An elaborate hand-pieced quilt made in the 1950s, comprising more than 70,000 individual fabric triangles, achieved $16,000 (prices reported do not include an 18 percent buyers premium) at Dana Auctions, setting a new house record for a single quilt. The quilt led the firms Antique and Vintage Quilts and Textiles auction held May 30. The first 38 lots were the work of Fayette County, Pa., quiltmakers Ethel Clement and her daughter, Genevieve Odom. This special collection from western Pennsylvania, from the mother and daughter team were quilts they made from drafting their own patterns based on historical quilts, including ones by Grace Snyder and Rose Kretsinger. Ethel Clements Petit Point Flower Basket quilt (lot 1), was hand-pieced and hand-quilted between 1954 and 1959 from 70,088 individual half-square triangles, each forming a finished square of just half an inch. Every visible surface of the quilt, even areas that read as solid color, were constructed entirely from these tiny, pieced triangles, creating a graphic arrangement of flower baskets framed by intricate pieced borders and a vining outer border. A hand-embroidered label on the reverse records the makers achievement: Petit Point - 70,088 Pieces - 1954-1959 - E.T.C. Clements ambition was deliberate. She set out to rival the celebrated Nebraska quiltmaker Grace Snyder, whose own Flower Basket Petit Point quilt contains more than 87,000 pieces and whose work is held in major institutional collections, including the International Quilt Museum in Lincoln, Neb. Clements work stands within that same tradition of extraordinary technical virtuosity while asserting an identity of its own. What set it apart was the remarkable survival of the materials documenting its creation. The quilt was offered together with Clements hand-drafted pattern (drawn by her brother), the China plate that inspired the design, a cookie tin, candy box, and cigar box filled with unused fabric pieces, a small diary documenting her progress, a pillow and two additional blocks in a different basket pattern, and ephemera relating to Grace Snyders quilts. Together, these elements offer an unusually complete record of the labor and intention behind the finished work, a window into the creative process rarely preserved for a quilt of this age and ambition. The consignor, who descends from the makers family, watched the sale live. According to Dana Balsamo of Dana Auctions, she was moved to tears overcome with excitement and happiness as the lot crossed the block. Other notable results included a ca. 1950 Paradise Garden quilt (Kretsinger version) by Genevieve Odom selling for $3,250 and a ca. 1950 Floral Mandala quilt (Brooklyn Museum) by Genevieve Odom, for $2,600. An antique ca. 1850 Setting Sun quilt in Chintz fabrics sold for $2,400, and a ca. 1830 Mosaic quilt top in English chintz hexagons, $2,600. According to Balsamo, Genevieve Odoms quilts reflect a sophisticated understanding of historic design and the way patterns are transmitted and reinterpreted across generations. Her Paradise Garden quilts trace a lineage commonly associated with Rose Kretsinger that extends further still through Lorraine Pine Eisfeller and documentation by Ruth Finley to an 1857 quilt attributed to Arsinoe Kelsey. Balsamo attributes the sales strong prices to its targeted, scholarship-driven marketing, which connects significant material culture directly with the collectors most likely to value it. This collection allowed us to see quiltmaking not as isolated objects, but as part of an ongoing conversation, said Balsamo. Ethel Clement and Genevieve Odom were clearly inspired by earlier makers, studying them, learning from them, and making it their own. That level of intention is what makes this collection so important, and our collectors recognized it. Dana Balsamo is the owner and auctioneer of Dana Auctions and an American Quilters Society (AQS) Certified Quilt Appraiser. She appears as a textile appraiser on PBSs Antiques Roadshow in Seasons 29 and 30 and has just returned from filming Season 31 in Tucson, Ariz. With close to three decades of hands-on experience in antique and vintage textiles, she is recognized for her scholarship, integrity, and enthusiasm for quilt history, fabric dating, and textile preservation. She is based in Princeton, N.J., specializing in antique and vintage quilts, textiles, and related material culture. The company presents curated auctions that highlight both historical significance and collector appeal. As with all Dana Auctions sales, every lot opened at $10 with no hidden reserves, with bidding conducted live and online with real-time bidding. In-house shipping is available, domestically and internationally. For further information, visit www.danaauctions.com.