coverlet panel, unknown maker from the United States

This coverlet originally was woven in two panels seamed along the middle, as are many of the other coverlets and blankets in the exhibition. Because a greater width would require a bigger loom, and since forty inches was the average distance a weaver could throw a shuttle, panels were woven in narrow widths. Joins were necessary for larger items and, as in this case, sometimes the panels did not align perfectly. Perhaps that is why the two panels were already separated when they entered the textile collection.