Throw

Object Name:

Throw

Object ID:

1995.091.09

Date:

1871

Description:

Blanket, Afghan. Crocheted, with added cross-stitch embroidery. Acrylic yarn of many colors. Constructed of 7 solid color (red, green, salmon) crocheted strips, joined with variegated yellow-brown yarn. Every other strip includes embroidery: 1) floral design and "1871", 2) two horses and "MEB" in cursive, and 3) floral design. Fringe (4.5" long) in contrasting colors, along the 2 short ends. 74" long (add 9" to include fringe), 54" wide.
Afghan, made in the "Turkish knitting" technique (not crochet as stated above). As is typical of these items, the Afghan is constructed in strips (because the technique only allows something to be knit as wide as the knitting needle). The seven strips are red, salmon pink, and dark olive brown wool (not acrylic as stated above). They are crocheted together with variegated yarn. The brown strips are embellished with cross stitch embroidery: one strip has floral designs, the next has horse's heads and the initials " M E B" in script letters with floral flourishes, and the final dark strip is embroidered with a diamond grid design with flowers at the ends and the date "1871" in the center. The two long sides are finished with scalloped crochet in the variegated yarn; the ends are finished with deep fringe of the wool yarns. The embroidery is worked in Berlin wool yarns. The strips are not all the same length; one pink strip is 5" shorter than one of the red strips, so the Afghan is distorted due to the maker having stretched some strips when she seamed them together.

Material:

Textile
Acrylic

Dimensions:

W-55 L-82.5 inches

Credit Line:

Gift of Elizabeth Green

Subjects:

horse, flower