by Quilt Alliance | Feb 14, 2014 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On this day in 278AD, a priest named Valentine was brutally executed for defying Emperor “Claudius the Cruel’s” ban on marriages and engagements. Claudius was convinced that his waning military enrollment was due to the Roman mens’ allegiances to their wives. According to one legend, Valentine left a note for his friend, the jailer’s daughter, and signed it “From Your Valentine.” This is just one version of how Valentine, sainted after his death, became associated with this lover’s holiday. Quilting legend Yvonne Porcella of Modesto, California made this 16” x 16” quilt for the 2011 Quilt Alliance contest, “ Alliances: People, Patterns, Passion.” Yvonne said this about her quilt, titled “Hi 5”: In pursuit of Visual Alliance I chose to use compatible colors. Red is a favorite from pink to burgundy. Sometimes Red asks for its friend Teal from the other side of the color wheel. Red’s favorite month is February. Thinking of Valentine hearts or all the Red hearts shuffling around in a deck of cards, I have to tell you, when I see the 5 of Hearts, I say “Hi 5”. 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/st-valentine-beheaded Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
by Quilt Alliance | Feb 13, 2014 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On this day in 1457, Mary, the Duchess of Burgundy was born (an only child) to Charles the Bold and Isabella of Bourbon. After her father’s death in 1477 she took over the rule of the Netherlands, Franche-Comte, Artois and Picardy. She successfully resisted Louis XI of France’s efforts to force her to marry his son, the Daughin Charles, in order to stake claim of these lands for France. Instead Mary chose Maximilian, archduke of Austria and they had three children. She died at the age of 25 in a horseback riding accident. Beatrice Wong, of Honolulu on Oahu Island, Hawaii , made this burgundy and white wholecloth beauty in the 1940’s. The top is hand appliqued and not quilted. The current owner inherited the quilt documented it during the Hawaiian Quilt Research Project in 1997. 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://womenshistory.about.com/od/medrenqueens/p/mary_burgundy.htm Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
by Quilt Alliance | Feb 12, 2014 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On this day in 1789, Vermont co-founder and patriot Ethan Allen died of a stroke at age 52. Allen was very involved in legal disputes over New Hampshire territory land grants, and later led the Green Mountain Boys to take the British fort at Ticonderoga in 1775. Allen was the first of eight children born to Joseph and Mary Baker Allen in Litchfield, Connecticut. This Wreath of Grapes Medallion quilt from the permanent collection of the DAR Museum was made between 1810-1830. The hand pieced, appliqued and quilted piece features a ruffle binding. Although the quiltmaker’s name is not listed in the record, the donor of the quilt said it was made by a niece of Ethan Allen. 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/ethan-allen-dies http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethan_Allen Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
by Quilt Alliance | Feb 11, 2014 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On this day in 1783, Jarena Lee, the daughter of former slaves, was born in Cape May, New Jersey. Lee is considered the first female preacher in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. She published her autobiography, “The Life and Religious Experiences, of Jarena Lee, a Coloured Lady, Giving an Account of Her Call to Preach the Gospel” in 1836. Ada Bennett Hand of Cape May, New Jersey, machine pieced and tied or tufted this LeMoyne Star quilt around 1935. Hand’s grandchild now owns the quilt and documented it in 1989 as part of the Heritage Quilt Project of New Jersey, Inc. 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.blackfacts.com/fact/b7b1b7a2-2307-4e27-9920-f474781cce9e Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
by Quilt Alliance | Feb 10, 2014 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On this day in 1957, Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of the “Little House” children’s novel series, died in Mansfield, Missouri at the age of 90. Wilder’s books are based on her childhood, from her birth in Wisconsin to covered wagon journeys with her parents to farming communities in Kansas, Minnesota and Iowa, to her marriage and motherhood in present-day South Dakota. Sarah Hagey of Burlington Junction, Missouri, machine and hand pieced and hand quilted this Old Home block quilt between 1890-1925. The quilt has been passed down through the family and was documented in 1988 by its current owner as part of the Iowa Quilt Research 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/laura-ingalls-wilder-chronicler-of-american-frontier-life-dies Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
by Quilt Alliance | Feb 7, 2014 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On this day in 1964, the Beatles were greeted at New York’s Kennedy airport by 3,000 adoring fans on their first visit to the U.S. The “Fab Four” were all in their early twenties and had just scored their first number one hit on the American pop charts, “I Want to Hold Your Hand.” Susan P. Nattrass and Sylvia Blade, both of Hudson, Florida, collaborated on this block quilt in 2008 for Nattrass’s husband Ronald on the occasion of his 59th birthday. Ronald, a retired fire chief, documented the quilt, titled “You say its your birthday’ (Beatles White Album)” in 2010 as part of the Florida 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/beatles-arrive-in-new-york Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
