This yellow-gold silk quilted petticoat came from the Scovill family of Connecticut. The petticoat has a woven wool lining and a carded wool interlining. The elaborate quilting pattern included both flora and fauna. Animals and birds that include lions, horses, peacocks, snakes, boars, squirrels, roosters, a stag, a unicorn, dragons, a frog, butterflies, insects, and birds are detailed in back stitch which forms a dotted line of tiny stitches on the silk.
Possibly the inspiration for the motifs was Thomas Boreman’s “A Description of More than 300 Animals…” originally published in 1730. The floral images seem to be used as a filler in and around the fantastic motifs creating an overall whimsical design.
Petticoats such as this were designed to display fine quilting. With the wool lining and interlining adding warmth, they were probably much appreciated in New England winters.
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