QUILT INDEX RECORD

12-8-4787

Who documented this quilt?

Michigan Quilt Project

Where are the records for this quilt housed?

Michigan State University Museum

Michigan Quilt Project Number:

86.1971

Owner's name for the quilt:

The Seven Ravens

When was the form filled out?

11/19/1986

Quilt top made by:

Kowaleski, Ann

Quilted by:

Kowaleski, Ann

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

Made the quilt

Where the quilt was made, city:

Mt. Pleasant

Where the quilt was made, county:

Isabella

Where the quilt was made, state:

Michigan (MI)

Time period:

1976-1999

When was the quilt started?

6/1982

When was the quilt finished?

9/1982

Why was the quilt made?

Challenge or Contest entry

Details about why the quilt was made:

This quilt was made to enter in the Jocundry Literary Quilt Show in 1982.

Quiltmaker's gender:

Female

Quiltmaker's city:

Mt. Pleasant

Quiltmaker's county:

Isabella

Quiltmaker's state:

Michigan (MI)

Quiltmaker's birth date:

12/30/1951

Quiltmaker's educational background:

M.A. Guidance Counselling, Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant, MI 48858

Quiltmaker's religious affiliation:

none

Quiltmaker's occupation:

Part time caseworker Dept. of Social Services

Quiltmaker's father's name:

Kowaleski, Dr. E.H.

Quiltmaker's father's ethnic/tribal background:

French Polish

Quiltmaker's mother's name:

Kowaleski, Evelyn McNeilly

Quiltmaker's mother's ethnic/tribal background:

Irish, French, Canadian

Quiltmaker's marriage date(s):

9/23/1978

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

Torgersen, Eric

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

Norwegian, German

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

Professor

Number of children:

1

How many of the quiltmaker's children were girls?

1

When did the quiltmaker learn to quilt?

Age 20-29

Why does the quiltmaker quilt?

Pleasure

Other notes on how the quiltmaker learned, and how and why they quilt:

I enjoy the juxtaposition of fabric and fabric pieces. It brings great pleasure to make a quilt for both function as well as visual stimulation. I use many pieces of cloth I've collected over the years. These pieces (of cloth) add special meaning to each scene or quilt. Lately I've completed 3 pictorial quilts to celebrate real people, places, and events. These pictorial quilts have become a visual diary for me.

Does/did the quiltmaker sell quilts?

yes

Does/did the quiltmaker teach quilting?

yes

What are the main activities of the group?

In the past a few friends would come over and we would quilt and a couple would pplay guitar and sing to us.

This is a:

Finished quilt

How wide is the quilt?

36"

How long is the quilt?

32"

Shape of edge:

Straight

Shape of corners:

Straight

Quilt's condition:

Excellent/like new

What is inscribed on the quilt?

A. Kowaleski

What is the date inscribed on the quilt?

1982

Method used to make the inscription:

Embroidery

Describe where the inscription was found:

top

Number of borders:

2

Describe the borders:

1/2", 1/4"

Fabric types used to make the quilt top:

Chintz

Describe the techniques used to make the quilt top:

Applique

Embellishments used:

Beads attached

Materials used to make the back:

Cotton

What color is the back of the quilt?

Black

How is the binding made?

Straight grain

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:

8

Number of quilting stitches per inch, place 2:

9

Describe the quilting designs used:

Outline/Ditch, Stars

Describe the sources of the quilt's materials:

Fabrics came from local store and my fabric collection.

Where did the maker find their pattern?

Original to maker

Exhibitions where this quilt was displayed:

One Woman Show, Mt. Pleasant, MI, 1983, Art Reach of Mid-Michigan; 1983, City Opera House Heritage Show, Traverse City; 1985, Invitational Exhibition of Fine Art Quilts, Saginaw Art Museum

Contests entered:

Sometimes a Great Needle Contest and Show, Jocundry's Book Store, East Lansing, 1982, Best Workmanship; 1984, Quilting A Piece in Time, Flint, 2nd Place;1984, Quilting A Piece in Time, Flint, 2nd Place; 1985, American Quilters Society First National Show and Contest, Paducah, KY

Ownership of this quilt is:

Private

Quilt owner's name:

Ann Kowaleski

Quilt owner's city:

Mt. Pleasant

Quilt owner's county:

Isabella

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

If the source helped design the quilt, describe their input:

Designed the pattern

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

The design is based on the Brothers Grimm Fairy Tale, Seven Ravens. My grandmother a quilter, Elizabeth McNeilly used to tell me the story Seven Ravens when I was a child. The story is about a sister who inadvertantly causes her seven brothers to be turned into ravens. The adventures as she goes through as she searches for the key to returning them to human form and the initial event which caused their misfortune provided me with the ideas. The little boys were fascinating for me to construct. I started out with a totally different design upon starting this quilt. Since that time, I only make very loose sketches of my work. I have been told the little boys are very expresssive. I was told by Terrie Manat (Ohio Quilter) to make another just all figured quilt. She loved the figures.

Copyright holder:

Michigan State University Museum