The Coverlet Index

A visual encyclopedia of figured & fancy patterns

The Coverlet Index is an ongoing effort to create a “field guide” to the commonly recurring motifs and patterns in figured & fancy coverlets. The McCarl Gallery has an open-access policy regarding research and scholarship; as such, the in-progress pattern index is freely available to view online although the project remains in the early stages. The gallery below presents a small sample of designs with historically identifiable pattern names.

Patterns can be organized in several different ways. They can be described by which motifs they contain; these are the individual pattern elements that can be combined with others to form a pattern. They can be classified by layout, referring to the way these elements are visually combined in an overall design. They can also be grouped by weaver, although most patterns were used by multiple weavers.

  • Agriculture & Manufactures

  • Bird of Paradise

  • Christian and Heathen

  • Double Roses & Blossom

  • Eagle & Stars (or "Cavalry")

  • Eagle Medallions

  • The Farmer's Fancy

  • Frenchman's Fancy

  • Frenchman's Fancy

  • Grapes

  • Hempfield Railroad

  • Lilies of France & Diamond

  • Peacocks Feeding Young

  • Washington ("United We Stand")

What’s it like to work on the pattern index?

Play the coverlet matching game to get the idea. Note: matching coverlets can feature the same pattern while being different colors. If you’re up for a challenge, try the harder version.