The fan motif, often found on crazy-patchwork, is the dominant pattern for the twenty-five, 10-inch blocks composed of a variety of silk, satin, velvet, and taffeta fabrics. Both machine and hand-stitched blocks are joined with a chain stitch by machine. The original binding or border was removed before it was donated to the Museum in 1963, by the Sewing Group, Emmanuel Episcopal Church.
Martha Ada Mumma was born July 7, 1859. She married Jacob Emmanuel Thomas (1852-1908) in 1879. They were both born and married in Washington County, Md., and later lived in Baltimore, where their two sons were born. Martha died in Maryland in 1943. Her parlor throw is an example of late 19th-century needlework, exhibiting both hand and machine stitching.