in black thread, is quilted the name "Indiana Wreath," and
all the stitchery of top and quilting is the very perfection of quilt
making.

The beautiful white quilts that are treasured as relics of past
industry by their fortunate owners deserve special mention. They are
rare because nowadays no one will expend the large amount of time
necessary to complete one. The foundation of such a quilt is fine
white muslin, or fine homespun and woven linen, with a very thin
interlining. The beauty of the quilt depends upon the design drawn for
the quilting and the fine stitches with which the quilting is done.
There is usually a special design planned for these white quilts which
includes a large central panel or pattern, with smaller designs for
the corners embodying some of the ideas of the central panel. Around
these decorative sections the background is so closely quilted as to
resemble a woven fabric. This smooth, even background throws the
principal designs into low relief. After the entire quilt is
quilted and removed from the frames, the main design is frequently
further accentuated by having all the most prominent features, such as
the leaves and petals of flowers, stuffed. To accomplish this tiny
holes are made on the wrong side of each section of the design and
cotton is pushed in with a large needle until the section is stuffed
full and tight. This tedious process is followed until every leaf and
petal stands out in bold relief.

[Illustration: POPPY DESIGN

This is applied patchwork and therefore much more easily
made than pieced work; very simple quilting gives
prominence to the design]

The fashion which has prevailed for many years of dressing beds all in
white has no doubt caused the destruction of many beautiful quilts.
The white quilts that have been preserved are now considered too
valuable to be subjected to hard wear. The most exquisite ones were
made in the last of the eighteenth and the beginning of the nineteenth
centuries.

It was the rage for white bed coverings that shortened the lives of
many old pieced and patched quilts of good colouring. The "Country
Contributor" tells of her experiences in dressing up the white beds:

"I remember with regret the quilts I wore out, using them white side
up in lieu of white Marseilles spreads. The latter we were far too
poor to own; the 'tufted' ones had worn out; and I loathed the cheap
'honeycombed' cotton things we were forced to use unless