QUILT INDEX RECORD

12-8-5038

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:

07.0011

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

2007:107.11

Object label:

Log Cabin or Barn Raising
Maker unknown
Provenance unknown
c1880
Collection of Michigan State University Museum acc.#2007:107.11

Essay:

Sometimes a quilt or a quilt pattern, such as the “Log Cabin” pattern, has a great story attached to it that captivates our imagination. How do we know if these stories are true? In “Authentic Stories,” Marsha MacDowell and Bobbie Malone explore how to evaluate stories that claim to be historical fact.

Quilt's title:

Mennonite Barn Raising

Names for quilt's pattern in common use:

Log Cabin

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

Received as a gift

Time period:

1876-1900

When was the quilt finished?

c1880

Quilt is presently used as:

Museum collection

This is a:

Finished quilt

How wide is the quilt?

80"

How long is the quilt?

81"

Shape of edge:

Straight

Shape of corners:

Straight

What color is the quilt?

Green; Red

Antique colors:

Butterscotch; Chrome Green; Chrome Yellow; Double Pink; Lancaster Blue

Quilt's condition:

Very good/almost new

Damage:

Stains

Describe the quilt's layout:

Block pattern

Number of quilt blocks:

36

Size of quilt blocks:

10"

Arrangement of quilt blocks:

Straight

Spacing of quilt blocks:

Side by side

Number of borders:

5

Describe the borders:

2" borders, one of each color; green, yellow, pink, yellow, green

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Cotton

Piecing techniques used to make the quilt top:

Hand Piecing

Can you feel or see paper on the quilt that was used as a construction aid?

no

Materials used to make the back:

Cotton

What color is the back of the quilt?

Brown

Number of pieces of fabric in the quilt back:

1

Describe the back:

Same fabric used throughout

Materials used in the quilt binding:

Cotton

How is the binding made?

Front turned to back

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

How thick is the quilt?

Thin (Less than 3/16?)

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:

5

Quilting designs used, overall motifs:

In-the-ditch

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)

Quilt owner's country:

United States

How was this quilt acquired?

Gift

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

This quilt was donated to the MSU Museum by Kitty Clark Cole. Kitty purchased it from The Antique Quilt Source on 7/7/1994.

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

Who photographed this quilt?

Pearl Yee Wong

Copyright holder:

MSU Board of Trustees