1650-1930, New York, Wings Books, 1987, ISBN 0-517-10136-X, p. 80-97
  3. American Woven “Coverlids”
  4. Allstand Cottage Industries brochure at the Hunter Library Digital Collections, retrieved 20 June 2007
  5. Coverlets Special Exhibit

References
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