Civil war quilts

[Marie]

I am a quilter interested in producing an authentic soldier's cot quilt. Does anyone have info on the correct type of batting to be used?

Tks

Hello and welcome to the AC! One of the main rules of this forum is for everyone to sign their first and last name to their posts. The best way is to create an auto signature line in your profile. Jeremy Bevard, moderator

[the Tennessee Confederate]

Re: Civil war quilts

From the little research I've done I found 2 things one is old shirt material or just old scrap material and two there is sometimes cotton in rolls like the way the modern polyester batting is rolled. Hope this helps. Hunter Greene

[jessejames70]

Re: Civil war quilts

I don't know if there is anything about batting, but here is a site my Mom sent to me the other year. I haven't read all the way through it. Hope it helps a little. http://civilwarquilts.blogspot.com/

[Spinster]

Re: Civil war quilts

The United States Sanitary Commission provided little guidance or instruction in its appeals for donations, other than 7 feet long and 50 inches wide.

It seems to have been one of those 'everybody knows' things, like a pattern I have that gets to the ankle and says 'proceed in pattern, turn heel, finish sock'. ;)

Common construction of the period features a batt of all cotton and in certain areas, all wool. You may quilt or tie to secure the layers. Modern quilts have trained our eyes for a puffy look, but a closely quilted cotton quilt batt becomes rather flat.

If this piece is for use and not for show, and if you do not intend to quilt out to spaces of less than 2 inches, you'll be well served to get one of the modern needle punched cotton batts in order to avoid shifting and clumping when the quilt is washed. A good wool batt will come encased in a loose cheesecloth covering that you will leave in place to aid in mitigating shift.

There are, as I recall, six of these surviving, though some are obviously elaborate 'fundraiser' quilts and not a hospital quilt.

[Marie]

Re: Civil war quilts

Modern quilters mostly use either cotton or wool batting. Years ago my grandma used "cotton sheet blankets" which appear to be flannel sheets. I've done a lot of research on the web, but apparently there's not much available to confirm the correct fiber for these cot quilts. I plan to try some library research, but most likely will use a cotton bat.

Thanks... Marie

[GburgSldr]

Re: Civil war quilts

The Museum of the Confederacy has a pretty neat collection of Civil War quilts which can be viewed here:

http://www.moc.org/exhibitions/museum-confederacys-quilts

The National Museum of American History also has some interesting examples, including a confirmed cot quilt made to Sanitary Commission standards.

The quilts can be found here:

http://collections.si.edu/search/results.htm?date.slider=&q=civil+war%2C+1861-1865&fq=object_type:%22Quilts%22

The cot quilt is the third on down on the list and is called "1863 Susannah Pullen's Civil War Quilt" and was made by Susannah Pullen and her Sunday School class in Augusta, Maine. They have letters confirming it was sent to the Armory Square Hospitals in Washington D.C. You can read more about it in the details on the museum page.

The page also has several detail images of the quilt, and if you are in the Washington D.C. area, you can schedule an appointment to view it in person.

[Hank Trent]

Re: Civil war quilts

The short answer is probably that there was no single correct batting. As Mrs. Lawson says, the Sanitary Commission didn't specify and these items were produced outside of regulations, as contributions, not as contract labor to meet government specifications.

Barbara Brackman quotes an unsourced Sanitary Commission instruction: "comfortables 8 feet long, 4 feet wide, of cheap, dark prints, wadded with cotton." But I don't think that means wool wadding was wrong or that the USSC would turn away quilts wadded with wool.

On the CS side, from Vicki Betts' archives:

http://www.uttyler.edu/vbetts/mobile_reg_and_adv_61-63.htm

MOBILE REGISTER AND ADVERTISER, August 24, 1861, p. 3, c. 1

Cotton Batting for Comforts.

All persons wishing to make COMFORTS for Winter Covering, can obtain COTTON BATTING for the same at the Rooms of the MILITARY AID SOCIETY, No. 75 North Conception, between State and Congress streets.
Those who prefer to pay the Society for the BATTING, can do so, otherwise it will be furnished free of charge.

They have letters confirming it was sent to the Armory Square Hospitals in Washington D.C..

I think it's also worth emphasizing that point, and noting that the average soldier did not have a quilt on his cot, and not a cot either, if he were a private. The army issued blankets, so as far as I know--I'm sure folks will correct me if I'm wrong--the average private would be sleeping under a blanket on the ground on campaign, or on a built-in bunk or bed in winter quarters or at a fort. (The exception to blankets would be soldiers who received bedding from home, more apt to be CS than US.) Folding cots on campaign would be for officers who could use a wagon to transport their gear. In forts or winter quarters, they too would generally be sleeping in bunks or beds.

So what you're actually researching would primarily be quilts made by women to contribute for the use of wounded soldiers in hospitals, rather than for the average healthy private sleeping on a cot.

