Hi, I'm a grandmother of 8 from southwest louisiana. I have a 1904 quilt made by my great-great grandmother and I have never seen another or heard of one like it. It's made from the bark of a Palmetto tree. Each section is hand stitched together and embroidered. The fibers from the bark are still intact. It was supposed to have been displayed in the 1904 world's fair in Missouri. My great-great grandmother has a card stitched to the quilt with all of the information requarding this quilt. I would love to hear from anyone who has ever seen or has someting like this.

Hi & welcome from Central Louisiana! :D
The quilt is beautiful.

That sure makes a spectacular wall hanging.

What does it feel like?

I remember reading about different worlds fairs and the unique quilts. You may do some research on this one and find when and where it was displayed. It is indeed a treasure and beautiful. I would worry about it being harmed by being exposed to humidity and such.

Welcome to the board from Southern California!!

What a treasure. I have never seen anything like that before!!!

welcome from New York, maybe a quilt historian could help, that is unusual, and probably worth alt of money. Maybe it shouldn't be under strong lights. but hey i don't know

Hi There, The lights over the quilt are low light bulbs and we rarely have them on.

The quilt was hanging on a wall in an old warehouse. It had been there for years without any air/heat. I was hoping to keep it a few more years by having in our home where we could enjoy it. I keep it out of reach of little ones. lol

Where could I find a quilt historian? I'm not sure where to begin. I have tried online to find info on quilts like mine and have had no luck. Any help would be appreciated!

Incredible quilt, Thanks for sharing. A Big WELCOME to the board from Northeastern Louisiana!

Very soft and a little fuzzy.

Apparently, this was part of the 1904 Louisiana Purchase segment of the Worlds Fair in St. Louis, MO. There are books that show about 80% of the items in the fair. If this can be documented by a museum, it would be invaluable, I would imagine the Smithsonian would be the place to start. Writ them a letter with a picture and see what happens. I had a Chinese garment that was made with the "forbidden stitch" I donated it to the Smithsonian and got a hefty tax write-off that helped us for years. Please be very careful as this is a piece of history if it can be proven and I have a feeling it will be. I will see what I can discover.

Hello from Ohio. Your quilt is amazing.

Hi welcome to the board.You have a true treasure in the quilt

Welcome from New Hampshire! I have not seen anything like that before, but I think it is beautiful and a treasure for your family.

Why not try to take it on the next nearest Antique Roadshow?

Might be worth a lot of money and possibly you should get more home owner insurance.

What a wonderful treasure you have! While I've never seen one, I've heard of quilts made from different types of tree bark (called bark cloth) but never saw one until now. You could contact some of the major quilt museums in your area to see if they can help you with the history of quilts made with bark cloth. I've heard that bark from different trees all over the world have been used in the making of quilts... I've just never seen any until now! Your quilt is amazing.... and I am trying so hard not to be envious because green is definitely not my color!

uhh hello smithsonian they knw all and if they dont they sure know where to go for more info.

Welcome from Ireland. Beautiful quilt.

Welcome from Colorado! I have never seen anything like it before, it is beautiful.

In my former life I was head of the archives at the Missouri History Museum in St. Louis and they have the records of the 1904 World's Fair (the actual company records),the library has an extensive collections of printed materials, and the museum has a large collection of objects related to the fair.

The first step would be to contact the Library Research Center and send them a photo along with the info from the back of the quilt. Ask them if they can verify that it was displayed. Now, I must warn you that many things can be verified as being displayed but there are many that cannot.

The email is [email protected] and the website is www.missourihistory.org. Jason Stratman is the librarian that specializes in World's fair related questions (esp in 2004 for the centennial, you should've seen all the questions coming in!).

Hallye Bone lives here in St. Louis and had training at AQS and at the Smithsonian and regulalry appraise quilts. She has written a book about caring for quilts. I don't have her contact info but if you "google" her you may find her web site.

Welcome!

-Hello, and welcome! I'm new also, hope you like it here, and good luck with that quilt. I remember seeing ones like that in a quilt history book, but never in person...what a find!-God bless.

Hallye Bone lives here in St. Louis and had training at AQS and at the Smithsonian and regulalry appraise quilts. She has written a book about caring for quilts. I don't have her contact info but if you "google" her you may find her web site.[/quote]

Here's a Hallye's entry from the Am Quilter list: http://www.americanquilter.com/quilt...view.php?id=33

And the history museum's correct URL is http://www.mohistory.org - sorry about that!

Welcome from Oklahoma. You definitely have a treasure. Hope you find out more information. Thanks for sharing.

Thank you so much for all of the information. I am going to get started ASAP!

Welcome from Texas, and you sure came to the right place to get information. But, what a true jewel you have!!
I never saw anything like it, but it sure is a wonderful piece of art and history!

I would the National Quilt Museum,

http://www.quiltmuseum.org/visit_about.htm

You may have to cut and paste this address into your web search area on your computer. But this wonderful museum and it's staff are a wealth of information and encouragement.

I hope you find the answers and stories you seek.
I know some cases where they make quilts out of Tapia bark cloth.
Be sure to post again, when you get the scoop!

Just Jan

Hello from Massachusetts

Hello and welcome from Ontario. I have never seen anything like your quilt, it is beautiful and so unique.

Wonderful treasure. Try to find out its worth! Welcome from another Louisiana quilter.

Welcome from North central Lousiaiana. Love the quilt!

Sad when you misspell your own state! Louisiana!

Hello and welcome from Boston, Ma

What a treasure you have! I've never seen anything quite like that, even though saw palmettos abound in this part of Texas. How very unique! Treasure it!

Welcome from Michigan. Awesome Quilt!

Won't you PLEASSSE keep us updated on your rare and beautiful quilt? What an amazing piece of history, and what a story it tells!!! Oh! Welcome to the Board! LOL!

WOW - you probably win the prize of having the most unusual quilt ever put on the Quilting Board! Thanks for sharing with all of us.