On this day in 30 B.C., Cleopatra, queen of Egypt, took her own life after her armies were defeated by Octavian (later called Augustus), the future first emperor of Rome. Distressed over her defeat, Cleopatra tried to seduce Octavian in an attempt to make peace with him, but he resisted her charms and she committed suicide rather than surrender.
Casandra Cleopatra Eliza Sanders made this Double T quilt in 1885 in Lewisburg, West Virginia. The quilt was documented during the West Virginia Heritage Quilt Search by Sanders’ great grandson who was given the quilt by his 101 year old grandmother. Sanders’ was a Civil War widow who raised seven children by herself. The quilt’s present owner states: “The entire family disembarked from the train (from their former home of Grundy, W.V.) and walked to Lewisburg carrying their luggage. “She [great grandmother] made this quilt when her children were small and times were hard trying to raise her children without her husband.”
View this quilt on The Quilt Index to read more about its history, design and construction. Be sure to use the zoom tool for a detailed view.
Source:
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/cleopatra-commits-suicide
Posted by Amy E. Milne
Executive Director, Quilt Alliance
amy.milne@quiltalliance.org