Amish Double Nine-patch quilt

This beautiful Lancaster County Amish Double Nine-patch quilt, with its richly saturated colors, dynamic pattern, and immaculate craftsmanship, is a wonderful addition to the museum’s outstanding Amish quilt collection, and rounds out the group by representing one more of the most classic patterns. The American Wing has collected Amish quilts from both the original Lancaster County, Pennsylvania community (1973.94, 1973.124, 1973.157, and 2004.26) and the communities that later settled in the Midwest (1988.128, 2003.188, 2003.312, 2003.313, 2004.418.2). Lancaster County Amish quilts are designed in a limited number of patterns. Fewer than ten designs are considered acceptable and in accordance with the Ordnung, or set of rules that are followed by this most conservative branch of the religious group. In this Double Nine-patch, the central field is composed of square blocks set on point to create diamond shapes. The blocks alternate between multicolored wool double nine-patch blocks and plain lavender-colored wool blocks, which are hand quilted with interlocking ring forms. The central field is outlined with a narrow border of green diamonds edged with blue triangles. The wider outer border is made up of broad bands brick-colored wool on all four sides, with contrasting corner blocks in dark blue. The wide outer border is decorated with classic Amish feather vine quilting. The quilt is backed with a printed small scale checked brown and beige cotton fabric.