QUILT INDEX RECORD

12-8-6680

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:

16.0086

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

2016:49.1

Owner's name for the quilt:

Drunkard's Path

Brackman # or other source & #:

1461a

Biography of the quiltmaker?

Note from donor: Dena Dejong, my material grandmother, was born in Zeeland Province, the Netherlands, October 18, 1868. She and her family settled in Galewood, Michigan, a suburb of Grand Rapids. She emigrated from the Netherlands in 1883 at the age of 16. Dena was employed as a house maid for the Allen family. In November of 1901 she married William Mesler. They raised a family of four children; Clarkson, John, Margaret and Naomi. The family settled on a small farm in Dutton, Michigan. This quilt was made in the early 1900s by Dena Dejong Mesler. See document file for a fragment of a state fair quilt show entry tag, that reads 'Michigan State Fair entry tag'.Wanderer's Path in the Wilderness; Crazy Quilt; Wonder of the World; Robbing Peter to Pay Paul; Solomon's Puzzle; Drunkard's Trail; Old Maid's Puzzle; Endless Trail; Crooked Path; Country Cousin; World's Wonder; Boston Trail; The Pumpkin Vine

When was the form filled out?

9/15/2016

Quilt top made by:

Mesler, Dena Dejong

Quilted by:

Mesler, Dena Dejong

If you are a relative of the quiltmaker, how are you related? The quiltmaker is my:

Grandmother

Describe the relationship to the quilt's maker:

Dale Land, grandson of quiltmaker

Where the quilt was made, city:

Dutton

Where the quilt was made, state:

Michigan (MI)

Where the quilt was made, country:

United States

Time period:

1876-1900

Details about why the quilt was made:

Two color

Quilt is presently used as:

Museum collection

Quiltmaker's gender:

Female

Quiltmaker's city:

Dutton

Quiltmaker's state:

Michigan (MI)

Quiltmaker's birth date:

10/18/1868

Quiltmaker's birthplace, country:

NetherlandsZeeland

Quiltmaker's ethnic background/tribal affiliation:

Dutch

Quiltmaker's occupation:

Dena was employed as a house maid for the Allen family, farm wife, midwife.

Quiltmaker's marriage date(s):

November, 1901

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

Mesler, William

Number of children:

4

This is a:

Finished quilt

How wide is the quilt?

68"

How long is the quilt?

83"

Shape of edge:

Straight

What color is the quilt?

Cream; Red

Quilt's condition:

Excellent/like new

Damage:

Stains

Type of inscription:

Place

What is inscribed on the quilt?

West Michigan State Fair entry tag

Method used to make the inscription:

Attached label

Describe the quilt's layout:

Block pattern

Number of quilt blocks:

20

Size of quilt blocks:

15" x 15"

Arrangement of quilt blocks:

Straight

Spacing of quilt blocks:

Side by side

Number of borders:

1

Describe the borders:

3 1/2" red print

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Cotton

Fabric styles used in the quilt top:

Conversation Prints; Solid/plain

Piecing techniques used to make the quilt top:

Hand Piecing; Machine Piecing

Describe the techniques used to make the quilt top:

The top is hand pieced, the border and edging were done by machine.

Materials used to make the back:

Cotton

Number of pieces of fabric in the quilt back:

At least 3

How is the binding made?

Back turned to front; Machine sewn

What kind of filling is used in the quilt?

Cotton

How are the layers held together?

Hand quilting

Number of quilting stitches per inch, place 1:

7

Number of quilting stitches per inch, place 2:

8

Width between quilting lines:

3/4" apart

Quilting designs used, overall motifs:

Elbow/fan

Contests entered:

Michigan State Fair

Person filling out this form is:

Quilt owner

Ownership of this quilt is:

Public Museum, Library, or Institution

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

Tell the story of how the quilt was obtained:

Donor: Dale Land, Charlotte, Michigan.

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

Dena Dejong Mesler, my maternal grandmother was born in Zeeland province, the Netherlands, October 18, 1868. She and her family settled in Galewood, Michigan, a suburb of Grand Rapids. She immigrated from the Netherlands in 1883 at the age of 16. Dena was employed as a house maid for the Allen family. In November of 1901 she married William Mesler, III. They raised a family of four children; Clarkson, John, Margaret and Naomi. The family settled on a small farm in Dutton, Michigan. This quilt was made in the early 1900s by Dena Dejong Mesler. My grandmother was also a midwife who delivered me and my brother. She died four years before my sister was born. She delivered other children in the area. When I was young and out shopping or to church with my mother she would say, "That person was delivered by Grandma." Dale Land, 9/15/2016

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

Who photographed this quilt?

Pearl Yee Wong

Copyright holder:

Michigan State University Museum