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Fireman Small quilt

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QUILT INDEX RECORD

12-8-7244

Who documented this quilt?

Michigan Quilt Project

Where are the records for this quilt housed?

Michigan State University Museum

Michigan Quilt Project Number:

85.1568

Owner's name for the quilt:

Fireman Small quilt

Biography of the quiltmaker?

I started quilting in 1960 - a section of the quilt confused me so I put it away for 4-5 years. I finally finished it in 1965. I didn't quilt again unitl the late '70s, early 80's.

When was the form filled out?

9/1/1985

Quilt top made by:

Tesner, Betty

Quilted by:

Tesner, Betty

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

Made the quilt

Where the quilt was made, city:

Trenton

Where the quilt was made, county:

Wayne

Where the quilt was made, state:

Michigan (MI)

Time period:

1950-1975

When was the quilt started?

1960

When was the quilt finished?

1965

Details about why the quilt was made:

This quilt was made for my eldest son, started when he was 2, finished when he was 7

Quiltmaker's gender:

Female

Quiltmaker's city:

Okemos

Quiltmaker's county:

Ingham

Quiltmaker's state:

Michigan (MI)

Quiltmaker's maiden name:

Kruso

Quiltmaker's birth date:

4/9/1936

Quiltmaker's ethnic background/tribal affiliation:

Polish, Hungarian

Quiltmaker's educational background:

High school, some college

Quiltmaker's religious affiliation:

Catholic

Quiltmaker's occupation:

Homemaker, Amway distributor

Quiltmaker's father's name:

Kruso, John Peter

Quiltmaker's father's ethnic/tribal background:

Hungarian

Quiltmaker's mother's name:

Kruso, Rose Mastie

Quiltmaker's mother's ethnic/tribal background:

Polish

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

English Irish German

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

Ford Motor Company Engineer, retired. Assistant Adjutant General Michigan National Air Guard

Number of children:

4

How many of the quiltmaker's children were girls?

1

How many of the quiltmaker's children were boys?

3

How did the quiltmaker learn to quilt?

Self-Taught

When did the quiltmaker learn to quilt?

Age 20-29

Estimated number of quilts made by this quiltmaker:

5-20 quilts

Does/did the quiltmaker sell quilts?

no

Does/did the quiltmaker teach quilting?

no

This is a:

Finished quilt

How wide is the quilt?

60"

How long is the quilt?

72"

Shape of edge:

Straight

Shape of corners:

Straight

Quilt's condition:

Poor/very worn

Number of quilt blocks:

12 applique, 12 plain

Arrangement of quilt blocks:

Straight

Spacing of quilt blocks:

Alternating with plain squares

Number of borders:

1

Describe the borders:

6" plain

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Cotton

Describe the fibers or fabrics in the quilt top:

Corduroy

Piecing techniques used to make the quilt top:

Hand Piecing

Applique techniques used to make the quilt top:

Hand Applique

Embellishment techniques used to make the quilt top:

Embroidery

Materials used to make the back:

Cotton

Number of pieces of fabric in the quilt back:

1

What kind of filling is used in the quilt?

Polyester

How are the layers held together?

Machine quilting

Where did the maker find their pattern?

Commercial/Published source: Magazine

Commercial name of the pattern for the top:

Ladies' Home Journal

Contests entered:

Kentucky Federation of Women's Club Show, Red Ribbon, Second Place;

Person filling out this form is:

Quilt owner

Ownership of this quilt is:

Private

Quilt owner's name:

Betty Kruso Tesner

Quilt owner's city:

Okemos

Quilt owner's county:

Ingham

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

Was the quilt used for something other than what it is used for now?

The quilt was used by my other sons and is well-worn now.

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

It was a story quilt about Fireman Small going to a fire and eventually rescuing a dog. We have the book that corresponds to the quilt.

Describe any favorite patterns, tools, etc. used by the quiltmaker:

Hearts and Love Birds. My daughter was born on Valentine's Day so hearts are special to me. Quilting hoop.

Copyright holder:

Michigan State University Museum

Cite this Quilt

Tesner, Bett. Fireman Small quilt. 1965. From Michigan State University Museum, Michigan Quilt Project. Published in The Quilt Index, https://quiltindex.org/view/?type=fullrec&kid=12-8-7244. Accessed: 03/28/24