BACK TO QUILTS

Friendship Star

CITE THIS QUILT

img
quilt

QUILT INDEX RECORD

12-8-2869

Who documented this quilt?

Michigan Quilt Project

Where are the records for this quilt housed?

Michigan State University Museum

Michigan Quilt Project Number:

99.0327

Owner's name for the quilt:

Friendship Star

Biography of the quiltmaker?

Evelyn (Cope) Bates grew up on a ranch in Colorado. When she was middle school age, Evelyn walked to the Wrape's ranch, neighbors that lived a mile away, and helped Belle Wrape with the laundry on wash day. Belle gave a shoebox full of quilt blocks to Evelyn in 1936 for her 8th grade graduatioon and to thank her for all her help with the laundry. Eveyln's grandmother, Nettie, offered to sew the extra blocks that were needed and to put the blocks together into a quilt. Using fabrics from Evelyn's and other family member's clothing, Nettie hand sewed the extra squares and put the quilt together. This "Friendship Star" quilt was finished in 1940. Julia (Vasecka) Cope, Evelyn's mother, lived in Chicago where her mother Mary ran a grocery store. After Mary's second marriage, the family moved to Colorado and lived in a sod house. Julia took a job on the Cope Ranch working for William and Nettie Cope. While working there, she met their son Guy, whom she married in 1916.

Quilt top made by:

Cope, Nettie

Quilted by:

Cope, Nettie

Where the quilt was made, city:

Seibert

Where the quilt was made, county:

Kit Carson

Where the quilt was made, state:

Colorado (CO)

When was the quilt finished?

1940

Quiltmaker's gender:

Female

Quiltmaker's country:

United States

Quiltmaker's maiden name:

Cramer

Quiltmaker's birth date:

1864

Quiltmaker's date and place of death:

1941

Quiltmaker's ethnic background/tribal affiliation:

caucasian

Quiltmaker's religious affiliation:

Christian

Quiltmaker's occupation:

Ranch owner

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

ranch owner

Number of children:

5

When did the quiltmaker learn to quilt?

Age 11-19

This is a:

Finished quilt

How wide is the quilt?

66"

How long is the quilt?

79"

What color is the quilt?

Orange

Overall color scheme:

Multicolor

Quilt's condition:

Good/moderate use

Describe the quilt's layout:

Block pattern

Number of quilt blocks:

288

Arrangement of quilt blocks:

Straight

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Cotton

Piecing techniques used to make the quilt top:

Hand Piecing

How are the layers held together?

Hand quilting

Describe the quilting designs used:

Outline/Ditch

Where did the maker get their materials?

Old clothes

Exhibitions where this quilt was displayed:

Our Quilts Collecting Colorful Memories, Muskegon, MI, June 1998-March 1999, Muskegon County Museum

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

Photos of quilter; Exhibit label. Interview with quilter

Source of the information on this quilt:

Museum employee

Ownership of this quilt is:

Private

Quilt owner's name:

Barbara Bates-Lalick

Quilt owner's city:

Muskegon

Quilt owner's county:

Muskegon

Quilt owner's state:

Michigan (MI)

Tell the story of how the quilt was obtained:

July 1999, Evelyn Cope, mother

Describe anything about the history of the quilt that wasn't already recorded in a previous field:

This "Friendship Star" quilt was finished in 1940. Julia (Vasecka) Cope, Evelyn's mother, lived in Chicago where her mother Mary ran a grocery store. After Mary's second marriage, the family moved to Colorado and lived in a sod house. Julia took a job on the Cope Ranch working for William and Nettie Cope. While working there, she met their son Guy, whom she married in 1916. Julia and Guy had five children, including Evelyn, born in 1922. When Evelyn was young, she lived in Seibert, Colorado with her grandparents, Nettie and William Cope. As a young girl, Evelyn delivered milk that her grandmother bottled. For Christmas, Evelyn received a red wagon to help with milk deliveries. Nettie had a strong personality. She was strict with Evelyn but was kind as well. Evelyn said, "She had a debt that was owed her for some milk and the people just let the bill go and go..so finally she [Nettie] told him, 'Now we've got to get this settled up' and the fellow told her, 'Well I haven't got any money, but I'll give you a saddle horse.' So she took the saddle horse and gave it to me." Evelyn's 1940 high school graduating class consisted of four students. She attended the University of Colorado, Boulder and the transferred to Greely College where she met her husband, William Bates. William, originally from Muskegon, was in the Army Air Force stationed at Greely. The first time William met Evelyn, he asked to walk her home, not knowing she lived 16 long blocks away. He always told Evelyn later that he "thought he was on maneuvers" that nigh because of the distance. They married in 1944. William and Evelyn (Cope) Bates moved to Muskegon after William was discharged from the Army Air Force. William returned to his previous job at Teledyne and Evelyn worked as a school crossing guard. After completing her teaching degree at Western Michigan University, Evelyn started teaching at Reeths-Puffer. She later received her Masters degree in Education. They settled into a house one Yuba Street next to the FIrst Lutheran Church. William and Evelyn have two children, Barbara, born in Colorado in 1944, and Charles, born in Muskegon in 1947. Barbara Bates-Lalick grew up in Muskegon graduating from Muskegon High School in 1962. She received her teaching degree from Western Michigan University in 19967. Barbara taught 1st grade in the Fruitport schools for 21 years. She switched to 2nd grade the last ten years and continues teaching in the Fruitport school system. She met her husband, Marty Lalick, while teaching. They married in 1990. The quilt that her grandmother made, will be passed to Barbara.

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

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

Made quilt blocks or part of quilt top

Describe anything about the design of the quilt that wasn't already recorded in a previous field:

Evelyn (Cope) Bates grew up on a ranch in Colorado. When she was middle school age, Evelyn walked to the Wrape's ranch, neighbors that lived a mile away, and helped Belle Wrape with the laundry on wash day. Belle gave a shoebox full of quilt blocks to Evelyn in 1936 for her 8th grade graduation and to thank her for all her help with the laundry. Evelyn's grandmother, Nettie offered to sew the extra blocks that were needed and to put the blocks together into a quilt. Using fabrics from Evelyn's and other family member's clothing, Nettie hand sewed the extra squares and put the quilt together.

Copyright holder:

Michigan State University Museum

Cite this Quilt

Cope, Netti. Friendship Star. 1940. From Michigan State University Museum, Michigan Quilt Project. Published in The Quilt Index, https://quiltindex.org/view/?type=fullrec&kid=12-8-2869. Accessed: 03/28/24