QUILT INDEX RECORD

12-8-109

Who documented this quilt?

Michigan Quilt Project; Michigan State University Museum Collection

Where are the records for this quilt housed?

Michigan State University Museum

Michigan Quilt Project Number:

92.0035

If this quilt is owned by a museum, enter the accession number:

7410.2

Object label:

Rolling Stone
Martha Durkee Blakeslee
Birmingham, Oakland County, Michigan
c.1890
Collection of Michigan State University Museum acc.#7410.2

Essay:

Betty Quarton Hoard remembers the blue plaid fabric used in this quilt, one of her favorites, was also used in other family quilts. Called "Rolling Stone" by the family, this quilt was made with Bow Tie pattern blocks in a Snowball setting. Simple patterns were popular as the 19th century drew to a close and this tied, utilitarian quilt with fabrics in a wide array of colors and styles is representative of the time.

Excerpted from Great Lakes, Great Quilts.

Owner's name for the quilt:

Rolling Stone

Names for quilt's pattern in common use:

Bow Tie Quilt; Magic Circle, True Lover's Knot, Dumbell Block

Brackman # or other source & #:

3608; 1429a

Quilt top made by:

Blakeslee, Martha

If you are the quilt owner, how did you acquire this quilt?

Received as a gift

Where the quilt was made, country:

United States

Time period:

1876-1900

When was the quilt started?

1890

Quilt is presently used as:

Museum collection

Quiltmaker's gender:

Female

Quiltmaker's city:

Birmingham

Quiltmaker's county:

Oakland

Quiltmaker's state:

Michigan (MI)

Quiltmaker's maiden name:

Durkee

Quiltmaker's birth date:

8/8/1847

Quiltmaker's date and place of death:

2/24/1923

Quiltmaker's father's name:

Durkee, John Franklin

Quiltmaker's father's ethnic/tribal background:

Welsh

Quiltmaker's mother's name:

Durkee, Mary Elizabeth Beardslee

Quiltmaker's spouse's/spouses' and/or partner's/partners' occupation:

Owner of Blakeslee Dry Goods, on Maple Road

Number of children:

1

How many of the quiltmaker's children were girls?

1

How did the quiltmaker learn to quilt?

From Relative

This is a:

Finished quilt

How wide is the quilt?

74

How long is the quilt?

80

Quilt's condition:

Good/moderate use

Describe the quilt's layout:

Block pattern

Describe the borders:

4" at the top and bottom

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Cotton

Fabric styles used in the quilt top:

Plaid

Piecing techniques used to make the quilt top:

Hand Piecing

Materials used to make the back:

Cotton

Number of pieces of fabric in the quilt back:

2

How is the binding made?

Back turned to front

What kind of filling is used in the quilt?

Cotton

Describe the sources of the quilt's materials:

The family owned a general store that was the source of their fabrics.

Where did the maker find their pattern?

Public domain/traditional pattern

Related items such as diaries, obituaries, wills, household inventories, or pictures of the quiltmaker:

Great Lakes, Great Quilts (2001) book, page 26.

Publications (including web sites) where this quilt or maker was featured:

Photos of quilter; Audiotape Interview with quilter

Source of the information on this quilt:

Museum employee

Ownership of this quilt is:

Public- Michigan State University Museum

Quilt owner's name:

Michigan State University Museum

Quilt owner's city:

East Lansing

Quilt owner's county:

Ingham

Quilt owner's state:

Michigan (MI)

How was this quilt acquired?

Gift

Tell the story of how the quilt was obtained:

0/15/1992, Betty Quarton Hoard

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

How did the quiltmaker participate in the creation of the quilt?

Made entire quilt

Describe anything about the design of the quilt that wasn't already recorded in a previous field:

Betty Quarton Hoard remembers the blue plaid fabric used in this quilt, one of her favorites, was also used in other family quilts. Called "Rolling Stone" by the family, this quilt was made with Bow Tie pattern blocks in a Snowball setting.

Who photographed this quilt?

KEVA

Copyright holder:

Michigan State University Museum