Pale Blue (maybe even light gray) Whig Rose Coverlet - wool and cotton
I saw this coverlet on eBay a few weeks ago. It's very similar to the other whig rose reproduction coverlets I have from the 20th century. (They are softer than the older ones.) I thought they were probably all made by The Goodwin Guild, but maybe not? Not all of them have tags to prove their provenance.
What makes this listing so interesting is the paperwork and the history of the coverlet and the weavers who made it (although not included in the purchase):
There is a Wisconsin connection, too!
Viola did the fringe treatment on the edges. I don't think I have another one quite like this.
Interesting to have it up close to study!
Art and Viola's Weave Shop in California. I think this might be more about them?
The fact that this coverlet was made within my own lifetime (I was a teenager in the 80s, and in no position to weave myself back then, although I already had a huge fascination for Gramma Medo and her spinning wheel), I still had an appreciation for those who did weave. It makes me feel closer to them somehow, in that long line of weavers before me. Sigh! And now I am making cloth too! ;-)
It makes me wonder if some of my other reproduction coverlets (without tags) were made by this couple instead of The Goodwin Guild? Star of Bethlehem is featured in the paperwork above-- I purchased the "Pumpkin Spice" coverlet last fall in the Star of Bethlehem pattern. Maybe it was made by this couple?
Meanwhile, I am contemplating my next weaving project. I know it will be difficult to make the circles of a whig rose even and true circles. So perhaps it's better if I continue to collect whig roses, instead of attempting to make them as misshapen coverlets? Or try a smaller scale like a scarf or table runner? Or go for a more square design?
I was the only one to put in a bid on this one, and I won!
