QUILT INDEX RECORD

12-8-5920

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:

11.0046

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

2011:155.1

Quilt's title:

Nine Patch baby quilt

Biography of the quiltmaker?

Phyllis died in her sleep on Tuesday, February 16, 2010, after a bout of pneumonia complicating a six year battle with Alzheimer’s dementia. She was an amazing woman with an interesting and mult-faceted life. She was born February 3, 1929 to Theodore and Lucile McKinley in Kansas; they moved to Dodge City and she lived there after marriage and raised her 4 kids there. At 40 she began to expand her horizons: she bowled a 286 in a bowling league, got her pilot’s license and developed a love of duplicate bridge. Subsequently she took over an antique business after a dear friend died and opened it as Chelsea Fair Antiques in Newkirk, Oklahoma, which she later moved to Tulsa in 1986 and ran until 1996 when she sold the business and traveled around the country doing antique shows from Texas to Florida to New Hampshire and Minnesota. She loved handwork and was an avid “needlepointer” and quilter; when she retired from traveling at age 75 she was making up to 20 baby quilts per month for the premature infants at Saint John Medical Center. She was passionate about quilts, and the process of creating them, as well as the love and comfort they gave to others. Although a private person by nature she loved to spend time with her family and started a Tuesday night “Happy Hour” tradition that continued on during her final two years. She was beautiful, smart, creative, enthusiastic; a gypsy by nature and a Mom to the end. She was our best friend and we will all miss her, but we are so thankful for the wonderful life she got to live. By her daughter Dr. Lora Larson.

Quilt top made by:

Larson, Phyllis

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:

2000-2025

Why was the quilt made?

Baby or crib

Quilt is presently used as:

Museum collection

Quiltmaker's gender:

Female

Quiltmaker's city:

Tulsa

Quiltmaker's state:

Oklahoma (OK)

Quiltmaker's maiden name:

McKinley

Quiltmaker's birth date:

2/3/1929

Quiltmaker's birthplace, state:

Kansas

Quiltmaker's date and place of death:

2/16/2010

Quiltmaker's occupation:

Antiques dealer; pilot

Quiltmaker's father's name:

McKinley, Theodore

Quiltmaker's mother's name:

McKinley, Lucile

Number of children:

4

How many of the quiltmaker's children were girls?

1

How many of the quiltmaker's children were boys?

3

When did the quiltmaker learn to quilt?

Age 50 or over

This is a:

Finished quilt

How wide is the quilt?

35"

How long is the quilt?

35"

Shape of edge:

Straight

Shape of corners:

Straight

What color is the quilt?

Blue; Pink; Red; Turquoise; Yellow; White

Quilt's condition:

Good/moderate use

Describe the quilt's layout:

Block pattern

Number of quilt blocks:

36

Size of quilt blocks:

5 1/2" x 5 1/2"

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

Materials used to make the back:

Cotton

Materials used in the quilt binding:

Cotton

How is the binding made?

Straight grain; Front turned to back

How are the layers held together?

Machine quilting

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

Mom loved to make baby quilts, and she gave 20 or so each month to the social workers at St. John Medical Center to give to new mothers with babies in intensive care or to mothers who lost their infants. There are truly quilts for love, made to share a little comfort and color with people she would never meet. These fabrics are reproductions of children’s fabrics from the 30s and arranged in “nine patch blocks,” 3 x 3 squares, a very traditional pattern. Like my mom they are sweet, colorful, comforting. The Quilts for Love Mission Statement We have created this website with several purposes in mind. First, my mother Phyllis was a prolific quilter, and she took me along with her over the years on a voyage of discovery and creation in the world of quilting. Together and separately we made hundreds of quilts, enjoying the process of exploring the possibilities of design, color and texture, and using the quilts to comfort premature babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and their families as well as providing a colorful and warm background for my office and exam rooms in Tulsa, Oklahoma. So we have many wall-hangings and full-sized quilts that have been made over the years that we would like to share with you on this site, to see what can be accomplished with a little time and enthusiasm. As Lauren Bacall is quoted, “if you want something done, just ask a couple of old broads to do it.” Second, my mother passed away in 2010, and it is time to downsize the collection. We have decided to part with a portion of the collection, and to do this we have photographed many of the quilts and will display them here along with stories about their creation; they will then be place in a quilt show with a silent and web-based auction with the proceeds will be donated to one of our favorite non-profit organizations. (See thumbnail: About DVIS/Call Rape). You can see them here, enjoy the collection, and consider making bids for their purchase. Third, my mother always loved a good party, and we will sponsor a gathering in October (dates and location information to follow) for the final sale of the quilts. There will be quilts on display, family and friends, music, sharing about the mission of DVIS/Call Rape organization and their services, and we will complete the silent auction. We hope to make this an evening of fun and raise some funds for a very worthwhile community effort.

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:

Purchased from Dr. Lora Larson

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

Who photographed this quilt?

Pearl Yee Wong

Copyright holder:

MSU Board of Trustees