Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Woven Wednesday ~ Kansas Memory Quilts

 A friend and I took a walk through the Kansas Historical Museum a few weeks ago and discovered a neat little display. Well, a neat display for those of us who enjoy quilts.

Crazy Quilt Kansas Memory

First, forgive me for the blurriness of this photo, but it holds a special place in my heart so I had to share. No, I don't know the person who quilted this piece and there isn't a family relation. But when I spied it my heart nearly jumped from my chest. You see, my grandmother made a crazy quilt pillow and somehow I had acquired it. I'm not sure where it went, but it is an item I recall treasuring and wish I still had in my possession.

This crazy quilt, called as such for its craziness, was started in the late 1800s by a woman named Martha Hutchinson Haywood. Funny thing is, she lived in a sod house, and if I remember correctly my grandmother, or perhaps it was her mother, was born in a sod house in Western Kansas.







 I can't tell you much about this quilt, except that it's in the shape of Kansas. If you click on the photo you can see the word Nebraska at the top and Indian Territory at the bottom.

I wish I would have taken better notes on this one as I'd like to know when it was made and who it was made for.





Eagle Quilt Kansas Memory


This one caught my eye because of the bright colors and the patriotic feel. It was created by Elizabeth Marthaler Stauf in 1914-1915.














Iris Garland Kansas Memory


Isn't this one beautiful? Does it surprise you that it was quilted in the 1930s?

This quilt was designed by Hannah Hayes Headlee. According the Kansas History Museum site, Headlee used nine different shades of purple fabric and dyed a tenth one herself.













Sunflower Quilt Kansas Memory
Here is another quilt created in the 1930s. Boy, did these ladies know how to make good use of their time.

This sunflower quilt was done by three different ladies. Kansas City resident Hattie A Chandler pieced it together and Lillian and Gladys Pine from Lawrence, KS quilted it.

It shouldn't be surprise you that this lovely piece took 1st at the Kansas State Fair.











I invite you to explore the history of these quilts and more at the Kansas History Museum's website. You'll see an image with various quilts pictured. You can click on each square to view more information and you can scroll over to find more quilts. I think you'll find the history of the St. Louis Quilt interesting. After you're done browsing, come back here and let us know which one is your favorite and why.

Have a joyful Wednesday,

Christina

7 comments:

  1. I really enjoyed this post, Christina! And thanks for the link to the Kansas History Museum. Good stuff. :) I liked the Roses and Tulip Quilt and the Friendship Quilt. The history behind each quilt is fascinating as well. Love your photos. Thanks for the fun tour.

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  2. The quilts are beautiful. I love going through museums to look at the vintage quilts. When Ohio celebrated its bicentennial, the historical society did a special display of 200 years of quilting in Ohio. Among the quilts shown were a quilted petticoat and a mosaic of Abraham Lincoln. There was also a few signature and historical memory quilts displayed. It is amazing to see the how quilting has changed and remained the same over the years.

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    1. Wow! That does sound amazing. We went to the state fair last year and spent a lot of time in the quilt section. Love it.

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  3. Beautiful quilts. I've quilted two in my lifetime and really appreciate the work that goes into making one.

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    1. Patricia, I've made a few block quilts, one with appliqued hearts. I didn't quilt them, but tied them and that was not easy. I can't imagine hand quilting. I did make a walled stars a and stripes quilt with light houses, but it didn't have the intricate quilting. I'm ready to try, at least machine quilting.

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  4. Beautiful, especially the red, white, and blue!

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