Quilt is white with a faded red border around the edges of each square. Squares are faded white muslin with embroidered autographs of rodeo stars in various colors. There is one autograph per square and each square also includes the hometown of the star and the date it was signed. The donor, Velda Tindall Smith, made this quilt during the winter months when she was not riding rodeo but training horses. She cut the squares and had all the stars from the rodeo sign them and then she embroidered over the signatures and put the quilt together. Velda began her career at age 12 as a trick rider and performed in many rodeos. Velda began a career as a barrel racer when trick riding became less profitable and helped form the Texas Barrel Racing Association. At the age of 54 she won grand champion barrel racer at the 1964 Dallas Fair.
A bedspread (with matching pillow sham, .2) made of gathered half circles of rayon taffeta, machine sewn in patterns to a cotton ground. The center panel has the circle patterning, the drops on the side are plain taffeta. The center panel is ornamented with the circle applique in an abstract or modernist pattern resembling faces (owl? bull?) with triangles. Colors are burgundy, purple, pink, brown, terra cotta, blue, teal. The edges are finished with pink cotton tape. The long sides are finished with tri-color pink cording. The side panels are slightly gathered, in plain burgundy taffeta. The ends are finished with the pink tape and the sides with the tricolor cording. The center panel alone is backed in blue plain weave cotton. Center panel is 100" L x 51.5" W. The side panels are 87" L x 19.5" W. Made by Anna Glazer, Bronx, NY, in the 1940s-early 1950s. Her daughter remembered it taking her mother a LONG time to complete.
Quilt, dated March 1932 - March 1933. Virden, IL Chapter 1719. Cotton; blue and orange spoke/circle quilt; hand-quilted and embroidered. Made by Royal Neighbor of America member, Hattie I. Gass, who embroidered the names of Royal Neighbors of America members in Virden Illinois, and the names of local businesses that the quiltmaker felt were supportive of her community. It was a gift to the Royal Neighbors of America old-age (later retirement) home in Davenport, Iowa, which opened to members in 1931. Royal Neighbors of America was founded in 1895, the first woman-led insurance association in the US.
Quilt top (unfinished) pieced with hexagons in “Grandmother’s Flower Garden” pattern. Pink and white solids frame hexagons pieced from many different printed and plain cotton fabrics, some flour or feed sack fabrics, and a few rayons. Thirty-six blocks, set 6 x 6 with a pink “path.” Hexagons are 1 ¾” across individually. Hand sewn except for dark pink half blocks (machine sewn) used to fill out the short edges by a later quilter. No batting, backing or binding. Made by donor's grandmother, Stella Katherine Miles McDevitt, who lived in Walnut and Marshall, North Carolina.The donor is not sure exactly where Stella lived when the quilt top was made, but thinks it's safe to say it was in Madison County.
Pieced quilt is composed of 20 blocks, 10 ½” square, pieced (feed sack prints) in a “Friendship Block” a variation of “4 X Star” or “Sister’s Choice” pattern. These are set in a 2” sashing with corner stones. Each of the blocks is embroidered with a name, birthdate (most) also 1934, 1935 or 1936. A center white square is embroidered: “Pieced by Dunlap Ladies Aid 1936.” (Dunlap, Illinois) There are 2 outer borders, 3” each, consisting of squares set on point with ½” square triangles, filling, and binding.
Doll sized quilt with a red fabric border and made of four two inch squares across and seven two inch square length wise. Quilt not filled. Alternated plain cream squares with colored printed squares.
A pieced and embroidered quilt with the outlines of the 50 states and the signatures of the governors and the President and Vice President in office at the time of its making. Made by a Special Education class in upstate New York, (Adams) under the direction of teacher Peter Hludzenski, for the Bicentennial in 1975-76. Mr. Hludzenski used the quilt-making process to teach math and hand skills, sewing machine operation, and history. The project took 5 months to complete and involved 12 students. The students' work was presented at a Very Special Arts Festival, and Mrs. Jean Kennedy Smith was so impressed she paid for a Disney World vacation for the class.
Pieced quilt, consisting of 12 pieced blocks and 9 white blocks set on point with an 8” white border. The pieced blocks are a red and green variation of the “Double Tulip” motif. Lining is white and entire quilt is quilted with various motifs (e.g. feather, pineapple, etc.). Green binding.
Pieced and embroidered block quilt, 1931. From Clovis NM Chapter 7699 of Royal Neighbors of America. Cotton; alternating squares of solid lavender and white embroidered in cotton embroidery floss with flowers and the names of the makers, sometimes also dated; hand-quilted. Made for the Royal Neighbors of America old age home (Grandview Terrace) in Davenport, Iowa, by members of the organization.
Pieced quilting segment. Diamond shaped pieces of many silk dress fabrics basted over paper. Pieced in herringbone pattern with overcast stitches (20 - 25 stitches per side). Variety of silks. Made by Mary Matthews as a young woman; according to family lore she complained that making it ruined her eyesight.
Whole cloth quilt. Red top reverses to gold back. Two strips (51 inch wide) joined together in center. Quilted, large compass-like center circle surrounded by circles and octagon pattern.
This crazy quilt was made by Lois Ljungren in response to the Watergate hearings. She started it in 1972 and completed it in 2016. A multicolored crazy quilt embellished with beads, ribbon, buttons, lace, and embroidery, it has embroidered squares reflecting some of the significant individuals involved. These include President Richard Nixon, Senators Sam Ervin, Howard Baker, Herman Talmadge, Daniel Inouye, Joseph Monyoya, Edward Gurney, and Lowell Weicker. There are also squares embroidered for the Watergate conspirators Dwight Chapin, Charles Colson, John Dean, John Ehrlichman, Howard Hunt, John Mitchell, H.R. Haldeman, Herbert Kalmbach, Donald Segretti, Fred LaRue, Gordon Liddy, Jeb Magruder, Egil Krogh, and Bart Porter.
