by Quilt Alliance | Jan 25, 2013 | On this Day in History Quilts series
Diamonds, decoys and dreams of Baltimore. On this day in 1905 in Pretoria, South Africa, a 3,106-carat diamond weighing 1.33 pounds was discovered. It was named the Cullinan diamond after the mine’s owner. It was presented to Britain’s King Edward VII as a gift, and to ensure it’s safe passage from Africa to London a decoy diamond was sent first with heavy security; meanwhile the real Cullinan traveled separately in a plain box. Teresa Stoller of Flagler Beach, Florida made this small wall quilt titled “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” in 2011 for the Quilt Alliance’s annual quilt contest. Teresa wrote this about her quilt: “This quilt is my playful interpretation of the theme People, Pattern, Passions. I was inspired by wonderful memoires of attending Baltimore Orioles’ baseball games at Camden Yards with my husband and two children. As I looked around the stadium, I saw those 47,000 heads as a sea of colorful circular shapes ….. big, small, dark, light, rough, smooth ….. all different, yet the same: a repetition of happy circles! … I invite you to gaze into my quilt, hear the cheering fans, smell the popcorn and stadium hot dogs, enjoy the game and revel in the beauty of that perfectly cut field….” 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/worlds-largest-diamond-found Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
by Quilt Alliance | Jan 24, 2013 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On my honor, I will do my best. On this day in 1908 Robert Baden-Powell’s handbook, the first volume of Scouting for Boys, was published, launching the Boy Scouts movement in England. The American version of the Boy Scouts was founded as a result of an inspirational event in England in 1909. The U. S. founder of the Boy Scouts, William Boyce, lost his way in the London fog and a young scout came to his rescue, refusing a tip for his good deed. There are a number of Boy Scout related quilts in The Quilt Index. This One Patch quilt was made by members of Cub Scout Pack 867 of Franconia, Michigan with the help of Patricia A. Kirk. The quilt was made for President Gerald Ford and was personally presented to him in 1976. The quilt is now owned by the Gerald Ford Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan and was documented as part of the Michigan Quilt Project in 1985. 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/boy-scouts-movement-begins http://www.usscouts.org/advance/boyscout/bsoathlaw.asp Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
by Quilt Alliance | Jan 23, 2013 | On this Day in History Quilts series
Gifts from Canada and Alabama. On this day in 1922 in Toronto, Canada the first insulin injection was given to a 14-year-old boy with diabetes. Before this discovery diabetics were treated with a special low carbohydrate diet, which prolonged their life by about a year. This Square in a Square hand pieced and hand quilted simple beauty was made in the 1920’s by Ellna Lorene Harris in Guntersville, Alabama. According to her granddaughter, who inherited the quilt, Ellna was a tall woman and made the quilt very long for her comfort. From this record: “Ellna was a very good Christian woman. Had no children. Died of diabetes.” The quilt was documented in 2010 as part of the Florida Quilt Project, the newest contributor to The Quilt Index. 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/insulin-injection-aids-diabetic-patient http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_diabetes Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
by Quilt Alliance | Jan 22, 2013 | Alliance Quilt Contests, Tiny Desk Exhibition
On This Day in History Quilts posts will return tomorrow! Alliance member Patricia Hobbs of Macomb, Illinois was our Grand Prize winner in the recent 2012 membership drawing. Pat won the Amazing Aurifil Cotton Thread Suitcase, with 216 gorgeous colors. I’d like to take this opportunity to launch a blog series I’m calling Meet a Member, where we’ll spotlight some of the generous, talented folks in our community of members. Our members include many who quilt, and some who do not. Pat is a quilter and a lifelong artist; in fact, she taught art for over forty years. Pat has donated four stunning quilts for the Quilt Alliance contests, one each year since 2009 (see the Tiny Desk Exhibition of these quilts below). And as a member, she has volunteered to help with Alliance events like greeting guests in our contest quilt exhibition at the AQS quilt show in Paducah. Thank you, Pat and all our members, for supporting the work that we do, contributing your story and your quilts to our documentation, and for caring deeply about preserving the tradition of quilting for future generations. When Pat heard the news that she’d won this bonanza of Aurifil thread she said, “I am so excited to have won the suitcase of Aurifil. I never thought I would be the winner of such a wonderful prize. I am guilty of sometimes using cheap thread in the past, but will certainly feel like a queen using such fine Aurifil thread. I do believe in the work and projects of Quilt Alliance especially that of telling and keeping quilters’ stories. I have learned so much from this organization and enjoy the annual small quilt auctions. It is impressive to see each quilter’s design and special interpretation of the yearly theme.” And after Pat received the thread suitcase, she told us: “It is one thing to be excited about winning the thread, but to sit and hold the Aurifil thread collection in my hands is a dream come true!” Here is a Tiny Desk Exhibition (love those NPR Tiny Desk Concerts) of Pat’s Alliance contest quilts from 2009-2012. Click on the link below each quilt to see materials and techniques used in each quilt and to read and hear Pat’s artist statements. These quilts are also documented in The Quilt Index, along with all Quilt Alliance contest quilts (you can browse them here). Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
by Quilt Alliance | Jan 17, 2013 | On this Day in History Quilts series
Born in Oak Park: Betty and Another Beauty On this day in 1922 American actress, comedian, author, singer and personality Betty Marion White Ludden was born in Oak Park, Illinois. White’s family moved to Los Angeles, California during the Great Depression, and in high school in Beverly Hills, White discovered her love for acting after taking the lead role in a play she wrote for a graduation day play. Three months later she had her first television job, singing songs with a classmate on an experimental LA station. This Log Cabin quilt was made by Rebecca Mason Grant of Oak Park, Illinois in 1885. The top is hand pieced silk velvet and satin. A relative of the quiltmaker documented the quilt during the Iowa Quilt Research Project in 1988. 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://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betty_White Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
