"[3] Befitting its creation during the War of 1812, the painting features patriotic military imagery — the portrait of George Washington above the fireplace is flanked by a pair of images of American warships defeating British ships in 1812 naval battles, while a soldier's hat and gear hang on the wall to the left.

Krimmel imitates Wilkie's style, using "a central fireplace and a balanced composition that is set in a Dutch-box space with the background wall parallel to the picture frame."

Curator Guy McElroy declared that "Krimmel's enthusiastic embodiment of the comic darkey stereotype" in Quilting Frolic "established a precedent that future artists, seeking to label their scenes as distinctly American, would either wholeheartedly or unthinkingly emulate.

"[6] The painting received favorable contemporary notice, with an anonymous reviewer in the Port Folio, a Philadelphia literary magazine, commenting that "the subject is good and executed with great judgment, and if Mr. Krimmel only perseveres in the path he has chosen, we are decidedly of opinion that his labours and talents will contribute largely towards giving a character to the arts in our country."

The reviewer continued, "We can perceive strong marks of the genius of the painter" because the "composition, drawing, coloring, and effect display much knowledge of the true principles of art.