QUILT INDEX RECORD
12-8-432
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:
99.0231
If this quilt is owned by a museum, enter the accession number:
1998:53.42
Object label:
Good Fortune
Unknown and Mary Schafer
Provenance unknown
1915-1920 (top)
Collection of Michigan State University Museum acc.#1998:53.42
Essay:
The top was collected in Flint, and completed by Mary. This design was a favorite Egyptian design and was popular among American Indians. It was symbol for goodness.
By Gwen Marston from The Mary Schafer Quilt Collection exhibit catalog.
Owner's name for the quilt:
Good Fortune
Names for quilt's pattern in common use:
Swastika
Quilted by:
Schafer, Mary
Other people who worked on this quilt:
Maker of the top unknown
If you are the quilt owner, how did you acquire this quilt?
Purchased the quilt
Where the quilt was made, country:
United States
When was the quilt started?
ca 1915-1920
When was the quilt finished?
ca 1970
Quiltmaker's gender:
Female
Quiltmaker's city:
Flushing
Quiltmaker's county:
Genessee
Quiltmaker's state:
Michigan (MI)
Quiltmaker's maiden name:
Vida
Quiltmaker's birth date:
4-27-1910
Quiltmaker's ethnic background/tribal affiliation:
Born Austria-Hungary 1910; emigrated to USA 1914
Quiltmaker's educational background:
9th grade
Quiltmaker's occupation:
Creamery worker; switchboard operator; book keeper; housewife
Quiltmaker's father's name:
Vida, Josef
Quiltmaker's father's ethnic/tribal background:
Austrian
Quiltmaker's mother's name:
Zelka, Julianna
Quiltmaker's mother's ethnic/tribal background:
Austrian
Quiltmaker's spouse's/spouses' and/or partner's/partners' ethnic/tribal background:
German, Lutheran immigrant
Quiltmaker's spouse's/spouses' and/or partner's/partners' occupation:
Welder for Buick Motors
Number of children:
1
How many of the quiltmaker's children were boys?
1
How did the quiltmaker learn to quilt?
Self-Taught
When did the quiltmaker learn to quilt?
Age 40-49
Estimated number of quilts made by this quiltmaker:
more than 50
Does/did the quiltmaker sell quilts?
no
Does/did the quiltmaker teach quilting?
yes
Does/did the quiltmaker belong to a group? Name of the group?
Genessee Star Quilters
Where does/did the group meet?
Flint, Michigan.
What are the main activities of the group?
Raffle quilts, hospital quilts, many shows.
This is a:
Finished quilt
How wide is the quilt?
79 3/4"
How long is the quilt?
91 3/4"
Shape of edge:
Straight
Antique colors:
Indigo Blue
Overall color scheme:
Multicolor
Quilt's condition:
Excellent/like new
Describe the quilt's layout:
Block pattern
Number of quilt blocks:
90
Size of quilt blocks:
8" x 8"
Arrangement of quilt blocks:
Straight
Spacing of quilt blocks:
Side by side
Number of borders:
1
Describe the borders:
3" muslin
Fiber types used to make the quilt top:
Cotton
Piecing techniques used to make the quilt top:
Hand Piecing
Materials used to make the back:
Cotton
What is the width of the binding (measure on the top only)?
less than a half inch
What kind of filling is used in the quilt?
Polyester
How are the layers held together?
Hand quilting
Number of quilting stitches per inch, place 1:
7
Number of quilting stitches per inch, place 2:
7
Quilting designs used, overall motifs:
Outline
Quilting designs used, background fills:
Parallel lines
Publications (including web sites) where this quilt or maker was featured:
Book, Mary Schafer and Her Quilts by Marston and Cunningham; Michigan State University Museum, 1990. Patterns; Templates; Prizes, awards, ribbons, etc. Photos of quilter; Interview with quilter; Clippings or photocopies; Audiotape; Videotape.
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?
Purchase
Tell the story of how the quilt was obtained:
2/18/1998, Mary Vida Schafer
Describe anything about the history of the quilt that wasn't already recorded in a previous field:
The top was collected by Mary Schafer.
Access and copyright information:
Restricted
How did the quiltmaker participate in the creation of the quilt?
Quilted or tied the top
Where did the quiltmaker find the pattern for the quilting design on this quilt?
Original to maker
Who photographed this quilt?
KEVA
Copyright holder:
Michigan State University Museum
Cite this Quilt
;. Good Fortune. ca 1970. From Michigan State University Museum, Michigan Quilt Project; Michigan State University Museum Collection. Published in The Quilt Index, https://quiltindex.org/view/?type=fullrec&kid=12-8-432. Accessed: 03/29/24
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