by Quilt Alliance | Mar 24, 2014 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On this day in 1955, Tennessee Williams’ play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof opened in New York City. Williams was born in Columbia, Mississippi and overcame sickness and an abusive father to become a paid writer by the time he was 17. Lovenia Toliver of Mississippi hand pieced and quilted this Crazy Quilt between 1950-1975. The quilt is foundation pieced with fabrics that include burlap bags, old blankets, denim and other cottons. Toliver’s family member documented it during the Wisconsin Quilt History 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/cat-on-a-hot-tin-roof-opens http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennessee_Williams Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
by Quilt Alliance | Mar 23, 2014 | QSOS, QSOS Spotlight
Today’s Q.S.O.S. Spotlight is shining on Teresa Alvarez of Boonville, California. Teresa was interviewed as part of the Los Hilos de la Vida Q.S.O.S. Project, which interviewed members of the mostly Latina ‘Lost Hilos de la Vida’ (Threads of Life) quilt group in Boonville, California. In her interview, Teresa explained the significance of her quilt–only the fourth one she’d ever made–and the importance of quilting in her life. “It is a work. We came to learn to quilt. We learned that we could do a lot of things. We learned how to draw, how to sew better. Learn how to express how one has lived, and what has happened to us and what is past…This quilt represents the border. So when somebody comes over the border they feel like they are in the dark. So, you come here having to better yourself, to get ahead. Tinkerbelle represents the light. The light represents–Tinkerbelle represents light and also the stars represent the light and of the home of the family to get ahead.” Karen Musgrave, interviewer: So what do you think of the group… Why is quilting important to you? “It gives us good opportunities. To learn art, to get rid of the stress of being in the house allthe time. To have something to relieve the house and being at work all the time. Talking with people. [It is important]To see what a person can do. What you are capable of.” You can read more quilt stories from Los Hilos de la Vida and other quilters across the country on the Quilters’ S.O.S.- Save Our Stories page on the Quilt Alliance website. Posted by Emma Parker Project Manager, Quilters’ S.O.S.- Save Our Stories…
by Quilt Alliance | Mar 21, 2014 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On this day in 1866, American astronomer Antonia Maury was born in Cold Spring, New York. Antonia’s grandfather and uncle, John William and Henry Draper, were both pioneering astronomers and exposed the Maury’s children to science at a young age. Antonia graduated from Vassar College in 1887 with honors and went on to study at the Harvard College Observatory, where she worked as a “Harvard Computer” (a group of highly skilled women who processed astronomical data). This quilt, titled “Austin Halley 86” was made in 1979 by Kathleen L. Briggs of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. From this record: “Designed as part of a series on astronomy. To commemorate Halley’s comet, which was visible in Austin, Texas, but not in Milwaukee. Each fill in section has a different design as an historical record of the comets.” The inscription on the quilt includes the exact time Briggs finished the quilt: 9:00 p.m. CDT 09/02/86. Documented during the Wisconsin Quilt History 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://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonia_Maury Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
by Quilt Alliance | Mar 20, 2014 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On this day in 1854, the Republican Party was founded in Ripon, Wisconsin. The group, who were form members of the Whig Party (formed in 1854 to oppose President Andrew Jackson), wanted to establish a new part party to oppose the spread of slavery into the western territories. The first Republican president, Abraham Lincoln, was elected in 1860. Mary Elizabeth Stark of Newburg, Iowa hand pieced and hand quilted this Ocean Waves quilt using sewing scraps between 1860-1890. A relative of the quiltmaker documented the quilt in 1988 during the Iowa Quilt Research Project, who noted: “Mary Elizabeth was a pioneer in bringing Farm Bureau and Extension lessons to rural women. She was one of the first women active in Republican politics.” 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/republican-party-founded Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
by Quilt Alliance | Mar 19, 2014 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On this day in 1966, Texas Western (now called University of Texas at El Paso) becomes the first college basketball team to win the “Final Four” with an all-black starting lineup. Until that moment, at the height of the civil-rights era, no major-college team had ever started five black players in an NCAA championship game. This satin quilt, titled “Basketball Star Quilt,” was made in 1999 by Rae Belgarde of Brockton, Montana. The quilt is now part of the Michigan State University Museum collection and was included in an exhibition, “To Honor and Comfort: Native Quilting Traditions,” that traveled to several U.S. states and Canada from 1999-2004. 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/texas-western-defeats-kentucky-in-ncaa-finals Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
