This "overshot" coverlet is one of the types of non-Jacquard woven coverlets most commonly made during the first few decades of the nineteenth century. Woven of orange and blue wool and undyed cotton, it is an example of the simplest weaving technique. The term "overshot" refers to the long passes of supplementary wool weft that overshoot the surface of the plain weave foundation, thereby forming the geometric pattern. Many of the earliest surviving American coverlets are woven in the overshot weave. This piece was made on a four-harness loom, and the foot end was shaped to fit around bedposts. It could have been made either in the home or in a weaver's workshop. Its provenance is unknown, but it was probably woven quite early in the nineteenth century.

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