by Quilt Alliance | May 15, 2013 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On this day in 1934, Grace Ogot was born Grace Emily Akinyi in Asembo, in the district of Nyanza, Kenya. She trained as a nurse in Uganda and in England. She has worked as a midwife, a tutor, as journalist, as a broadcaster and for an airline. In 1984 she became one of only a handful of women to serve as a Member of Parliament and the only woman assistant minister in the cabinet of then President Daniel arap Moi. Moni Cah of Nairobi, Kenya machine pieced and quilted this 42” x 47” quilt between 1976-1999. Cah sells her work in a cooperative contemporary African quilt shop in Nairobi called “Amani a Juu.” From the quilt’s label: Our quilts are designed and crafted here in Nairobi, Kenya using local and international materials. To create an exclusive look, we dye, batik, and screen print our own fabrics. We also incorporate traditional East African kitenge and kikoi fabrics, as well as high-quality West African mud cloth. This variety provides a unique canvas for our contemporary designs. Furthermore, we hand stitch all of our bindings and use a free-arm sewing machine to quilt all-over swirl, meander, and floral designs. We measure and cut all scraps and cloth uniquely for each quilt. The quilt was purchased by a Michigan State University Museum employee and is now part of the museum’s permanent collection. 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/Grace_Ogot http://www.africanbookscollective.com/authors-editors/grace-ogot Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
by Quilt Alliance | May 14, 2013 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On this day in 1904, the first modern Olympic games to be held in the U.S. opened in St. Louis, Missouri. The World Exposition was held at the same time in the city, which overshadowed the poorly organized games. Since there were few entrants, and most were from the U.S., American athletes won most of the awards. Sue Dee Grainger Brown of Houston, Texas made this stunning hand pieced, embroidered and embellished Crazy Quilt in 1886. The Quilt Index record states, “Family history on this quilt states that it won first prize a the St. Louis World’s Fair.” Brown’s family members documented the quilt during the Texas Quilt Search. The quilt is included in the book Lone Stars: A Legacy of Texas Quilts, Vol. I, 1836-1936, by Karoline Patterson Bresenhan and Nancy O’Bryant Puentes (Austin: University of Texas Press) and was included in an exhibition by the same name in the Texas State Capitol Rotunda, Austin, Texas, April 19-21, 1986. 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/first-american-olympiad Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
by Quilt Alliance | May 13, 2013 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On this day in 1973 tennis stars Robby Riggs, U.S. champion from the 1930’s and ‘40’s, and Australian Margaret Court faced off in a $10,000 winner-take-all “battle of the sexes” challenge match. Court lost to Riggs and Riggs went on to challenge Bill Jean King to a $100,000 winner-take-all match, an event dubbed “the libber vs. the lobber.” King beat Riggs in three sets. This Crazy Quilt was made in New Hampshire between 1885-1890 by an unknown quilter. The quilt is made of silk velvet and satin and heavily embroidered with a horseshoe, fans, Kate Greenaway, Chinese fans, large wheeled bicycle, animals, and a tennis racquet. It was documented in 1984 by the maker’s great-great niece during the North Carolina 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/first-battle-of-the-sexes Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
by Quilt Alliance | May 10, 2013 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On this day in 1909, “Mother” Maybelle Carter (Addington), country music legend, was born in Nickelsville, Virginia. She is the mother of three daughters Helen, Valerie June (better known later in life as June Carter Cash), and Anita. The sisters performed with their mother as the “Carter Sisters.” The Carter family was inducted into The Country Music Hall of Fame in 1970. Maybelle Carter passed away in 1978 and is buried with her family in Hendersonville, Tennessee. Mary Carter Rollins and Mary Alice Carter, mother and daughter from Boones Creek, Virginia, made this Dresden Plate quilt around 1929. The quilt is all handmade: pieced, appliqued and quilted with scrap fabric that includes old dresses. The quilt was documented during the Quilts of Tennessee project by the daughter/granddaughter of the makers. 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/Maybelle_Carter http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/quotmotherquot-maybelle-carter-is-born Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
by Quilt Alliance | May 9, 2013 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On this day in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson issued a presidential proclamation making the Mother’s Day holiday official, to be celebrated on the second Sunday of May. Many U.S. states celebrated Mother’s Day as early as 1911, and the idea for a day of peace in honor of mothers is credited to both Julia Ward Howe (1872) and Anna Jarvis (1907). Viola Haeline Dollar Lake of Macon, Georgia made this Mother’s Choice quilt in the 1940’s. Lake was a homemaker and mother of eight children who learned to quilt as a teenager for necessity. Her great granddaughter inherited the quilt and documented it during the Florida Quilt Project in 2007. 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/woodrow-wilson-proclaims-the-first-mothers-day-holiday Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
