by Quilt Alliance | Jan 30, 2013 | On this Day in History Quilts series
Who Was that Masked Man Anyway? On this day in 1933 the first episode of The Lone Ranger debuted on Detroit radio station WXYZ. The show opened with Rossini’s William Tell Overture and the shout “Hi-yo, Silver! Away!” The masked ex-Texas Ranger and his faithful Native American companion Tonto (whose inauthentic dialog included lines like “You betchum”) fought of justice in the American Old West. The show’s audience grew to over 20 million Americans by 1939. This pictorial quilt titled “Wild, Wild West” was made by Willoa Stockton Shults of Boerne, Texas in 1985. Mrs. Shults notes this about her design: “The main figure represents the mainstay of Texas symbolism–the cowboy and his faithful companion–the horse. His nemesis–the Indian–is inferred from the arrows. The background represents the terrain of West Texas with the Guadalupe Mountains in the distance.” Shults’ quilt was documented during the Texas Quilt Search and included in the 1990 book Lone Stars: A Legacy of Texas Quilts, Vol. II, 1936-1986 by Karoline Patterson Bresenhan and Nancy O’Bryant Puentes. 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/the-lone-ranger-debuts-on-detroit-radio http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lone_Ranger Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
by Quilt Alliance | Jan 29, 2013 | On this Day in History Quilts series
Aloha Oe On this day in 1891 Liliuokalani is proclaimed Queen of Hawaii, the last monarch to rule the islands. Liliuokalani took over for her brother after his death. She was ousted by revolutionaries only two years later. Liliuokalani spent most of the rest of her life in the United States and composed many popular Hawaiian songs, including “Aloha Oe,” which means “Farewell to Thee.” This now-faded blue and white wholecloth applique beauty, titled Ka’ahumanu or Lei O Ka’ahumanu was made by Eme Mahikoa in 1899 in the town of Kawaihao on Kauai Island in Hawaii. It is entirely hand made and features a pink backing fabric. The quilt was documented by a family member of Mahikoa as part of the Hawaiian Quilt Research Project in 1996. 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/liliuokalani-proclaimed-queen-of-hawaii http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjZyZ8IuSzw (Aloha Oe on Hawaiian guitar with photos of Hawaii….relaxing) Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
by Quilt Alliance | Jan 28, 2013 | On this Day in History Quilts series
We Are the World, We Are the Quilters. On this day in 1985 American music producer Quincy Jones recorded the pop hit We Are the World with a group of top pop stars, including the song’s writers, Michael Jackson and Lionel Ritchie. The recording was made immediately following the American Music Awards ceremony, at a studio nearby. Over 7 million copies of the record were sold, raising more than $60 million for African famine relief. This quilt, titled We Are the Quilters, was made by Cynthia St. Charles of Billings, Montana, for the Quilt Alliance’s 2011 contest, “Alliances: People, Patterns, Passion.” The quilt includes dozens of tiny, handmade worry dolls. St. Charles writes in her artist’s statement: “While contemplating the theme, “Alliances,” I imagined all the quilters in the world joining hands. I wondered how many times they would encircle the earth if they did. I thought, ‘what a happier, gentler world it would be if all the world’s quilters could join hand in solidarity.’” 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/american-recording-artists-gather-to-record-quotwe-are-the-worldquot Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
by Quilt Alliance | Jan 25, 2013 | On this Day in History Quilts series
Diamonds, decoys and dreams of Baltimore. On this day in 1905 in Pretoria, South Africa, a 3,106-carat diamond weighing 1.33 pounds was discovered. It was named the Cullinan diamond after the mine’s owner. It was presented to Britain’s King Edward VII as a gift, and to ensure it’s safe passage from Africa to London a decoy diamond was sent first with heavy security; meanwhile the real Cullinan traveled separately in a plain box. Teresa Stoller of Flagler Beach, Florida made this small wall quilt titled “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” in 2011 for the Quilt Alliance’s annual quilt contest. Teresa wrote this about her quilt: “This quilt is my playful interpretation of the theme People, Pattern, Passions. I was inspired by wonderful memoires of attending Baltimore Orioles’ baseball games at Camden Yards with my husband and two children. As I looked around the stadium, I saw those 47,000 heads as a sea of colorful circular shapes ….. big, small, dark, light, rough, smooth ….. all different, yet the same: a repetition of happy circles! … I invite you to gaze into my quilt, hear the cheering fans, smell the popcorn and stadium hot dogs, enjoy the game and revel in the beauty of that perfectly cut field….” 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/worlds-largest-diamond-found Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
by Quilt Alliance | Jan 24, 2013 | On this Day in History Quilts series
On my honor, I will do my best. On this day in 1908 Robert Baden-Powell’s handbook, the first volume of Scouting for Boys, was published, launching the Boy Scouts movement in England. The American version of the Boy Scouts was founded as a result of an inspirational event in England in 1909. The U. S. founder of the Boy Scouts, William Boyce, lost his way in the London fog and a young scout came to his rescue, refusing a tip for his good deed. There are a number of Boy Scout related quilts in The Quilt Index. This One Patch quilt was made by members of Cub Scout Pack 867 of Franconia, Michigan with the help of Patricia A. Kirk. The quilt was made for President Gerald Ford and was personally presented to him in 1976. The quilt is now owned by the Gerald Ford Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan and was documented as part of the Michigan Quilt Project in 1985. 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/boy-scouts-movement-begins http://www.usscouts.org/advance/boyscout/bsoathlaw.asp Posted by Amy E. Milne Executive Director, Quilt Alliance…
