by Quilt Alliance | Aug 29, 2013 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On this day in 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall near New Orleans, Louisiana. This category 4 hurricane was the worst natural disaster in the history of the United States, displacing one million residents, and ranking alongside the Great Depression in human impact. The Quilting Queens of Minden (Louisiana) met during their post Hurricane Katrina and Rita volunteer work. They made this one patch quilt titled “God’s Blessings” from clothing items that were left at a relief center that could not be distributed The group met weekly and made quilts to auction off to raise money for hurricane survivors. This quilt is special because it was signed by Hurricane Katrina evacuees, as well as relief workers. It was documented as part of the Louisiana Quilt Documentation Project in 2006. 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/hurricane-katrina-slams-into-gulf-coast Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
by Quilt Alliance | Aug 27, 2013 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On this day in 1833, Margarethe Meyer Schurz was born in Hamburg, Germany. Schurtz studied education with Freidrich Froebel, the creator of the “kindergarten” concept, then moved to the U.S. and founded the country’s first kindergarten. The program, in Watertown, Wisconsin, lead young children in games, songs and group activities channeling their energy and preparing them for primary school. Maude Ada Franks Combs made this String Quilt in the 1930’s in Wellington, Texas. The quilt is foundation machine pieced and hand quilted and was one of many that Combs made for her family, teaching her daughter (who now owns the quilt) the “necessary homemaking arts” in the process. Combs’ daughter wrote: “I do not recall at what age she taught me to mark, cut, and string tiny pieces for intricate blocks, but when I was enrolled in kindergarten, I had scissor marks on my right hand and my thimble finger was already bent and I was not even five years old.” The quilt was documented during the Texas Quilt Search Project and is included in the book Lone Stars: A Legacy of Texas Quilts, Vol. II, 1936-1986, by Karoline Patterson Bresenhan and Nancy O’Bryant Puentes (Austin: University of Texas Press, 1990. It was included in an exhibition by the same name at the 1990 International Quilt Festival, Houston, Texas. 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://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margarethe_Schurz Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
by Quilt Alliance | Aug 26, 2013 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On August 18, 1920, the 19th Amendment of the United States Constitution was adapted guaranteeing American women the right to vote. The amendment reads: “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex” and “Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.” Gerry Krueger of Spokane, Washington, made this quilt titled “It’s a Man’s World Unless Women Vote!” in 2011 for the Quilt Alliance contest, “Alliances: People, Patterns, Passion.” Artist’s Statement: When seeing the photo of the men facing backward juxtaposed to the photo of the women facing forward, I knew I wanted the suffrage movement to be the theme of my AAQ entry. I included the chain as it was not only a device used by suffragettes to gain attention; it was symbolic of their struggle to break the bondage imposed by being denied the right to vote. Crazy quilt – fabric – ribbon – thread – beads – trim – jewelry. Posted by Amy E. MilneExecutive Director, Quilt…
by Quilt Alliance | Aug 23, 2013 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On this day in 1970, native New Yorker Lou Reed, front man of the pioneering rock band the Velvet Underground, gave his final performance with the band. Velvet Underground’s four studio albums have been widely influential for the past four decades, inspiring artists who weren’t even born at the time of the records’ release. This machine pieced silk velvet and satin Scrap Fans Crazy quilt was made by an unknown Connecticut quiltmaker. It was documented at the Massacoh Plantation in 1995 during the Connecticut Quilt Search Project. There are more than 2,400 quilt records in The Quilt Index that list velvet as the fabric type. 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/lou-reed-plays-his-last-show-with-the-velvet-underground Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
by Quilt Alliance | Aug 22, 2013 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On this day in 1861, American librarian and missionary Mary Elizabeth Wood was born in Elba, New York. Wood was best known for founding the first library school in China where she taught Western librarianship practices and programs. This hand pieced, appliqued and quilted Tea Leaves Quilt was made between 1976-1999 in Guizhou, China. Marsha MacDowell, Curator of Folk Arts at Michigan State University Museum, purchased the quilt for the MSUM collection on a research trip to China in November 2012. 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://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Elizabeth_Wood Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
by Quilt Alliance | Aug 21, 2013 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On this day in 1959, Hawaii became the 50th state of the Union. United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued an order for a new American flag featuring 50 stars arranged in staggered rows that became official on July 4, 1960. Elizabeth Dumlin and Virgie Kahae, both of Maui Island, Hawaii, hand appliqued this quilt, titled “Kaui O Maka Nani“ and Dumlin hand quilted it between 195-75. The quilt’s current owner documented it during the Hawaiian Quilt Research Project in 1993. 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/hawaii-becomes-50th-state Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
