by Quilt Alliance | Jul 9, 2015 | On this Day in History Quilts series
Today we are reprising a July 7, 2014 post: On this day in 1877, the first lawn tennis tournament was held at Wimbledon, then a suburb of London. The event, hosted by the All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club, attracted twenty-one amateur male competitors. In 1884, the Lady’s Singles was introduced at Wimbledon. An unknown quilter hand and machine pieced and hand quilted this Robbing Peter to Pay Paul quilt around 1885 in Pennsylvania. From this record: “The back is made of two different fabrics. The center one has a brown ground with light brown, pink, rose, and red figures, roller printed. It depicts male and female tennis players playing mixed doubles, a women reclining in a hammock with a dog, 2 children playing, parrot tulip, birds, roses, ferns, trees, morning glories, etc.” The quilt is now in the collection of the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan, and it was documented in The Quilt Index as part of the Michigan Quilt Project. View this quilt on The Quilt Index to find out! Read more about its history, design and construction. Be sure to use the zoom tool for a detailed view or click the “See full record” link to see a larger image and all the data entered about that quilt. Source: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/wimbledon-tournament-begins Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
by Quilt Alliance | May 21, 2015 | Alliance Quilt Contests, On this Day in History Quilts series
On this day in 1881, the American National Red Cross was founded in Washington, D.C. Founders Clara Barton and Adolphus Solomons started the organization to provide humanitarian aid to victims of war and natural disasters in affiliation with the International Red Cross, for whom Barton had worked during the Franco-Prussian War. Quiltmaker Ann Holmes from Asheville, North Carolina, made “Thank You Clara Barton” as her entry to the Quilt Alliance’s “Home Is Where the Quilt Is” contest in 2012. Ann’s artist’s statement: “It is amazing all that she accomplished for our country. Establishing a public school; “Angel of the Battlefield” during the Civil War; spent four years to identify over 22,000 missing soldiers; established the American Red Cross and served as president for 23 years; at 83, president of National First Aid Association. She certainly patched many lives together! Her work was not considered women’s work and never had the right to vote. Clara died in 1912.” View this quilt on The Quilt Index to find out (just click on the image above). Be sure to use the zoom tool for a detailed view or click the “See full record” link to see a larger image and all the data entered about this quilt. Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
by Quilt Alliance | Mar 2, 2015 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On this day in 1904, Theodor Geisel, better known to the world as Dr. Seuss, the author and illustrator of children’s books as “The Cat in the Hat” and “Green Eggs and Ham,” was born in Springfield, Massachusetts. Before he started writing children’s books Geisel created artwork for a very successful whimsical ad campaign for Flit insecticide. This quilt (detail view), titled “There’s a Bug in My Computer,” was made by celebrated quiltmaker Helen Kelley in 1978. The caption, “Quick, Henry — The Flit!” is hand quilted into the top, referencing the slogan for Geisel’s popular ads. View this quilt on The Quilt Index to find out! Read more about its history, design and construction. Be sure to use the zoom tool for a detailed view or click the “See full record” link to see a larger image and all the data entered about that quilt. Source: http://www.catinthehat.org/history.htm Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
by Quilt Alliance | Nov 25, 2014 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On this day in 1936, postmodern dancer and choreographer Trisha Brown was born in Aberdeen, Washington. Brown founded the avante-garde Judson Dance Theater in 1962. She has collaborated with artists Robert Rauschenberg and Laurie Anderson, including the piece “If you couldn’t see me” (1984) danced entirely with her back to the audience. Brown was the first female choreographer to receive the coveted MacArthur Foundation Fellowship “Genius Award.” Allison Ann Aller created this 16” x 16” crazy quilt titled “Hungarian Medallion” in Washougal, Washington for the Quilt Alliance’s 2014 Inspired By contest/exhibition/auction. Allie wrote in her artist’s statement: I love Broderie Perse and medallions quilts, so the quilt I chose for my inspiration was the perfect jumping off point. Because I am a crazy quilter, I am used to working in three dimensional surface design, so including such embellishment was inevitable! The colors of course came from the happy Hungarian embroidery that is the focus of the quilt. It is bound in vintage velvet ribbon. View this quilt on The Quilt Index to find out! Read more about its history, design and construction. Be sure to use the zoom tool for a detailed view or click the “See full record” link to see a larger image and all the data entered about that quilt. Source: http://www.trishabrowncompany.org/index.php?section=36 Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
by Quilt Alliance | Nov 24, 2014 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On this day in 1973, former Beatle Ringo Starr earns a solo #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with his pop tune “Photograph.” His second solo hit was “You’re Sixteen” which topped the chart just two months later. Darlene M. Jones-Reid of Arizona made this Crazy quilt, titled “Mother, Mae & Belle,” in 1996 by recreating a quilt made by her great grandmother, grandmother and great aunt. She used a photo transfer technique to add images of each of the women to the 42” x 34 “ quilt. An excerpt from an essay written by Jones-Reid is included with this record: I stepped a little closer to take it all in and I completely fell in love with the crazy quilt and these three quilting foremothers I had never known. I wasn’t the only quilter in the family! Hurray! For me and Hurray! for them. Jones-Reid was inducted into the Arizona Quilters Halls of Fame in 2010 and the Arizona Quilt Documentation Project contributed this record to The Quilt Index in 2014. View this quilt on The Quilt Index to find out! Read more about its history, design and construction. Be sure to use the zoom tool for a detailed view or click the “See full record” link to see a larger image and all the data entered about that quilt. You can read a 2011 Quilters’ S.O.S. – Save Our Stories interview with Darlene M. Jones-Reid on the Quilt Alliance website here. In the interview conducted by Lenna DeMarco for the Arizona Quilters Hall of Fame Q.S.O.S. sub project, Darlene tells more about this and other story quilts she has made. Source: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/ringo-starr-earns-a-solo-1-hit-with-quotphotographquot Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
by Quilt Alliance | Nov 21, 2014 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On this day in 1934, aspiring dancer Ella Fitzgerald, intimidated by other competitors, changed her act to singing at the last minute and won the Amateur Night at Harlem’s Apollo Theater. Fitzgerald was only seventeen years old and a ward of New York State at the time, having been orphaned two years before. After a failed first attempt singing “The Object of My Affection”, the singer’s second try at the tune brought down the house. By the 1950’s, Fitzgerald had become a jazz legend for her innovative vocal skills. Lorraine Lyon Fitzgerald of Nebraska pieced this “Delectable Mountains in Rising Sun Setting” quilt top in 1960 and it was documented in 1989 as part of the Nebraska Quilt Project, carried out by the Lincoln Quilters Guild. View this quilt on The Quilt Index to find out! Read more about its history, design and construction. Be sure to use the zoom tool for a detailed view or click the “See full record” link to see a larger image and all the data entered about that quilt. Source: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/ella-fitzgerald-wins-amateur-night-at-harlem39s-apollo-theater Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
