One was an impressive log cabin style quilt (Barn Raising pattern) with embroidery done along the logs of the log cabins. Every log seemed to have the same embroidery stitch called the Herringbone stitch, a stitch usually used to decoratively sew two patches together but in this case used as a lovely edging stitch. The embroidery thread color of the dark "logs" varied with green, yellow, or red which highlights the embroidery. White appeared to be the primary embroidery thread used in the white "logs." The logs are in colors of red. green, or white as shown.
The other was in wool with triangular pieces, pre-stuffed and sewn in what looks like a quilt as you go. The blocks are 4 triangles sewn together with 3 other like units to form a pin wheel. Then those blocks sewn together to form the quilt. Since these quilts were behind glass, I couldn't quite see exactly how those triangle units were made. It appears that the quilter started with squares, folded diagonally, filled then pieced together with the next triangle unit. The edges of the quilt look like this is exactly how they were formed. It would have been a warm quilt. The original recipient of this quilt was a young soldier in a Texas Calvary unit who survived the war.
If you ever visit Fort Worth, this museum is great and worth the visit. It's on the east side frontage road of Interstate 820 on the west side of Fort Worth. There is plenty to interest the males and the females of a family along with great descriptions of each item displayed.
I was particularly intrigued because part of the exhibit was about the "Sanitary Commission" organized by private citizens of the North to provide nursing care for the wounded. A number of years ago, at the Dallas Quilt show, I happened to be walking past the area set aside for appraising peoples quilts. A lady had brought in a particularly old family quilt that turned out to be made by women of the town of Skowhegan, Maine. The quilt was a Civil War quilt.
Each person adding blocks to the quilt had embroidered or hand-written their names on their blocks. As I recall, somewhere on the quilt it mentioned the Sanitary Commission. I think it was being donated to the Commission to use. I had wondered at the time what the Sanitary Commission was. Now I know. I do not know what became of the quilt but the quilt owner had been looking for a museum back East to donate the quilt to as she had no one to pass it on to and felt it was of historical significance. It had been in her family for generations.
That quilt really intrigued me because I have relatives that have lived in or near Skowhegan, ME for my whole life, including one who had been the town clerk for many years. I took some photos of that quilt but my skills with that camera at the time were not that great but I was able to make out names and sent several of the photos to my relative who recalled seeing many of those same names while she worked for the town. If I can find those pictures again, I'll look them over again and post them here. As I recall, it was a signature type block. Each block had been made individually, layered and then bound, then all sewn together to make the quilt; another "quilt as you go."
update: Since writing the above an hour ago, found a site via facebook of another blog that is about Civil War Quilts that may interest readers of this post.
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