ah yes now i remember....

I tell you ladies, I think we were down this road once before, and as I read the comment from Oregon, it clicked, yes this is in fact, a lace curtain stretcher. Ladies used to wash then starch the hand made lace curtains (I am thinking any euro-american heritage, usa 1940's?) and would then bring the "life" back into the curtain by drying it on these stretchers. I believe that the Maid of Honor stretcher was marketed by Sears and Robuck but I am not certain of that or the year(s).

In all fairness, however, necessity being the mother of all inventions, I am sure some must have converted this to use as a quilt frame ("ouch!") by tipping it horizontally or tableing it somehow. As a stretcher it would be some trick to stand there and quilt in its original standing easle manner. The tiny pins are numerous, and somewhat sharp, set every inch 94x 56.

I include the photo from ebay here, my apologies to Eric as the link seems to go "off" the format on this page.

Katie