The National Museum of the American Coverlet is pleased and honored to offer this new exhibition entitled SIGNATURE WORKS - Sweet Dreams are Made of These. The exhibition focuses on inscriptions, trademarks and other identifiers.
The entire exhibition is comprised of coverlets recently donated by our friend Jude Fera, who has very generously given the Museum 158 of her cherished coverlets along with one panel of ingrain carpet.
Over many years Jude has been a knowledgeable, careful and selective collector who assembled an outstanding group of textiles. Her collection is as important as it is sizeable. Although she acquired a large and varied assortment of coverlets both geometric and figured – and from many states of origin - Jude, a Connecticut resident, has always had a special interest in New England coverlets, and particularly signed, labelled and/or dated geometrics.
It is useful to note that New England coverlets don’t seem to make their way to us here in Pennsylvania as often as coverlets from other parts of the country. The Fera coverlets, how in the NMAC permanent collection, are significant and welcome additions to our efforts to show and preserve coverlets from around the country.
Although figured and fancy coverlets, those with realistic, curvilinear patterns, often bear inscriptions (name/date/location, etc.), it is rare to see geometric coverlets (patterns based on circles and squares), especially those of overshot weave structure, having inscriptions, either woven or embroidered.
The Fera collection includes several geometrics showing initials and/or dates, some in the weave and some embroidered, while others have early handwritten labels sewn on.
These coverlets are truly uncommon.
For this exhibition Museum personnel selected 94 coverlets from the Fera collection, including a variety of examples, many of which are Jude’s most precious New England geometrics.
We hope you will enjoy seeing these great coverlets as much as we enjoy working with them.
Attendees to Coverlet College 2020 will learn more about our friend Jude, her collection and what makes New England coverlets special.