TREASURES: Unfinished coverlet worth a pretty penny

DEAR HELAINE AND JOE: This coverlet belonged to my great-great-grandmother. Do you have any information about it? It is a double-weave coverlet with a square that reads "Erie County, N.Y. 1838." B. McD., Golden, Colo.

A: If you lived in rural America in the early 1800s and needed something on your bed to keep you and your family warm on cold winter nights, you did not run down to the store to buy an already made bedcovering. No, you made it yourself or had it made.

Many households at the time had looms that could weave coverlets that were often made from homegrown wool and linen. The home looms were fairly narrow about as wide as a weaver could easily throw a shuttle and the finished product usually consisted of two panels stitched together down the middle.

Incidentally, some thought it to be bad luck to join these two panels perfectly so that the pattern matched up exactly. The belief was that if the lines of the pattern were precisely connected in both halves, all the luck would drain out.

In 1801, French weaver Joseph Marie Jacquard invented a mechanical loom that allowed coverlet makers to create fancier often pictorial patterns and have elaborate borders that included a block where the weaver could include information such as who the weaver was, who ordered the coverlet, when and where. These Jacquard coverlets were also seamless.

Jacquard's invention was actually an attachment that could be added to looms already in use to make double-weave coverlets. A "double-weave" or "double-cloth" coverlet was constructed with two sets of warps and two sets of wefts, which produced two distinct layers of fabric with contrasting colors (often dark on one side, light on the other).

The term "warp" refers to the yarn that is placed lengthwise in a loom, while the "weft" is the yarn that crosses the warp from side to side and is interlaced with it. The heart of the Jacquard attachment was a series of punch cards that directed the loom to execute the complicated pattern that was chosen. The cards were somewhat like the cards more often associated with a player piano.

The Jacquard loom came to the United States in the 1820s and was in wide use until the Civil War. Jacquard coverlet examples from the 1820s are seldom found, and collectors are more likely to find examples dated in the 1830s and '40s.

Professional weavers often had one of these looms mounted on a wagon and would travel from place to place taking commissions. The person who wanted the coverlet generally supplied the dyed raw materials and chose the pattern. The weaver completed the order and usually added his or her name, plus the name of the new owner, the date and the location.

The more elaborate the design, the more desirable the coverlet, and collectors tend to prefer images such as buildings, eagles, trains, ships, lions, peacocks and monkeys. The floral center and border of the coverlet in today's question are very attractive, but not a design that would excite most collectors. Also, the signature box is a little troubling.

It appears to be unfinished for some reason, and the edge of the coverlet appears to be a bit frayed. With this condition problem, we feel the insurance-replacement value of this lovely piece is between $1,500 and $2,000.

Helaine Fendelman and Joe Rosson are the authors of "Price It Yourself" (HarperResource, $19.95). Contact them at Treasures in Your Attic, P.O. Box 27540, Knoxville, TN 37927 or e-mail treasures@knology.net.