Mosaic Applique
Maker unknown
c.1930
67" x 83"
Cotton
MSU Museum Accession 2001:158.10
Photo by Fumio Ichikawa, all rights reserved by MSU Museum

The free-style design of this quilt consists primarily of multicolored Masonic symbols appliquéd on a white background. Symbols include a square and compass with the letter "G", a scythe, Jacob's Ladder, and a pot of incense.

The Free and Accepted Masons or Ancient Free and Accepted Masons (generally referred to as Masons or Freemasons) are a fraternal organization whose origins date to the early 1700s. Little is known about the origins of this quilt, but it serves as a unique piece of material culture related to this fraternal organization.

By Mary Worrall, excerpted from American Quilts from Michigan State University Museum.