by Quilt Alliance | Sep 11, 2013 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On this day in 2001, four coordinated terrorist attacks were carried out in the United States by al-Qaeda, an Islamist extremist group. The attacks killed nearly 3,000 people from 93 nations. 2,753 people were killed in the World Trade Center in New York City, 184 people were killed at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and 40 people were killed on Flight 93 in Pennsylvania. Rebecca Magnus of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan made this Square in a Square quilt in 2001. She remembers: “I was tying the knots in the last two sections of machine quilting threads when I saw the 2nd plane hit the World Trade Center. This will forever be etched in my mind – where I was and what I was doing.” Magnus documented her quilt through the Michigan Quilt Project. View this quilt on The Quilt Index to read more about its history, design and construction. Be sure to use the zoom tool for a detailed view. Source: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/attack-on-america Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
by Quilt Alliance | Sep 10, 2013 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On this day in 1991, alternative rock band Nirvana’s song “Smells Like Teen Spirit” is released as a single. The band, and guitarist, lead singer and songwriter Kurt Cobain, were only known to a small subculture of fans before the song made the unheard of leap from underground music scene to pop mainstream. Teenager Georgia Thomas Mize of Sevierville, Tennessee made this Trip Around the World quilt in 1930. She hand pieced and hand quilted it and gave it her own title: “World’s Wonder.” The quilt is inscribed: “1930 George.” This quilt was documented as part of the Quilts of Tennessee project, and is included in Merikay Waldvogel’s book Soft Covers for Hard Times: Quiltmaking and the Great Depression (Nashville, TN: Rutledge Hill Press, 1990). View this quilt on The Quilt Index to read more about its history, design and construction. Be sure to use the zoom tool for a detailed view. Source: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/nirvanas-quotsmells-like-teen-spiritquot-is-released-as-a-single Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
by Quilt Alliance | Sep 9, 2013 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On this day in 1893, First Lady Frances Folsom Cleveland, the wife of President Grover Cleveland, gave birth to their second daughter, Esther, in the White House. The Cleveland child was not the first baby to be born in the White House; Thomas Jefferson’s daughter Martha Randolph gave birth to her son James Madison Randolph there in 1806. Louiza Sheardon of Iowa (Cold or Collins) made this Churn Dash Crib Quilt in July, 1893. A note sewn to the quilt reads: “John W. Phares. This brown calico with the little white and green specks in is a dress of your grand mother Paxton’s mother’s. Consequently it was little Louiza Phare’s Great Great Grand Mother’s dress. I made a present of this little quilt to my name-sake this 3rd day – july 1893 in the 74 year of my age. Your Aunt Lou Sheardon (Shardon?) Copied by Louiza’s Sister (Laura)” The owner of the quilt, a relative of Mary Louiza Phares, received it as a gift and documented it during the Florida Quilt Project. View this quilt on The Quilt Index to read more about its history, design and construction. Be sure to use the zoom tool for a detailed view. Source: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/presidents-child-born-in-white-house Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
by Quilt Alliance | Sep 5, 2013 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On this day in 1836, Sam Houston was elected president of the Republic of Texas after it earned independence from Mexico. Houston was born in Virginia and then moved with his family to Tennessee after his father died. He practiced law in Nashville, served as Tennessee’s representative to the U.S. Congress and was elected governor of the state in 1827. Lori Manning Houston of Cumberland, Tennessee hand pieced this Bird in Flight quilt around 1920 and Mae Houston Howard hand quilted it around 1950. Houston’s grandchild received the quilt as a gift and documented it during the Quilts of Tennessee project. The owner noted that his/her grandmother made quilt tops for each grandchild and his/ her aunt quilted it. It was pieced with whatever was available. Also noted in the record: “appears to be unwashed and unused.” View this quilt on The Quilt Index to read more about its history, design and construction. Be sure to use the zoom tool for a detailed view. Source: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/sam-houston-elected-as-president-of-texas- Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
by Quilt Alliance | Sep 4, 2013 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On this day in 1982, American musician Frank Zappa earned his first and only Top 40 hit, “Valley Girl.” The song was conceived by Zappa’s 14-year-old daughter Moon Unit as a way to get her busy father’s attention. The song, while a complete satire, spawned a teen subculture in the San Fernando Valley, spreading phrases like “Gag me with a spoon” and “Fer sure” past the local malls out into the world. Grace Reynolds Tyler made this “Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Quilt” in 1934 in Wheeler TVA Dam Village in Alabama. Three other quilts in this same pattern called “Lazy Man,” (designed by Ruth Clement Bond, wife of TVA Personnel Officer), have been located. This quilt was documented during the Quilts of Tennessee project and appears in Merikay Waldvogel’s book “Soft Covers for Hard Times: Quiltmaking and the Great Depression (Nashville, TN: Rutledge Hill Press, 1990). Waldvogel interviewed Bond, who said: “the black man in the center is in the process of choosing between a job offered by the Federal Government (the white uniformed hand) or the “life of frivolity” represented by the woman whose profile is at the right.” View this quilt on The Quilt Index to read more about its history, design and construction. Be sure to use the zoom tool for a detailed view. Source: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/quotvalley-girlquot-becomes-a-top-40-hit-for-frank-and-moon-unit-zappa Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
by Quilt Alliance | Aug 30, 2013 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On this day in 30 B.C., Cleopatra, queen of Egypt, took her own life after her armies were defeated by Octavian (later called Augustus), the future first emperor of Rome. Distressed over her defeat, Cleopatra tried to seduce Octavian in an attempt to make peace with him, but he resisted her charms and she committed suicide rather than surrender. Casandra Cleopatra Eliza Sanders made this Double T quilt in 1885 in Lewisburg, West Virginia. The quilt was documented during the West Virginia Heritage Quilt Search by Sanders’ great grandson who was given the quilt by his 101 year old grandmother. Sanders’ was a Civil War widow who raised seven children by herself. The quilt’s present owner states: “The entire family disembarked from the train (from their former home of Grundy, W.V.) and walked to Lewisburg carrying their luggage. “She [great grandmother] made this quilt when her children were small and times were hard trying to raise her children without her husband.” View this quilt on The Quilt Index to read more about its history, design and construction. Be sure to use the zoom tool for a detailed view. Source: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/cleopatra-commits-suicide Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
