I had the most wonderful “full circle moment” last week when a UPS truck delivered this beautiful antique woven coverlet to the History & Art Center here in Madison, Indiana. When I wrote the Magnificent 19th Century Coverlets by Indiana Weavers blog post last June, I never dreamed it would reach a direct descendant of one of those weavers, let alone a family member of the one renowned local weaver, Thomas Cranston. And I certianly never expected it would result in the gift of the family’s remaining coverlet to the Jefferson County Historical Society History & Art Center by Cranston’s great-great-grandson in Montana. Holy Cow.

I love textiles. I’d put on the Flo & Edna quilt show in 2018 and taken a class in Appalacian weaving in 2021, but I had never seen any of Thomas Cranston’s Jacquard coverlet weavings until I visited the Indiana State Museum‘s exhibit, Woven Together, last summer. After returning home, I went to the History & Art Center and visited with Director John Nyberg to see if there were Cranston coverlets in their collection. Indeed, there were four!

John & I spent time talking about those beautiful textile examples, coverlet provenance, the local 19th century Scottish Settlement (Caledonia), Cranston coverlets in other collections, the textile Industrial Revolution here and in Scotland, and on and on. Without really trying, we could see an exhibit forming before our eyes. He was in, and clearly so was I! With a “Summer-Fall 2025” exhibit target, research began, collection depth & breath was reviewed, collectors and museums were contacted, and area Cranston coverlets were entered into a national Coverlet Index database.

John inspecting an example of an Overshot Coverlet.
Me looking at a Cranston Jacquard Coverlet in a private collection.

Then last September a gentleman from Montana posted a blog comment about his great-great-grandfather, Thomas Cranston. What?!? I enjoy comments posted on my blog, but this was definitely out of the ordinary. I’ve found so much interesting and helpful information from Ed Beveridge, and I made a new friend. John Nyberg and I are hopeful Ed will find his way east in the next few months to see his coverlet and his other treasured family artifacts to be featured at the Museum. What a gift!

You won’t want to miss the exhibit, Threads of Scotland, the Life and Weavings of Thomas Cranston, scheduled for June through October of this year. (Exact opening date coming soon!) It promises to deliver an inspiring account of Scottish immigration and settlement, textile mills and stone cottages, the art of weaving, the Civil War, and Westward Expansion. Yee-haw! I can’t wait.

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sallymcw

One thing that makes my journey unique is that all of my interests are driven by a joyful and genuine curiosity. I delight in finding less expensive ways to make something or creative ways to enjoy something longer. Finding and creating joy - and sharing it - is core to who I am.