QUILT INDEX RECORD

12-8-1010

Who documented this quilt?

Michigan Quilt Project

Where are the records for this quilt housed?

Michigan State University Museum

Michigan Quilt Project Number:

02.0464

Quilt's title:

Clams Incognito

Names for quilt's pattern in common use:

Clamshell charm

Quilt top made by:

Donaldson, Beth

Quilted by:

Donaldson, Elizabeth Ann

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

Made the quilt

Where the quilt was made, city:

Lansing

Where the quilt was made, county:

Ingham

Where the quilt was made, state:

Michigan (MI)

Time period:

1976-1999

When was the quilt finished?

1996

Details about why the quilt was made:

This quilt was made for "Charm Quilts"

Quiltmaker's gender:

Female

Quiltmaker's city:

Lansing

Quiltmaker's county:

Ingham

Quiltmaker's state:

Michigan (MI)

Quiltmaker's maiden name:

Kolodziej

Quiltmaker's birth date:

5/1/1957

In which kind of environment did the quiltmaker live?

Urban

Quiltmaker's ethnic background/tribal affiliation:

Polish American

Quiltmaker's educational background:

3 years of college

Quiltmaker's religious affiliation:

Roman Catholic

Quiltmaker's occupation:

Quilter, quilt historian, Quilt collections assistant, MSU Museum

Quiltmaker's father's name:

Kolodziej, Chester John

Quiltmaker's father's ethnic/tribal background:

Polish American

Quiltmaker's mother's name:

Kolodziej, Joan Trybus

Quiltmaker's mother's ethnic/tribal background:

Polish American

Quiltmaker's marriage date(s):

June 1, 1979

Quiltmaker's spouse's/spouses' and /or partner's/partners' name(s):

Donaldson, Thomas James

Quiltmaker's spouse's/spouses' and/or partner's/partners' ethnic/tribal background:

Irish, French Canadian, American, Scottish

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

Vice President, Delphi Glass Corporation, Senior Analyst Small Business Administration

Number of children:

2

How many of the quiltmaker's children were girls?

2

When did the quiltmaker learn to quilt?

Age 11-19

Estimated number of quilts made by this quiltmaker:

more than 50

Does/did the quiltmaker sell quilts?

yes

Does/did the quiltmaker teach quilting?

yes

Does/did the quiltmaker belong to a group? Name of the group?

Capitol City Quilt Guild, The Charm Group.

Where does/did the group meet?

Lansing, MI

What are the main activities of the group?

Raffle quilts, charity quilts, round robins, block exchanges, challenge quilts.

This is a:

Finished quilt

How wide is the quilt?

45"

How long is the quilt?

45"

Shape of edge:

Straight

Shape of corners:

Straight

Quilt's condition:

Excellent/like new

Describe the type of inscription:

Title

What is inscribed on the quilt?

Clams Incognito, A Charm Quilt, by Beth Donaldson, Lansing, Michigan, 1996, 180 Clamshells, 45" x 45", Machine pieced and machine quilted

What is the date inscribed on the quilt?

1996

Location of inscription:

on back

Describe the quilt's layout:

Block pattern

Number of quilt blocks:

180

Size of quilt blocks:

4"

Arrangement of quilt blocks:

Straight

Number of borders:

2

Describe the borders:

Inner, 1 3/4"; Outer, 3"

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Cotton

Piecing techniques used to make the quilt top:

Machine 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?

Cotton or polyester blend

How are the layers held together?

Machine quilting

Number of quilting stitches per inch, place 1:

15

Number of quilting stitches per inch, place 2:

15

Quilting designs used, background fills:

Parallel lines

Commercial name of the pattern for the top:

"Charm Quilts" by Beth Donaldson, for EZ Quilting by Wright's, 1995, page 96.

Exhibitions where this quilt was displayed:

Many quilt shows where I have taught around Michigan

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

Charm Quilts by Beth Donaldson, for EZ Quilting by Wright's, 1995, page 96. "A Flair for Quilting, Meet Beth Donaldson, a dynamic teacher of many talents" by Nancy Roberts; Traditional Quiltworks, issue 76, page 24.

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

Have published two books, Block By Block for That Patchwork Place in 1995 and Charm Quilts for EZ International in 1997.

Ownership of this quilt is:

Private

Quilt owner's name:

Beth Donaldson

Quilt owner's city:

Lansing

Quilt owner's county:

Ingham

Quilt owner's state:

Michigan (MI)

How was this quilt acquired?

Made by owner

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

Describe any favorite patterns, tools, etc. used by the quiltmaker:

Sewing machine, Traditional, bed quilts.

Who photographed this quilt?

Sharon Risedorph

Copyright holder:

Michigan State University Museum