• The McCarl Coverlet Gallery is a non-profit cultural organization that preserves the history of weaving & folk traditions in the Northeastern United States.

  • A part of Saint Vincent College, the Gallery offers students hands-on experience with art collections, digital humanities, and public history.

  • The Gallery is home to over 850 handwoven coverlets from the 19th century, including both "geometric" and "figured & fancy" designs.

  • Our changing exhibits use coverlets as a window to explore the cultural & material history of early America. They are free and open to the public.

What is a coverlet?

The word “coverlet” comes from French couvre-lit, which literally just means “cover-bed.” But to textile historians, a coverlet is specifically a decorative handwoven bed covering. Coverlets are not the same as quilts, which are sewn together from fabric pieces rather than woven on a loom.

American coverlet weaving reached its peak in popularity from about 1830-1860. Our oldest dated coverlet in the McCarl Collection was made in 1809, and we also have more recent examples made in Appalachia in the twentieth century.

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