On this day in 1905, Hollywood silent film star Greta Lovisa Gustafsson (Garbo) was born in Sodermalm, Stockholm, Sweden. “Garbo” began life as a shy daydreamer in a impoverished family of five in a working class slum. After studying acting in Stockholm, she was recruited by Louis B. Mayer, vice president of MGM to come to New York at age twenty. Young Garbo, who spoke no English at that point, was wisked away by the studio to a dentist and a weight loss specialist. Garbo went on to become one of Hollywood’s cult stars, nominated three times for an Academy Award and in 1999 the American Film Institute ranked Garbo fifth on their list of greatest female stars of all time.

Margreta Larson Lindberg, also of Swedish descent, made this one patch quilt with wool batting between 1876-1900 in Cambridge, Minnesota. Lindberg was a farm wife and mother of four who made two or three quilts in her life according to the Quilt Index record, contributed to The Quilt Index during the Minnesota 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://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greta_Garbo
Quilt Index partners

Amy Milne headshot

Posted by Amy E. Milne
Executive Director, Quilt Alliance
amy.milne@quiltalliance.org

How To Trim Flying Geese Without A Specialty Ruler

If you don’t have a Bloc-Loc ruler, you may find trimming these flying geese challenging. But by following these steps, you should be able to get four accurate geese in each color!

First, line up your ruler so the point of the flying geese unit will be trimmed exactly ¼” above the point. Try to line the unit up as straight as possible on the other three sides.

Next, flip the unit over. Line up the edge you just cut on the 2” line of the ruler as shown below, and trim the excess from the top.

Flip the unit right side up again. Line the lower left corner up with the 3 ½” mark on your ruler as shown above. Trim the excess on the right.

Finally, flip the unit over again so the point is pointing towards the 2” line. Align the left edge of the unit with the 3 ½” ruler mark as shown above and trim the excess on the right. Your flying goose unit is now ready to be pieced into your block!

Quilt Documentation Tip

 Andrea’s block story is all about the importance of quilt guilds. Quilting can feel solitary, but guilds bring us together. It’s a topic of conversation that was discussed with two Birthday Block of the Month Designers in a recent Textile Talk where the participants all shared emotional stories about their love for their guilds. 

Did you know that your guild can document your quilts as a group? Consider hosting a quilt documentation day in your guild! Follow these instructions and have members share three minute stories about one meaningful quilt in the Quilt Alliance’s signature Go Tell It documentation program. You could even host a screening so all of your members can see the videos! Get in touch at: qsos@quiltalliance.org

See You in October for Month Seven!

Thank you so much to everyone who has participated in the Quilt Alliance’s Birthday Block of the Month so far! Our designer for next month, the seventh block we’re making together, is Bonnie Hunter herself! 

Be sure to tag @quiltalliance and @3rdstoryworkshop on Instagram with your block photos this month, and use the hashtag #QuiltAllianceBOM. And leave any questions about this month’s block in the comments below!

2 Comments

  1. Maria Strani-Potts

    My birthday is also 18 September. How fantastic. I still love Greta Garbo

    Reply

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