Hank Trent
hanktrent@gmail.com

[itz3r1k]

Re: Civil war quilts

Hello,
I do have A question concerning cotton in federal quilts, Would cotton have been readily and widely available to use as batting? I would think a good chunk would have gone to producing fabric and gauze,

[Marie]

Re: Civil war quilts

I found that most southern cotton had been shipped to northern mills for processing. This has been a difficult research quest... And it continues. I was able to obtain some wool batts today at a good price. I may use one to complete the cot quilt. Is there a market among re-enactors for this type of item?

Thank you all for responding...

Marie Meyer

[Elaine Kessinger]

Re: Civil war quilts

As to a market for a hospital cot quilt...consider a few facts about The Hobby.

Your target market would be military re-enactors and you're asking in the civilian area.
Our events are generally focused in the summer. The soldiers would have gotten rid of everything heavy by the summer campaign.
A soldier carries everything. A blanket is lighter than a quilt to carry, especially when it gets wet.
A Confederate soldier would be more likely to have a quilt than his Union counterpart. You are trying to follow a Union-specific pattern.
Union cot quilts went to hospitals and there are very few opportunities to feature a hospital scenario.

Now... about quilting supplies and logical costs...
Reproduction prints are more expensive and less likely to be offered in smaller cuts. Re-enactors will want documented prints.
Re-enactors of the caliber you will find on this forum will also demand documented batting, thread, sewing techniques, binding techniques, quilting patterns, &c. If they can think of the phrase, at least someone will ask eventually.
Your fellow quilters will not thank you for charging less than a realistic cost for your labor. A realistic cost is about what the average military re-enactor spends on his rifle. Few will spend that amount for a textile item that will see the hard use The Hobby demands.

Now... before you embark on a business enterprise, make sure you know your target market better than they know themselves, have a realistic idea of your costs (labor included), a realistic picture of the prices the market will bear, and an idea of your fastest turn-around for producing your product (just in case your enterprise succeeds more than your wildest dreams). Decide on what compromises you are willing to make to produce faster and/or cheaper and be prepared to stick to your standards like glue against all arguments whatsoever.
Good luck.

[Marie]

Re: Civil war quilts

Elaine, thank you for the reply and for the advise. My fabric is good quality quilt fabric as manufactured and represented by companies like Marcus and Andover to be "authentic" reproduction Civil War (and prior) textiles. So far I've not had much luck with the authentication of other quilt components. I have a pretty good handle on production and retail costs, but I have come to understand the impracticality that a soldier would encounter trying to add a quilt to his pack. I realize this would impact demand for this product. It seems unlikely that I would make a "killing" in this line of work, but that is really not my goal. I was hoping to make a contribution to the "cause". I will continue with my artistic endeavors and with more research. I enjoy reading the posts on this site and appreciate the efforts of the people who are involved here.

Thanks... Marie

[Katie-Renee]

Re: Civil war quilts

Needle and Thread has a good selection of reproduction cotton batting, it is a very flat, unbleached batting that resembles an old flannel blanket.

So what you're actually researching would primarily be quilts made by women to contribute for the use of wounded soldiers in hospitals, rather than for the average healthy private sleeping on a cot.

Just an add on to the above post. There are 15 surviving quilts that have been dated and studied (Civil War Quilts by Pam Weeks and Don Beld) All but one was made by ladies aid societies for comforting ailing soldiers. The 15th was made by a convalescing Sergeant in the OVI 104th. When he left the hospital he took this with him back to the field. There is not any "hard" evidence that some(3 of the existing) of the quilts made by the aid societies where fundraisers; but through research those three with their larger than necessary construction, appliqued and embroidered with silk are tell tale signs that they were not originally destined to cover a cot in a hospital or camp. Also it was very common for family members to make and send quilts and other creature comforts to soldiers when they could.

Just a though if you are doing a reproduction that if you wanted to lean towards the more ornate, it could be a "fundraising effort".

[Marie]

Re: Civil war quilts

Katie-Renee... Thank you for the information.

Do you have any further information on Needle and Thread? Is this an on-line store? I tried a search, but did not find anything. I will try to locate the book you noted to view pictures.

Marie

[crabby]

Re: Civil war quilts

Needle and Thread is a well know and respected fabric store in Gettysburg, PA. I do not think
they have a web site.

[GrumpyDave]

Re: Civil war quilts

I am a quilter interested in producing an authentic soldier's cot quilt. Does anyone have info on the correct type of batting to be used?

Tks

Hello and welcome to the AC! One of the main rules of this forum is for everyone to sign their first and last name to their posts. The best way is to create an auto signature line in your profile. Jeremy Bevard, moderator

Civil War soldiers weren't issued cots. When they slept in tents, they slept on the ground. In barracks or fortifications they may have had some type of permanent bedding. Same in hospital. no such thing as a cot quilt. Just quilts.