by Quilt Alliance | Jun 11, 2013 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On this day in 1979, American film icon John Wayne died at age 72 after battling cancer for more than a decade. Wayne was born Marion Morrison in 1907 in Winterset, Iowa. “The Duke,” (a nickname that came from his childhood dog), became famous for his roles as a rugged western hero, delivering lines like “A man ought’a do what he thinks is best.” Lillian M. Shaw of Winterset, Iowa hand pieced and hand quilted this Double Wrench, or Hole in Barn Door, quilt between 1860 and 1925. The quiltmaker’s granddaughter documented the quilt during the Iowa Quilt Research Project. 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/john-wayne-dies Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
by Quilt Alliance | Jun 10, 2013 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On this day in 1752, Philadelphia printer Benjamin Franklin demonstrated electricity when he flew a kite during a thunderstorm and collected a charge in a Leyden jar, an early capacitor for containing static electricity. Della Blue Faries, of Caddo Parish, Louisiana, made this Kite Quilt, or Pontiac Star Variation, in 1918. The quilt was documented by Faries’ daughter, who received the quilt as a gift from her mother, during the Louisiana Quilt Documentation Project. 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/franklin-flies-kite-during-thunderstorm Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
by Quilt Alliance | Jun 7, 2013 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On this day in 1913, Alaskan missionary Hudson Stuck lead the first successful ascent of Mt. McKinley, the highest peak on the American continent (20,320 feet). The first person to actually set foot on McKinley’s south peak was Walter Harper, one of Stuck’s three companions on the climb. A national park was established at Mount McKinley in 1917 and expanded in 1980. It was renamed Denali National Park and Preserve, and covers 6 million acres, an area larger than Massachusetts. Ree Nancarrow of Denali Park, Alaska, made this quilt, titled “Arctic Lava” in 1994. It is part of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress “Quilts and Quiltmaking in American: 1978-1996” exhibit. It was winner in the Lands’ End All-American Quilt Contest. 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/first-successful-ascent-of-mt-mckinley Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
by Quilt Alliance | Jun 6, 2013 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On this day in 1944, Allied forces crossed the English Channel and landed on the beaches of Normandy, France to begin the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi control during World War II. Sharon Powers of Cooper Harbor, Michigan made this quilt in honor of D-Day for a hospital raffle between 1976 and 1999. She documented her quilt during the Michigan Quilt Project. 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/d-day Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
by Quilt Alliance | Jun 5, 2013 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On this day in 1832, Queen Regent Ka’ahumanu of Hawaii, died after a brief illness. Ka’ahumanu was the most powerful wife of King Kamehameha and after his death she was named Queen Regent, a title similar to a modern-day prime minister. The Queen embraced Christianity and right before her death, missionaries presented her with the first copy of the New Testament printed in the Hawaiian language, bound in red leather with her name engraved in gold letters. This Kapa Hae Hawaii (Hawaiian Flag Quilt) was made in the late 1800’s/early 1900’s in Hawaii. It was machine pieced, hand appliqued and hand quilted and although the maker’s name is unknown, there is an inscription that reads “E.K.C.” The quilt was documented by its owner, who inherited it, during the Hawaiian Quilt Research Project in 1993. 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: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ka%CA%BBahumanu Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
by Quilt Alliance | Jun 4, 2013 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On this day in 1862, Confederate forces evacuate Fort Pillow, Tennessee, leaving a clear path for the Union capture of Memphis. Two years later, the Fort Pillow Massacre was one of the bleakest battles of the Civil War, with nearly 300 surrendered black Union soldiers killed by Confederate forces. Agnes Mushet of Methuen, Massachusetts, made this Octagon Crazy Quilt pillow cover from cigar silks around 1890. Noted in this Quilt Index record: “husband Frank probably collected the silks when he worked at the Glen Forest Amusement Part on the Merrimack River in Methuen as head of concessions in the late 1890s.” The pillow cover is now owned by the New England Quilt Museum who documented it in 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/confederates-evacuate-fort-pillow http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Fort_Pillow Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
