by Quilt Alliance | Mar 20, 2013 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On This Day in History Quilt for March 20: On this day in 1854 the Republican Party was founded in Ripon, Wisconsin. The group, who were form members of the Whig Party (formed in 1854 to oppose President Andrew Jackson), wanted to establish a new part party to oppose the spread of slavery into the western territories. The first Republican president, Abraham Lincoln, was elected in 1860. Mary Elizabeth Stark of Newburg, Iowa hand pieced and hand quilted this Ocean Waves quilt using sewing scraps between 1860-1890. A relative of the quiltmaker documented the quilt in 1988 during the Iowa Quilt Research Project, who noted: “Mary Elizabeth was a pioneer in bringing Farm Bureau and Extension lessons to rural women. She was one of the first women active in Republican politics.” 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/republican-party-founded Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
by Quilt Alliance | Mar 19, 2013 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On This Day in History Quilt for March 19: On this day in 1966 Texas Western (now called University of Texas at El Paso) becomes the first college basketball team to win the “Final Four” with an all-black starting lineup. Until that moment, at the height of the civil-rights era, no major-college team had ever started five black players in an NCAA championship game. This satin quilt, titled “Basketball Star Quilt,” was made in 1999 by Rae Belgarde of Brockton, Montana. The quilt is now part of the Michigan State University Museum collection and was included in an exhibition, “To Honor and Comfort: Native Quilting Traditions,” that traveled to several U.S. states and Canada from 1999-2004. 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/texas-western-defeats-kentucky-in-ncaa-finals Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
by Quilt Alliance | Mar 18, 2013 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On This Day in History Quilt for March 18: On this day in 1837, Grover Cleveland, the only US president to serve two non-consecutive terms in the office, was born in Caldwell, New Jersey. This miniature quilt was also born in Caldwell, New Jersey. Clara Dodson Dart made this Postage Stamp wall hanging, using late 19th century fabric scraps, starting in 1979 and finishing in 1985. Documented by the quiltmaker in 1988 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. Sources: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/grover-cleveland-is-born-in-caldwell-new-jersey Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
by Quilt Alliance | Mar 15, 2013 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On This Day in History Quilt for March 15: On this day in 1820 Maine was admitted to the Union as the 23rd state. Many French Canadians came from Quebec to Maine in the 19th century for timber jobs. Ninety percent of Maine is still covered by forests—thus it’s nickname, the “Pine Tree State.” French Canadian Corrine Lamoureux made this red and white quilt (pattern name possibly called Iowa) in Lewiston, Maine between 1876-1900. The handquilting on the piece is very fine—16 stitches per inch. The quilt was documented in 1985 by the maker’s 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/maine-enters-the-union Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
by Quilt Alliance | Mar 14, 2013 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On This Day in History Quilt for March 14: On this day in 1833 Lucy Hobbs Taylor, the first American woman to graduate from dental school, was born in Constable, New York. After she received her degree at the Ohio College of Dental Surgery, she began her practice in Chicago, where she met her future husband James M. Taylor. Lucy helped train James and eventually they opened a joint practice in Lawrence, Kansas. She was an avid supporter of the women’s suffrage movement and only retired after her husband’s death in 1886. Minnie Hair of Kansas City, Missouri made this “Little Nine Patch” quilt in 1930 and entered it into the 1933 Sears National Quilt Contest. Quilt historian Merikay Waldvogel purchased the quilt at an antique mall in Southwest Missouri in 2001. Waldvogel researched the quilt and the quiltmaker, and this history is included in this Quilt Index record: Minnie Hair was born April 21, 1882 in Kansas City, Jackson County, Missouri, to parents… [who] emigrated to the U.S. from Sweden in 1880, and became naturalized citizens in 1890… Minnie married Franklin Pierce Hair, a dentist, on 18 July 1904… Franklin maintained a dental office in the Hair home from 1907 until his retirement in 1937… Minnie was a housewife and mother, and lived within only a few miles of her parents and birthplace all of her life. Her husband died in March 1959 at age 87. Minnie lived another 18 years and died in a care center in 1977, at age 94. 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/Lucy_Hobbs_Taylor http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/584866/Lucy-Hobbs-Taylor Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
