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Twenty-five Snowballs in purple and red
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Coverlets, Cultural Objects

Twenty-Five Snowballs (red, purple, cream)

People
Maker/Creator: Lily Mae Weeks Reed
Date
Unknown
Places
Laurel Branch
Material/Medium

Wool, cotton

Specifications
  • Pattern: Twenty-Five Snowballs
  • Colors: red, purple, cream
  • Dimensions: 74 x 60 inches
  • Panels: two (30 inches wide) hand-seamed
  • Pattern matched perfectly
Description

The Twenty-Five Snowballs pattern is a popular one in this area and this coverlet features blocks of purple snowballs with red tables.  Weaver Lily Reed grew up in a family of weavers which shows in the precise sizing and pattern-joining of the panels making up this coverlet.

Keywords
Overshot coverlet, rocker beater loom
Bio Sketch

Lily Mae Weeks Reed (1892-1983) married Homer Mark Reed in 1919.  Lily was the daughter of James Darius (1868-1903) and Jathina Elizabeth Keith Weeks (1872-1951). Her mother Jathina was a noted weaver and after James’ death, Jathina supported the family with her weaving. She would go to Roanoke to sell coverlets at the City Market.

Notes

According to the Rocker Beater Loom website https://www.rockerbeaterloom.com/loom26.html , sisters Lillie Weeks Reed, Melissie Weeks Hylton, and Rosa Weeks Reed were also weavers and used rocker beater looms that could possibly have been built by their grandfather William H. Weeks (1846-1930).