A Quilt and a Queen
On this day in 1952 Great Britain’s King George VI passed away in his sleep, and the crown was passed on to his oldest daughter Elizabeth, age 25 at the time. Her Majesty The Queen, known to her family in childhood as Lilibet, is a lifelong animal lover with a special interest in thoroughbred equestrian events.
This Queen’s Feather quilt was made in the 1960’s by Ruby Wyman of St. Johns, Michigan. Wyman taught herself to quilt in her thirties and made more than 50 quilts in her lifetime. She purchased the fabric new at Penney’s Department Store, hand pieced and appliqued the top, and did the quilting by hand while she sat by the hospital bedside of her nephew. Wyman documented her quilt in 1985 during the Michigan Quilt Project.
View this quilt on The Quilt Index to read more about it’s history, design and construction. Be sure to use the zoom tool for a detailed view.
Sources:
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/elizabeth-becomes-queen
http://www.royal.gov.uk/HMTheQueen/Interests/Overview.aspx
Posted by Amy E. Milne
Executive Director, Quilt Alliance
amy.milne@quiltalliance.org