Sentimental stitches

The 1857 Album Quilt

I saw this interesting applique quilt at an auction web site. It piqued my interest because it was oddly machine quilted. How in the world was a signature album quilt, an applique one no less, made in 1857 machine quilted? I was out of town at a quilt retreat and just for fun placed a bid on the quilt.

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