by Quilt Alliance | Jun 3, 2013 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On this day in 1906, world-famous dancer, singer and actress Josephine Baker (Freda Josephine McDonald) was born in St. Louis, Missouri. Baker, who ran away from home to dance in vaudeville and on Broadway at age 13, was the first African American woman to star in a major motion picture (Zouzou, 1934). Baker moved to Paris in 1925 and there became one of the best-known entertainers in France and Europe. Baker died in 1975, two days after her last performance in Paris. Noted quilt historian, Cuesta Benberry of St. Louis, made this quilt top with the help of Annette Ammen, Lois Mueller and George Ammen (Annette’s husband), who drew many of the designs. Each block signifies something of importance in African American women’s quiltmaking experiences. Cuesta Benberry’s son donated this quilt, along with the rest of Benberry’s quilt ephemera collection, to the Michigan State University Museum when she passed away in 2008. 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://womenshistory.about.com/od/bakerjosephine/p/josephine_baker.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josephine_Baker Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
by Quilt Alliance | May 31, 2013 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On this day in 1965, American actress and model Brooke Shields was born in New York City. At only 14 Shields did a controversial commercial for Calvin Klein jeans with the tagline, “You want to know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing.” Mamie Lee Bryan made this strip quilt that includes a jeans pocket between 1976-1999. “This quilt was documented during a research project to identify and document practitioners of traditional customs in the communities of North Carolina and Virginia along a section of the Blue Ridge Parkway. The project was conducted by the Library of Congress’s American Folklife Center in cooperation with the National Park Service.” 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://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooke_Shields Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
by Quilt Alliance | May 30, 2013 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On this day in 1913, a New York socialite named Mary Phelps Jacob received a patent for her invention of the modern brassiere, a streamlined alternative to the unhealthy and painful corset. Michigander Libby Cassin of Ishpeming began this quilt around 1930 and finished it in 1995 with the help of by her friend, Veronica Paeske, of Escanaba, Michigan. This “Square in a Square” quilt was machine pieced using “scraps left over from “The Gossard,” a factory in Marquette County, Michigan that made ladies undergarments such as bras and corsets.” The quilt was documented as part of the Michigan Quilt Project by the family member who inherited it. 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://inventors.about.com/od/bstartinventions/a/brassiere.htm Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
by Quilt Alliance | May 29, 2013 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On this day in 1848, Wisconsin entered the union as the 30th state. The territory had passed from French to British to American control starting in 1634, when the area was a major center of fur trade. Wisconsin citizens finally approved statehood so they could gain from federal programs that were helping neighboring Midwestern to prosper. This Mexican Rose Variation quilt was made by an unknown quilter around 1870 in Wisconsin. According to the Quilt Index record: “It was donated to the Wisconsin Museum of Quilts and Fiber Arts by Nancy Stecker. Her husband found it inside a trunk he took from the Town of Cedarburg Dump in the 1970s. The appliqued border on this quilt is very similar to the border on the other quilt found in the trunk.” It was documented by the museum during the Wisconsin Quilt History Project in 2009. 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/wisconsin-enters-the-union Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
by Quilt Alliance | May 28, 2013 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On this day in 1937, the German government, then under control of Adolf Hitler, formed a new state-owned automobile company. The original name was Gesellschaft zur Vorbereitung des Deutschen Volkswagens mbH, but the company was renamed that same year simply Volkswagenwerk, that translates to “The People’s Care Company.” Ferdinand Porsche of Austria was called in by Hitler to build an affordable, fun car (sales price was about $140 in U.S. currency at the time). The German government sold 60% of Volkswagen stock to the public in 1960. Linnea Robbins of Schoolcraft, Michigan made this quilt titled “VW Love” in 1998, for her daughter Melissa. “I always wanted one of her quilts and she came up with this design and surprised me with it for Christmas,” wrote Melissa. “When I started driving, I fell in love with Volkswagens. My Mother knows this and has such a creative streak in her. My Mom always uses these bright, vibrant fabrics and she used some vintage ones because she knows I am interested in “older” things.” The quilt was documented as part of 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/volkswagen-is-founded Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
by Quilt Alliance | May 27, 2013 | On this Day in History Quilts series
