QUILT INDEX RECORD

12-8-1074

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:

01.0253

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

2001:160.12

Object label:

Mary, Mary Quite Contrary
Maker unknown
Provenance unknown
1923
Collection of Michigan State University Museum acc.#2001:160.12

Essay:

The redwork designs include numerous nursery rhyme motifs featuring the characters of "Mary, Mary Quite Contrary", "Who killed Cock Robin", Beatrix Potter, Dutch children, flowers, flower baskets, china, teapots, dogs, moose, horse, hippo, cats, frog, and fruit.

This is the first redwork quilt Harding purchased. She found it at a flea market in New York.

Quilt's title:

Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary

Names for quilt's pattern in common use:

Redwork. numerous nursery rhyme motifs featuring the characters of "Mary, Mary Quite Contrary", "Who killed Cock Robin", Beatrix Potter, Dutch children, flowers, flower baskets, china, teapots, dogs, moose, horse, hippo, cats, frog, fruit.

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

Purchased the quilt

Where the quilt was made, country:

United States

Time period:

1901-1929

When was the quilt started?

1921

When was the quilt finished?

1923

Quilt is presently used as:

Museum collection

Quiltmaker's country:

United States

This is a:

Finished quilt

Shape of edge:

Straight

Quilt's condition:

Good/moderate use

Type of inscription:

Message

What is inscribed on the quilt?

"Good Night", "Mary, Mary Quilt Contrary", "Good Morning".

Method used to make the inscription:

Embroidery

Location of inscription:

on block

Number of quilt blocks:

64

Size of quilt blocks:

7 3/4" x 7 3/4"

Arrangement of quilt blocks:

Straight

Number of borders:

3

Describe the borders:

Outer, 1 3/8"; Middle, 4 1/2"; Inner, 1 3/8"

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Cotton

Piecing techniques used to make the quilt top:

Machine Piecing

Embellishment techniques used to make the quilt top:

Embroidery

Materials used to make the back:

Cotton

Number of pieces of fabric in the quilt back:

3

How is the binding made?

Edges turned in/ no separate binding

What kind of filling is used in the quilt?

Cotton

How are the layers held together?

Hand quilting

Number of quilting stitches per inch, place 1:

6

Number of quilting stitches per inch, place 2:

8

Quilting designs used, overall motifs:

Grid/crosshatch

Describe the source of the pattern:

Commercial (book, magazine, etc.)

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

Deborah Harding, Red and White: American Redwork Quilts and Patterns, Rizzoli, 2000 p126-131.

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:

2001, Deborah Harding, this is the first redwork quilt Harding purchased. She found it at a flea market in New York.

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

Copyright holder:

Michigan State University Museum