QUILT INDEX RECORD

12-8-7253

Who documented this quilt?

Michigan Quilt Project; Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum Collection

Where are the records for this quilt housed?

Michigan State University Museum

Michigan Quilt Project Number:

85.1588

Quilt's title:

Bicentennial Quilt

Names for quilt's pattern in common use:

Embroidered sampler

When was the form filled out?

8/13/1985

Quilt top made by:

Gardner, Dorothy; Gerhart, Josie

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

Presentation or award

Where the quilt was made, city:

Bedford

Where the quilt was made, county:

Cuyahoga

Where the quilt was made, state:

Ohio (OH)

Time period:

1976-1999

When was the quilt started?

1975

When was the quilt finished?

1976

Details about why the quilt was made:

Made quilt for Bedford Public Library which conducted a fund raising raffle with the quilt as a prize. The purpose was to raise funds for the Bicentennial activities in the city of Bedford.

Quilt is presently used as:

Museum collection

Quiltmaker's gender:

Female

Quiltmaker's city:

Grand Rapids

Quiltmaker's county:

Kent

Quiltmaker's state:

Michigan (MI)

This is a:

Finished quilt

How wide is the quilt?

66 1/2"

How long is the quilt?

103"

Shape of edge:

Straight

Shape of corners:

Rounded

Quilt's condition:

Excellent/like new

What is inscribed on the quilt?

D. Gardner & J. Gerhard

What is the date inscribed on the quilt?

1976

Method used to make the inscription:

Embroidery

Describe where the inscription was found:

top

Number of quilt blocks:

80 rectangles

Arrangement of quilt blocks:

Straight

Spacing of quilt blocks:

Side by side

What is the shape of the quilt blocks?

Sampler

Number of borders:

1

Describe the borders:

4 1/2" sides, 4" ends. plain.

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Cotton

Embellishment techniques used to make the quilt top:

Embroidery

What color is the back of the quilt?

Blue or Navy

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

Describe the quilting designs used:

Pre-quilted

Where did the maker find their pattern?

Commercial/Published source: Kit

Commercial name of the pattern for the top:

Albert G. Fleming, distributed by Louisville Bedding.

Exhibitions where this quilt was displayed:

Bedford Public Library, 1975 or 1976

Ownership of this quilt is:

Public-Other

Quilt owner's name:

Gerald Ford Museum

Quilt owner's city:

Grand Rapids

Quilt owner's county:

Kent

Quilt owner's state:

Michigan (MI)

How was this quilt acquired?

Presentation/award

Tell the story of how the quilt was obtained:

The winner chose to donate it to the White House, It was not intended to be a matched set however the man who designed this also made one and sent one to Washington in 1975. Others may also have been made.

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

The embroidery took from January until June. Both women were school teachers, and worked on it several hours after school each day. Mrs. Gerhart made one for her daughter.

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

How did the quiltmaker participate in the creation of the quilt?

Made entire quilt

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

Quilt designed by Albert G. Fleming distributed by Louisville Bedding. The quilt was basically a mass produced item. The embroidering was done in order to enhance the design and to use a number of basic embroidery stitches.

Copyright holder:

Michigan State University Museum