The “all-white” is a particular type of whole-cloth quilt, in which the quilt is made out of one expanse of white fabric (sometimes joined together), with the intricate designs formed entirely of quilting stitches (no pieced or appliqued work). Whole-cloth quilts were an opportunity to showcase the quilter’s virtuoso sewing skills. “The popularity of all-whites was inspired by the desire to attain classical purity and simplicity in design, a response to the discovery in Italy of the buried cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum which spawned the Neoclassical school of design.” This whole-cloth quilt, in very fine hand stitchery, incorporates an all-over leaf pattern that is usually relegated to a border; The owner inherited this whole-cloth quilt from her great-aunt, Emily Parker (1867-1967). The owner’s father, Donald Ross, was the only child of Arthur Ross – a graduate of Queen’s University’s School of Medicine and doctor in Kingston – and his first wife, Mabel Parker, also a Queen’s grad. When Mabel died during World War I, her sister Emily cared for the young Donald. Incidentally, at some point during this period, according to the donor, Arthur Ross dated Agnes Richardson (later Etherington). The quilt may have been made by the mother of Emily and Mabel Parker, Sarah Fidler, who emigrated from Scotland and settled in Sterling, Ontario.