by Quilt Alliance | Apr 16, 2013 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On This Day in History Quilt for April 16. On this day in 1845, Mary Eliza Mahoney was born in Dorchester, Massachusetts. Mahoney was the first African American registered nurse in the United States. Her interest in nursing started in her teen years and she spent 15 years at the New England Hospital for Women and Children as a cook, janitor, washerwoman and unofficial nurse’s assistant. She was admitted to the hospital’s nursing program at age 33 and was one of four students (out of 42 who started the course) to complete the course. Mahoney was inducted into the Nursing Hall of Fame in 1978, fifty years after her death. Martha Rebecca Crider Posey of Franklin Parish, Louisiana hand made this quilt, pattern name unknown, in 1930 for her daughter Major Reber Lillian Posey of the U.S. Army Nurse Corps. The quilt traveled with Posey’s daughter to Europe and the Far East. Martha Posey’s great-granddaughter owns the quilt now and documented it during the Louisiana Quilt Documentation Project in 2002. 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://womenshistory.about.com/ http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/partners/early/e_pioneers_mahoney.html Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
by Quilt Alliance | Apr 15, 2013 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On This Day in History Quilt for April 15. On this day in 1947 Jack “Jackie” Roosevelt Robinson became the first African American player to join Major League Baseball, competing for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Robinson was born in Cairo, Georgia to sharecropper parents. In college at the University of California at Los Angeles, he was the first athlete in the school’s history to letter in four varsity sports—baseball, basketball, football and track. Robinson faced and protested against racial discrimination throughout his career. He retired from baseball in 1957 to work in business and continue his work as a civil rights activist. He died in 1972 at age 53. Mildred Beene Lee of Bridgeport, Alabama (born in Marion County, Tennessee) made this Baseball quilt around 1919 for her sons’ room. The quilt is hand and machine pieced in wool and cotton fabric and hand quilted with a thick batting for warmth. The quilt was documented during the Quilts of Tennessee project by the family member who inherited it. 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/jackie-robinson-breaks-color-barrier Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
by Quilt Alliance | Apr 12, 2013 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On This Day in History Quilt for April 12. On this day in 1954 rock and roll pioneers Bill Haley and the Comets recorded “Rock Around the Clock” in only two takes. The final 40 seconds of the song includes a guitar solo performed by session guitarist Danny Cedrone was paid $31 for his work that night. Minnesota quiltmaker Michelle Fairchild made this quilt, titled “Give Thanks” for the 2011 Quilt Alliance contest. The mixed media quilt includes a working clock and is an homage to her fellow quilters: “This quilt is dedicated to all the Quilters and Designers from beginners to advanced to say “Thank You” for all your hard work…” Fairchild incorporated tools and concerns of today’s quiltmakers: a camera, quilt design software, reminders to make charity quilts, and even three little fairies to help out (because there’s never enough time)! 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/bill-haley-and-the-comets-record-quotrock-around-the-clockquot Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
by Quilt Alliance | Apr 11, 2013 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On This Day in History Quilt for April 11. On this day in 1968, U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Fair Housing Act, which prohibited discrimination concerning the sale, rental or financing of housing based on race, religion, national origin. Gender was added to that list of criteria in 1974 and people with disabilities in 1988. Gayle Simpson of Newbury Park, California made this small, house-shaped quilt, titled “All Homes Need Quilts,” in 2012 for the Quilt Alliance’s annual quilt contest. From Simpson’s artist statement: “We live in humble houses, high rise spaces, Brownstones, condos, trailers, apartment buildings, small houses, big houses and cars or shelters. Every home needs a quilt. I think this is why we donate so many community quilts from our Guilds. I learned to quilt so that I could make lasting art, and the most caring, special presents for friends and loved ones. We had no quilts when I was growing up. Ten years ago I found a baby quilt that an estranged Grandma had made for me. I had owned a quilt all along …and never knew it.” 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/Civil_Rights_Act_of_1968 Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
by Quilt Alliance | Apr 10, 2013 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On This Day in History Quilt for April 10. On this day in 1866 philanthropist and diplomat Henry Bergh founded the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) in New York City. Bergh witnessed cruelty to work horses during his diplomatic post in Russia and was determined to get anti-cruelty laws passed back in the United States. The ASPCA was based on a similar organization in England, and it quickly became the model for more than 25 other humane organizations in the U.S. and Canada, including the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. Desiree Dianne Habicht of Riverside, California made this quilt, titled “ Forever Aligned” in 2011 for the annual Quilt Alliance contest. The quilt was dedicated to her daughter Jennifer. Habicht wrote in her artist’s statement: “As kennel manager of a no-kill shelter she rescued hundreds of animals earning her the nickname of “Schindler”. Tragically in 2000 Jennifer was struck by a drunk driver. It was now the animals turn to rescue Jennifer. The love she felt for them and the love they gave back to her helped her to come out of her coma and find a reason to survive. 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/aspca-is-founded Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
