QUILT INDEX RECORD

12-8-5901

Who documented this quilt?

Michigan Quilt Project; Michigan State University Museum Collection; Quilts and Health

Where are the records for this quilt housed?

Michigan State University Museum

Michigan Quilt Project Number:

11.0030

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

2011:141.4

Object label:

Once A Shining Star
Helen Marshall
Waikanae, New Zealand
2008
Collection of Michigan State University Museum acc.#2011:141.4

Essay:

Artist statement:
My mother had Alzheimer’s. She was the first woman accountancy graduate at Canterbury University in New Zealand., and although she did not practice after my brother and I were born, she was always involved in community fund-raising and served on committees of national charity organizations. She was very intelligent, a great bridge player, and had a wide circle of interesting friends. The onset of her Alzheimer’s saddened me so very much. It took so much away from her.

I used an old traditional block called Memory Star, very appropriate, I think. I drafted a ring of forget-me-not flowers (the symbol of Alzheimer’s here in New Zealand) onto the block. The rest of the block is shaded from bright to dull as a reminder of the downhill effect this disease has on people.

The quilting has a section of meandering pattern, one of the symptoms of the mind and body when this disease takes over, and there are some forget-me-not beads scattered over the quilt to emphasis the “not knowing where they are” that effects patients.

I found making this quilt very emotional for me.

Sims, Ami. Alzheimer’s: Forgetting Piece By Piece. Mallory Press, 2007.

Quilt's title:

Once A Shining Star

Names for quilt's pattern in common use:

Memory Star

Quilt top made by:

Marshall, Helen

Quilted by:

Marshall, Helen

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

Purchased the quilt

Where the quilt was made, city:

Waikanae

Where the quilt was made, country:

New Zealand

Time period:

2000-2025

When was the quilt started?

2008

When was the quilt finished?

2008

Why was the quilt made?

Commemorative; Fundraising

Quilt is presently used as:

Museum collection

Quiltmaker's city:

Waikanae

Quiltmaker's country:

New Zealand

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

Helen has been quilting and embroidering for many years. She teaches widely throughout New Zealand and internationally as well. Helen curates the New Zealand Quilts for the World Quilt Shows in the USA. A faculty member of QuiltUniversity.com, Helen is the author of two books, The Miniature Embroidered Quilt and Wheel of Mystery Quilts: Surprising Designs from a Classic Block.

This is a:

Finished quilt

How wide is the quilt?

36"

How long is the quilt?

36"

Shape of edge:

Straight

Shape of corners:

Straight

What color is the quilt?

Black; Blue; Green; Yellow

Quilt's condition:

Excellent/like new

Type of inscription:

Signature; Message

What is inscribed on the quilt?

Once a Shining Star 36” x 36” Helen Marshall 282 Te Moana Road Waikanae, 6010 New Zealand Alzheimer’s Art Quilt Initiative “Alzheimer’s Forgetting Piece By Piece” #44 If found call 1-800-278-4824 or 1-810-348-2772 immediately.

Method used to make the inscription:

Attached label

Location of inscription:

on back

Describe the quilt's layout:

Block pattern

Number of quilt blocks:

4

Size of quilt blocks:

18" x 18"

Arrangement of quilt blocks:

Straight

Spacing of quilt blocks:

Side by side

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Cotton

Piecing techniques used to make the quilt top:

Machine Piecing

Embellishments used:

Buttons attached

Materials used to make the back:

Cotton

Number of pieces of fabric in the quilt back:

1

Materials used in the quilt binding:

Cotton

How is the binding made?

Straight grain; Front turned to back

What kind of filling is used in the quilt?

Cotton

How are the layers held together?

Machine quilting

Quilting designs used, overall motifs:

Meander/free motion

Features or notes about the quilt's appearance, materials, or construction:

Artist statement: My mother had Alzheimer’s. She was the first woman accountancy graduate at Canterbury University in New Zealand., and although she did not practice after my brother and I were born, she was always involved in community fund-raising and served on committees of national charity organizations. She was very intelligent, a great bridge player, and had a wide circle of interesting friends. The onset of her Alzheimer’s saddened me so very much. It took so much away from her. I used an old traditional block called Memory Star, very appropriate, I think. I drafted a ring of forget-me-not flowers (the symbol of Alzheimer’s here in New Zealand) onto the block. The rest of the block is shaded from bright to dull as a reminder of the downhill effect this disease has on people. The quilting has a section of meandering pattern, one of the symptoms of the mind and body when this disease takes over, and there are some forget-me-not beads scattered over the quilt to emphasis the “not knowing where they are” that effects patients. I found making this quilt very emotional for me.

Where did the maker find their pattern?

Traditional pattern variation

Exhibitions where this quilt was displayed:

This quilt was part of the special exhibit, “Alzheimer’s: Forgetting Piece by Piece.” The exhibit debuted at the American Quilter’s Society Quilt Exposition in Nashville, TN in August, 2006. It traveled to quilt shows all over the country through July 2009.

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

Alzheimer’s Forgetting Piece By Piece, Ami Simms curator, book. Mallery Press, 2007, page 92-93.

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?

Purchase

Tell the story of how the quilt was obtained:

The Alzheimer’s Art Quilt Initiative, a non-profit raising money for Alzheimer’s research. Started and administered by Ami Simms, Flint, MI.

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

The quilt was made to be used for:

Artwork/wall hanging

Who photographed this quilt?

Pearl Yee Wong

Copyright holder:

MSU Board of Trustees