by Quilt Alliance | Jan 14, 2014 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On this day in 1912, Tillie Olsen, Depression era author and social activist, was born to Russian immigrant parents in Wahoo, Nebraska. Olsen left her tenant farm life after completing the 11th grade and took on a series of working-class jobs. She moved to San Francisco in 1933, and lived there for the rest of her life, working on and writing about pro-labor causes and raising a family of four daughters with her husband Jack Olsen, a fellow protestor. Kate Snyder Pickett of Wahoo, Nebraska hand pieced and tied this “Our Village Green” block quilt between 1876-1900. A relative of the quiltmaker documented the quilt in 1988 as part of the Iowa Quilt Research 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.nytimes.com/2007/01/03/books/03olsen.html?_r=0 Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
by Quilt Alliance | Jan 13, 2014 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On this day in 2005, the U.S. Senate and House passed resolutions by unanimous consent expressing support for the goals and aspirations of Korean American Day, which is celebrated by numerous states and municipalities. Korean American Day honors the contributions of the Korean American community to the United States and commemorates the arrival of the first Korean immigrants on January 13, 1903. Kim Sunghee of South Korea and China made this natural-dyed cotton and silk, machine-pieced, freeform geometric patchwork quilt between 1976-1999. As noted in this Quilt Index record: “the colors expressed by the dyer not only represent the conventions of the time, but also secret recipes and experiences, passed down through generations. Sunghee has earned three degrees in textile studies and has published a book on the colors of classic textiles.” The quilt is part of the Michigan State University Museum 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://keia.org/page/history-korean-american-day Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
by Quilt Alliance | Jan 10, 2014 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On this day in 1901, a drilling derrick near Beaumont, Texas, created a very large gusher of crude oil, launching the American oil industry. Jo Budd of Bungay, Suffolk, England made this art quilt, titled “Oil Rig” between 1996-98. The piece, which measures 125.5” x 98.25” is hand painted and dyed and hand pieced, and is part of the permanent collection of the International Quilt Study Center & Museum at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. 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/gusher-signals-start-of-us-oil-industry Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
by Quilt Alliance | Jan 9, 2014 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On this day in 1768, the first modern circus was staged in London by Philip Astley, a former cavalryman whose first act was a riding trick where he waved his sword in the air with one foot on the saddle and the other on the horse’s head. Tracey Snyder-Stone of Lauderdale by the Sea, Florida, made this quilted, titled “Welcome Home,” in 2012 for the Quilt Alliance’s “Home Is Where the Quilt Is” contest. Snyder wrote about her quilt: “This quilt was inspired by an exhibit I saw at the Shelburne Museum in Vermont. The exhibit comprised of antique carousel horses and circus posters. The Victorian Era was so popular with quilting and my favorite era to collect quilts. I wanted to pay homage to the American traveling circus of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.” 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/first-modern-circus-is-staged Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
by Quilt Alliance | Jan 7, 2014 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On this day in 1785, two men, Jean-Pierre Blanchard from France and John Jeffries from America, crossed the English Channel in a gas balloon, becoming the first people to cross by air. They almost crashed into the Channel along the way and had to throw out nearly all of their supplies and cargo, including Blanchard’s trousers. Bonnie B. Wiley Wobken of Dodge, Nebraska made this original, pieced and hand quilted design, titled “Hot Air Balloon,” in 1988. The quilt was documented as part of the Nebraska Quilt Project, coordinated by the Lincoln Quilters Guild. 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/across-the-english-channel-in-a-balloon Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
