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Honey Bee; Blue Blazes, Birds in the Air

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QUILT INDEX RECORD

12-8-436

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:

99.0236

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

1998:53.47

Object label:

Honey Bee
Mary Schafer
Flushing, Genesee County, Michigan
1968
Collection of Michigan State University Museum acc.#1998:53.47

Essay:

This applique and pieced quilt is thoughtfully designed with the two center print blocks representing the queen and drone bees and the surrounding plain blocks representing the worker bees. Blossoms are the livelihood of bees, so Mary designed a floral border.

By Gwen Marston and Joe Cunningham from Mary Schafer and Her Quilts.

Owner's name for the quilt:

Honey Bee

Names for quilt's pattern in common use:

Blue Blazes, Birds in the Air

Brackman # or other source & #:

2217 or 2218

Quilt top made by:

Schafer, Mary

Quilted by:

Schafer, Mary

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

Purchased the quilt

Where the quilt was made, city:

Flushing

Where the quilt was made, county:

Genesee

Where the quilt was made, state:

Michigan (MI)

Time period:

1950-1975

When was the quilt finished?

1968

Quilt is presently used as:

Museum collection

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"

How long is the quilt?

95"

Shape of edge:

Straight

Shape of corners:

Straight

Quilt's condition:

Excellent/like new

Describe the quilt's layout:

Block pattern

Number of quilt blocks:

12 pieced, 6 plain

Spacing of quilt blocks:

Alternating with plain squares

Number of borders:

1

Describe the borders:

15" floral applique border

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Cotton

Piecing techniques used to make the quilt top:

Hand Piecing

Applique techniques used to make the quilt top:

Hand Applique

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:

5

Number of quilting stitches per inch, place 2:

6

Quilting designs used, overall motifs:

Outline

Describe the source of the pattern:

This applique and pieced quilt is thoughtfully designed with the two center print blocks representing the queen and drone bee and the surrounding plain blocks representing the worker bees.

Exhibitions where this quilt was displayed:

Mary Schafer Quilt Exhibit, Flint, MI, July 11-13, 18-20, 25-27, 1980, Whaley House

Contests entered:

Michigan State Fair, Detroit, MI, 1971, First Premium

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

Mary Schafer and Her Quilts, 1990 figure 18, page 18.

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:

2/18/19982/18/1998, Mary Vida Schafer

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

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

Made entire quilt

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

Schafer, Mar. Honey Bee. 1968. 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=12-8-436. Accessed: 03/28/24

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