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Good Fortune; Swastika

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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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