Version 6.02

14 February 2025

David March © 2023

DESCRIPTION OF THE QUILT

Owner: In private ownership. Title: John Fisher School Quilt.

Size: 60" by 78¼" (152cm by 172cm).

Pattern: Block, Signature
9 x 12 square blocks each 6¼"
Alternate signature blocks and maple leaves (with inset signatures)

Top: Machine stitched; plain white cotton fabric, with red embroidery.

Wadding: commercial cotton.

Backing: white cotton, pieced down the centre.

Finishing: Backing brought to the front and machine stitched; three corners mitred and one overlapped.

Quilting: Hand sewn in white cotton:

Hint: You can click any of these pictures to see an enlargement!

1. Maple leaf blocks: echo quilting round each leaf and lines of quilting to represent the ribs of the leaves,
2. Signature blocks: squares on point,
3. Continuous straight lines across and down the quilt following the edges of the blocks.

Other stitching:

1. A continuous line of machine needle holes around the edge with a few fragments of blue/black thread in places.
2. Widely spaced lines of machine needle holes criss-crossing the quilt, unrelated to the quilt design.

Condition:

Top: Fair, faded, worn; Back: Fair, torn, stained; Edges: Good.

There is no label but stitching in the top right-hand corner of the quilt suggests there may originally have been a standard Canadian Red Cross label here.

The centre block reads:

 John Fisher
 School
40 Erskine Avenue
Toronto, Ont
Canada

There are approximately 1346 names although some may be repeated and several are unreadable through either fading or general wear and tear.