Out of the Ordinary

The designer of this intricately appliqued wool quilt is unusual for more than talent and workmanship — unlike most quilt makers, this 1870s quilt artist was a man! Honore Savard was a worker in the Quebec shipyards and a homesteader in Dakota Territory, but as a young man in England had designed many quilts. This example of his work, which was quilted by his wife and daughter, shows the fine attention to detail which brought him an award in a design competition.

This quilt was discovered folded up in an attic next to a chimney, which caused creosote stains.

This story was preserved as part of the North Dakota Quilt Project