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Sawtooth; Lady of the Lake

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QUILT INDEX RECORD

12-8-7305

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:

85.1640

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

1998:53.86

Object label:

Sawtooth Quilt
Matilda Vary, piecer; Mary Schafer, finisher
Ida Pullum, quilter
Top c1876, finished c1980
Ceresco, Calhoun County, Michigan and Flushing, Genesee County, Michigan
Collection of Michigan State University Museum acc.#1998:53.86

Essay:

After she added a border and had the quilt finished, Mary Schafer signed the name of the top’s maker in ink on the quilt. Because a multitude of fabrics appear in the quilt, this textile provides a good study collection of fabrics from the last quarter of the 19th century. Mary’s paisley border is a typical print of a fabric available during the time she finished the quilt.

A pattern for this quilt is featured in the MSUM book, Great Lakes, Great Quilts.

Owner's name for the quilt:

Sawtooth

Names for quilt's pattern in common use:

Lady of the Lake

Biography of the quiltmaker?

This quilt was made between 1870-80 by Matilda Godfrey Vary (my husbands grandmother). It had been unused until recently because no one especially liked the pineapple color signed Mary Vary. The Vary-Godfrey-McCrory families all settled in the Marshall-Ceresco-Battle Creek area, and like most Michigan settlers of the early 1800s the majority came from New York state, from families who in turn had moved from the coastal states as settlements moved westward. Isabella Godfrey (1816-1892) married David Godrey, Ceresco. They had two daughters Matilda Godfrey (1848-1924) and Isabelle Godfrey. Matilda (Tillie) married Edmund Vary and had two sons, Clarence Vary (m. E. Janette Phelps) and Edwin Vary (m. Mary Burns). Isabelle Godfrey married Edwin Allen and had a daughter Matilda Allen (m. Howard E. Coffin). Edwin Vary had two daughters, Anne Allison Vary (m. Gerald Robbins) and Janette Phelps Vary (m. Harry Kutten). Isabel McCrory Godfrey made each of her daughters, Matilda (Tillie) and Isabelle (Belle) identical "crazy quilt" couch throws, except that each has a panel near the center embroidered with the daughter's name. The quilts are of silks and velvets, with a wide band of wine colored velvet around the edge, backed with a rather heavy border. I came into possession of both quilts, because Matilda Allen Coffin had no children, so gave her mother's quilt (which says "Belle") to Emma Janette Vary for her grand-daughters, and to keep it in the family. This quilt is now in the possession of Anne Vary Robbins, my older daughter, who lives in Manitowoc, WI. The other quilt, "TIllie"'s I am keeping for my younger daughter Janette Vary Kutter, who is "Tillie's" great-grand-daughter. I am sure there must be dozens (hundreds!) of Michigan-made quilts - finding them and documenting would be a fascinating project. I am sure you have already checked such membership lists as D.A.R., Colonial Dames, various historical societies and churchs, etc. Mrs. S. said you were particularly interested in appliqued quilts - those of course had a great revival around 1920 when they were much in vogue; and of course they, in turn, would be 65-70 years old now, but might be easier to track down now in 1985. I hope some of this will be of interest to you - if you plan to be in Flint soon, perhaps you would like to see Tillie's quilt. Sincerely Mary B. Vary

When was the form filled out?

9/9/1985

Quilt top made by:

Vary, Matilda

Other people who worked on this quilt:

Mary Schafer added border and arranged for quilting.

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

Purchased the quilt

Where the quilt was made, city:

Ceresco

Where the quilt was made, county:

Calhoun

Where the quilt was made, state:

Michigan (MI)

When was the quilt started?

c1876

When was the quilt finished?

c1980

Quilt is presently used as:

Museum collection

Quiltmaker's gender:

Female

Quiltmaker's city:

Ceresco

Quiltmaker's county:

Calhoun

Quiltmaker's state:

Michigan (MI)

Quiltmaker's maiden name:

Godfrey

Quiltmaker's birth date:

1848

Quiltmaker's date and place of death:

1924

Quiltmaker's father's name:

Godrey, David

Quiltmaker's mother's name:

Godfrey, Isabella McCrory

Number of children:

2

How many of the quiltmaker's children were boys?

2

This is a:

Finished quilt

How wide is the quilt?

81.25"

How long is the quilt?

97"

Shape of edge:

Straight

Shape of corners:

Straight

Quilt's condition:

Very good/almost new

Damage:

Stains

What is inscribed on the quilt?

Matilda Godfrey Vary, Ciresco, Michigan (signed by Mary Schafer)

What is the date inscribed on the quilt?

1878

Describe where the inscription was found:

top

Describe the quilt's layout:

Block pattern

Number of quilt blocks:

99

Arrangement of quilt blocks:

Straight

Spacing of quilt blocks:

Side by side

Number of borders:

2

Describe the borders:

outer 1.5" plain, paisley print; inner 3.5" plain, muslin

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Cotton

Fabric styles used in the quilt top:

Paisley

Piecing techniques used to make the quilt top:

Hand Piecing

Materials used to make the back:

Cotton

Number of pieces of fabric in the quilt back:

2

How is the binding made?

Bias grain

What is the width of the binding (measure on the top only)?

less than a half inch

What kind of filling is used in the quilt?

Polyester

How are the layers held together?

Hand quilting

Number of quilting stitches per inch, place 1:

5

Number of quilting stitches per inch, place 2:

5

Quilting designs used, decorative motifs:

Floral

Quilting designs used, background fills:

Parallel lines

Describe the quilting designs used:

Outline/Ditch, Leaves

Exhibitions where this quilt was displayed:

Mary Schafer Quilt Exhibit, Flint, MI, July 11-13, 18-20, 25-27, 1980, Whaley House; Quilts Old & New: Reproductions from the Great Lakes Quilt Center, exhibit, January 12-August 17, 2003. The Mary Schafer Collection: A Legacy of Quilt History, exhibit, July 29-December 31, 2001.

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)

How was this quilt acquired?

Purchase

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

Who photographed this quilt?

Mary Whalen

Copyright holder:

Michigan State University Museum

Cite this Quilt

Vary, Matild. Sawtooth. c1980. From Michigan State University Museum, Michigan Quilt Project; Michigan State University Museum Collection. Published in The Quilt Index, https://quiltindex.org/view/?type=fullrec&kid=12-8-7305. Accessed: 03/28/24

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