by Quilt Alliance | Jul 15, 2013 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On this day in 1606, Dutch master painter Rembrandt van Rijn was born in Leiden, South Holland, the son of a miller. Rembrandt, who painted more than 100 self-portraits during his lifetime, lost favor as a fashionable portrait artist, and was bankrupt by 1656. However, after this financial downfall, Rembrandt produced some of his most celebrated works. South African artist Phina Nkosi of Soweto, South Africa, made this quilt, titled “Anti-Apartheid Portraits.” It features portraits of women important in the anti-apartheid struggle. This quilt was included in a national exhibition of crafts shown at the Craft Council of South, Johannesburg, South Africa, 2004. It was acquired by the MSU Museum during a bi-national South African Cultural Heritage Project, for which the museum was a lead US partner. 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. Source: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/rembrandt-born Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
by Quilt Alliance | Jul 10, 2013 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On this day in 1943, Arthur Robert Ashe, Jr. was born in Richmond, Virginia. Ashe’s father wouldn’t let him play football because of his slight build, but nearby his childhood home was Brookfield Playground, Richmond’s largest blacks-only playground, which had a tennis court. Ashe’s love for the game began here and Ashe went on to become the first African American man ever to win the singles title at Wimbledon, the U.S. Open and Australian Open. He retired in 1981 and died in 1993 from AIDS-related pneumonia. He worked the last year of his life to educate others about HIV and AIDS. This white and red wholecloth quilt (detail view) was made by the owner’s mother’s aunt (unnamed in this record) and was brought to New Jersey in 1951. The quilt is embroidered and the quilting design is done in a unique tennis racquet pattern. The owner documented the quilt in 1989 during the Heritage Quilt Project of New Jersey, Inc. 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. Source: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/wimbledon-tournament-begins Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
by Quilt Alliance | Jul 8, 2013 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On this day in 1776, the Liberty Bell, a 2,000-pound copper and tin bell, rang out from the tower of the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia calling citizens to come and hear the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence, signed four days earlier. The crack in the Liberty Bell is though to have first happened when tolling for the funeral of U.S. Chief Justice John Marshall in 1835, and then expanded to it’s current size in 1846. An unnamed quilter from New Jersey hand pieced and hand quilted this Centennial Quilt in 1876. “This patriotic quilt is sewn from 18 printed Centennial banners. Each of the twelve banners on the outside edge has thirteen red and white stripes and thirty-nine white stars on a blue field. The fabric includes Cheater fabric (pre-printed appliqué or pieced design) depicting flags and portraits of George Washington….Above [Washington’s] head is the Liberty Bell with the crack showing.” The quilt was passed down by the granddaughter of the maker, who was a young girl at the time the quilt was made, and documented as part of The Heritage Quilt Project of New Jersey, Inc. 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. Source: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/liberty-bell-tolls-to-announce-declaration-of-independence Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
by Quilt Alliance | Jul 5, 2013 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On this day in 1946, French designer Louis Reard unveiled a daring two-piece swimsuit at a popular swimming pool in Paris. Reard called it the “bikini,” inspired by the U.S. atomic test that took place off the Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean earlier that week. This quilt, titled “Historical Bikini” was made by Rebecca Navarro of Sugar Land, Texas for the “Alliances” quilt contest held by the Quilt Alliance in 2011. From Navarro’s artist statement: “Dressing the ancient female figure in a bikini takes her out of her element. By standing the figure in front of the graffiti covered wall, art from the past is joined to the present.” 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. Source: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/bikini-introduced Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
by Quilt Alliance | Jul 4, 2013 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On this day in 1776 the United States adopted the Declaration of Independence, declaring independence from Great Britain. On July 4, 1777, the first anniversary of independence was celebrated in Philadelphia with a thirteen-gun salute, speeches, prayers, music, parades, troop reviews and fireworks, and ships were decked out in red, white and blue bunting. Elizabeth Kobler of Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia, made this “Nontraditional Quilt” around 1778. Kobler hand appliqued, hand pieced and embroidered this non-quilted piece, including the inscription “EK.” According to the family, Elizabeth’s husband Barnette was a tailor who made Revolutionary War uniforms, and Elizabeth used his tailoring scraps for this quilt. The DAR Museum now owns this quilt and contributed its documentation to 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. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_Day_%28United_States%29 Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
