On this day in 1950, American Florence Chadwick swam the English Channel from France to England in 13 hours and 20 minutes, breaking the record of Gertrude Ederle. In 1951 she became the first woman to swim from England to France, making her the first woman to swim the channel in both directions.
And unnamed quilter from Alva, Wyoming made this Crazy Quilt between 1950-75. The quilt is a “summer quilt,” no batting, but backed and bound. Scrap fabrics including old garments were used to make the quilt. The record notes: “Some fabrics indicate a post-war Asian connection; a windsurfer in 1940s’ swim trunks with “Samoa” and “Phillippines” printed on it; another has oriental figures with Japanese? Calligraphy; a Balinese dancer with multi-tiered pagoda– may be from a tie…” The quiltmaker’s paternal granddaughter inherited the quilt and documented it during the Wyoming Quilt Project in 2003.
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://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_May_Chadwick
Posted by Amy E. Milne
Executive Director, Quilt Alliance
amy.milne@quiltalliance.org