As I search and browse The Quilt Index for quilts and stories to feature here, I so often come across records that mention soldiers, nurses and others serving in foreign and domestic services. Quilts made by family members to comfort their loved ones (and strangers) during or after battle, quilts made to honor noted countrymen and women who served, quilts made by tailors from uniform scraps, and sometimes even quilts made by someone who served themselves, are documented in this database of more than 54,000 quilts. The quilts I’ve chosen to share below are from ten different Quilt Index contributors, including museums, state documentation projects and organizations, who documented and preserved the history of the quilt, the quiltmaker and the story of the quilt for this and future generations. Click on the images to visit The Quilt Index and view the basic record page for each quilt. To see the full information available for each record click on the [See Full Record] link at the bottom of the basic record page. Thank You Clara Barton By: Holmes, Ann Date: June 1, 2012 Location Made: Asheville, North Carolina Project Name: Home Is Where the Quilt Is Contributor: Quilt Alliance It is amazing all that she accomplished for our country. Establishing a public school; “Angel of the Battlefield” during the Civil War; spent four years to identify over 22,000 missing soldiers; established the American Red Cross and served as president for 23 years; at 83, president of National First Aid Association. She certainly patched many lives together! Her work was not considered women’s work and never had the right to vote. Clara died in 1912. —————————————————————————————————– Nontraditional Top By: Kobler, Elizabeth Period: Pre-1799 Date: ca. 1778 Location Made: Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia (WV) USA Project Name: Permanent Collection Contributor: DAR Museum Donor History: Wool quilt pieced from tailor Barnette Kobler’s scrap box by his wife, Elizabeth Kobler, circa 1778. Barnette Kobler tailored Revolutionary War soldiers’ uniforms. Barnette Kobler had his tailor shop in Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia from 1774 to 1777. Barnette Kobler’s parents died in an Indian raid. Barnette Kobler, along with four of his siblings survived the attack and was taken into the care of his neighbors. Since his guardians were tailors, Barnette became apprenticed to the tailor trade. —————————————————————————————————– Four Freedoms Top and quilting By: Stenge, Bertha Date: 1943 Location Made: Chicago, Illinois (IL) USA Contributor: Illinois State Museum Inscription: “Freedom from Fear, Freedom of Worship, Freedom from Want, Freedom of Speech.” Handmade during World War II. Appliqued Minute Man soldier in center, surrounded by hand-pieced 5-pointed stars. —————————————————————————————————– War Between the States Quiltmaker: Unknown Date: 1860 Location Made: United States Project Name: Michigan Quilt Project Contributor: Michigan State University Museum Top pieced by the wife of a veteran of Sherman’s March. Made for a soldier in hopes of his safe return to Pennsylvania from the Civil War. The color represented the colors of the North and South. —————————————————————————————————– Feathered Star Top and Quilting By: Kinkead, Rowanna; Kinkead, Nan; Kinkead, Polly Ann Date: c. 1855 Location Made: Rogersville, Tennessee (TN) USA Project Name: Quilts of Tennessee Contributor: Tennessee State Library and Archives This quilt (and Rocky Mountain Rail Road) made for Nan Kinkead’s dowry/hope chest when she came home from college, Holston Conference Female College for Women, Asheville, North Carolina, 1856. The feathered star was loaned to a young confederate soldier during the Civil War, when he hid out in a cave in back of the house. The farm was called Cave Hill Farm because of the cave there. The quilt was found some years after the war in the cave, stuck in a wall nook. —————————————————————————————————– LeMoyne stars/ 9 Patch/uneven/ Square in a Square etc, Sampler Quilter Group: Boston women (donated to NEQM by Hobart M.Harmon) Date: 1865 Project Name: NEQM Permanent Collection (MassQuilts Documentation) Contributor: New England Quilt Museum Made for Harmon’s great-great-great grandfather James George, a soldier in U.S. Army, Civil War; “H” company, NY Infantry volunteers. —————————————————————————————————– Schoolhouse variation Pattern Names: House Quilt Top By: Griswold, Levi Quilted By: Griswold, Levi’s aunt Date: 1890-1925 Location Made: Yarrow, Missouri (MO) United States Project Name: Iowa Quilt Research Project Contributor: State Historical Society of Iowa Levi made the quilt when he was about 15 years old. He was awarded Distinguished Service Cross in WW I where he was killed in action. —————————————————————————————————– EIGHT POINT STAR, EIGHT POINTED STAR Top By: AYERS, SARAH & WILLIE Date: 1905 Location Made: United States Project Name: West Virginia Heritage Quilt Search Made for brother, William Daniel Ayers (Friar Hills, Greenbrier County, WV); died in 1927. Given to his daughter Kate Ayers McMilion, until 1936. Given to Ina McMillion Montgomery, daughter of Kate. William was a Confederate soldier. —————————————————————————————————– Spanish American War Commemorative Flag Quilt Pattern Names: quilt is an original Date: 1890-1910 Location Made: Laramie, Wyoming (WY) United States Project Name: Wyoming Quilt Project, Inc. Handwritten names of persons who served or raised funds for Spanish American War. stripes of the quilt Names on red stripes are not legible. Names included here are written on the white stripes. —————————————————————————————————– Friendship, Friendship Applique Quilt Top By: Inman, Mary Period: 1850-1875 Date: End of Civil War Location Made: North Carolina (NC) United States Project Name: North Carolina Quilt Project Made other quilts; Children: One child was named Christian Orella; Squares were given by friends and quilted when soldiers returned; Quilting was followed by a dance that night. View all of these quilts 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. Please help us spread the word about the Quilt Index to everyone you know who loves/makes/owns/collects/studies quilts and history. Wishing you all a nice Memorial Day! Amy Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
