Wagon Train!

by | May 22, 2014 | On this Day in History Quilts series

On this day in 1843, a wagon train made up of 1,000 settlers and 1,000 head of cattle sets off along the Oregon Trail from Independence, Missouri. This “Great Emigration” of Americans reached Oregon in five months. Travel over the Oregon Trail peaked in 1845 when more than 3,000 made the journey. The trail was abandoned in the 1870’s after the advent of the railroad. Pat Hubbard of Greeley, Colorado made this quilt, titled “South Fork of the Oregon Trail,” in 1994, a tribute to her grandparents’ travel from the east to the Colorado Territory. The detailed embroidery accurately depicts many plants, birds and other animals found in the region. This quilt took 6th place in the National Lands Contest and was exhibited at county fairs. The quilt was purchased by the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum for its permanent collection. View this quilt on The Quilt Index to find out! Read more about its history, design and construction. Be sure to use the zoom tool for a detailed view or click the “See full record” link to see a larger image and all the data entered about that quilt. Source: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/great-emigration-departs-for-oregon Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…

Stitching for the Red Cross in Tennessee.

by | May 21, 2014 | On this Day in History Quilts series

On this day in 1881, the American National Red Cross was founded in Washington, D.C. Founders Clara Barton and Adolphus Solomons started the organization to provide humanitarian aid to victims of war and natural disasters in affiliation with the International Red Cross, for whom Barton had worked during the Franco-Prussian War.   Lillie Fowler Lovett and Red Cross volunteers in Greeneville, Tennessee hand made this Red Cross Quilt around 1917 during the First World War. The relative who inherited the quilt documented it as part of the Quilts of Tennessee project. View this quilt on The Quilt Index to find out! Read more about its history, design and construction. Be sure to use the zoom tool for a detailed view or click the “See full record” link to see a larger image and all the data entered about that quilt. Source: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/american-red-cross-founded Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…

It’s All in the Jeans.

by | May 20, 2014 | On this Day in History Quilts series

On this day in 1873, Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis received a patent to create work pants reinforced with metal rivets they called “waist overalls”—blue jeans were born. Strauss was a Jewish immigrant from Bavaria who ran a successful dry goods business with stores all over the Western states. Davis, a tailor from Nevada who bought supplies from Strauss, designed the new garment and asked Strauss to fund the patent application. The 501 brand jean was originally sewn in worker’s homes and quickly became the best selling work pant in the U.S. Levi Strauss & Co. now employs over 10,000 people worldwide. Susan Louisa Gudger hand pieced this Fancy Stitch Patchwork quilt and Margaret Shuping hand quilted it in 1847 in Davidson, North Carolina. The quilt was documented in 1986 as part of the North Carolina Quilt Project. From the Quilt Index record: “Owner inherited quilt from his father, James Craig Gudger, Old clothing (men’s and ladies), fabric scraps from other sewing.” View this quilt on The Quilt Index to find out! Read more about its history, design and construction. Be sure to use the zoom tool for a detailed view or click the “See full record” link to see a larger image and all the data entered about that quilt. Source: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/levi-strauss-and-jacob-davis-receive-patent-for-blue-jeans http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Levi_Strauss_%26_Co. Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…

Documenting the Garden of Maine.

by | May 19, 2014 | On this Day in History Quilts series

On this day in 1834, Catherine “Kate” Furbish, the first botanic artist in the “Garden of Maine,” was born in Exeter, New Hampshire. Furbish lived to be 97 years old and in her lifetime she collected over 4,000 sheets of dried plants and ferns she discovered around the state of Maine. The collection is now housed in Harvard University’s Gray Herbarium. A unnamed quilter hand pieced this Grandmother’s Flower Garden quilt around 1875 in Maine. The current owners documented the quilt in 1986 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina as part of the North Carolina Quilt Project. They purchased the quilt when they lived in Maine and although they do not know the name of the quiltmaker, they know that she was a neighbor of a woman named Clara Bowen. View this quilt on The Quilt Index to find out! Read more about its history, design and construction. Be sure to use the zoom tool for a detailed view or click the “See full record” link to see a larger image and all the data entered about that quilt. Source: http://maineanencyclopedia.com/furbish-catherine-kate/ Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…

Inspired By Matching Game!

by | May 16, 2014 | Alliance Quilt Contests, QSOS, Quilt Index

The deadline for our annual quilt contest is two weeks away–“Inspired By” entries must be postmarked by June 1, 2014.  Full details including a downloadable entry form can be found on our website and blog. If your design or execution are still in neutral, here is a little inspiration game to get your motor in gear. Match the Quilt to the Alliance Board Member Five Quilt Alliance board members have offered photos of their in-progress or finished Inspired By entries: Allie Aller Lisa Ellis Luke Haynes Michele Muska Victoria Findlay Wolfe See if you can match up the artist with the quilt! In the left hand column below are the Inspiration quilts, selected from The Quilt Index or Q.S.O.S., and on the right are the original contest entries. Post your answers here as comments (A=board member’s name, etc…), and we’ll draw a winner on Monday, May 19 at 5pm Eastern from all those with correct answers.

Full details on the Inspired By contest, including a downloadable entry form, can be found on our website and blog. Thank you to these generous Quilt Alliance Business Members sponsoring “Inspired By”: Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…