Ohio Star with chintz flounce quilt, unknown maker from the United States

Exhibition Label:
"Quilts! Imported Fabrics, American Treasures," May-2004, Barbara Brackman
The word chintz is related to the Hindu words for “spotted” or “painted.” Historically, chintz meant a large-scale furnishing print. Many pieces had a glazed surface of wax, resin or starch rubbed into the fabric with a stone. The glaze helped repel stains and dirt, but eventually washes out.

Printed cottons were originally made in India and imported to England, where they became the rage. In 1756, an arbiter of English taste noted: “The fashion of late…has run upon natural flowers, stalks, and leaves, sometimes in groups or festoons of flower and fruit, and sometimes in sprigs and branches carelessly flung, ranged or dispersed in a natural and agreeable manner.” Large-scale floral prints, known as botanicals, remained popular for a century on both sides of the Atlantic. By the time this quilt was made, Europeans were making their own versions of the Indian chintzes. The quilt makers of the time loved to combine a variety of busy chintzes into simple patchwork.