QUILT INDEX RECORD
12-8-8052
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:
85.2129
If this quilt is owned by a museum, enter the accession number:
6119.23
Object label:
Irish Chain
Emilie Clarke
Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan
1924-1935
Collection of Michigan State University Museum acc.#6119.23
Owner's name for the quilt:
Irish Chain
Biography of the quiltmaker?
Mother-in-law Bozena Clarke's old frame was set up in the attic. Quilts were quilted there in the spring, when it wasn't too hot or too cold for the space. One spring Harriet remembers her mother and her grandmother Arnold set up the frame in the dining room and quilted during a visit from her grandmother.
Quilt top made by:
Clarke, Emilie
Quilted by:
Clarke, Emilie
If you are the quilt owner, how did you acquire this quilt?
Received as a gift
Where the quilt was made, city:
Detroit
Where the quilt was made, county:
Wayne
Where the quilt was made, state:
Michigan (MI)
Quilt is presently used as:
Museum collection
Quiltmaker's gender:
Female
Quiltmaker's city:
Detroit
Quiltmaker's county:
Wayne
Quiltmaker's state:
Michigan (MI)
Quiltmaker's maiden name:
Arnold
Quiltmaker's birth date:
5/14/1897
In which kind of environment did the quiltmaker live?
Urban
Quiltmaker's date and place of death:
1/19/1976
Quiltmaker's ethnic background/tribal affiliation:
German, French
Quiltmaker's educational background:
M.D. from U of M in 1922, Doctor of Public Health from Wayne State in 1937
Quiltmaker's religious affiliation:
Congregational
Quiltmaker's occupation:
Physician, Doctor of Public Health
Quiltmaker's father's name:
Arnold, Frances Christian
Quiltmaker's father's ethnic/tribal background:
French, German
Quiltmaker's mother's name:
Arnold, Emma L. Vogelgesang
Quiltmaker's mother's ethnic/tribal background:
German
Quiltmaker's marriage date(s):
8/31/1923
Quiltmaker's spouse's/spouses' and /or partner's/partners' name(s):
Clarke, George Robert
Quiltmaker's spouse's/spouses' and/or partner's/partners' ethnic/tribal background:
Bohemian, English
Quiltmaker's spouse's/spouses' and/or partner's/partners' occupation:
Electrical Engineer
Number of children:
3
How many of the quiltmaker's children were girls?
1
How many of the quiltmaker's children were boys?
2
How did the quiltmaker learn to quilt?
From Relative
When did the quiltmaker learn to quilt?
Age 20-29
Does/did the quiltmaker sell quilts?
no
Does/did the quiltmaker teach quilting?
no
Does/did the quiltmaker belong to a group? Name of the group?
For awhile she quilted at the Boulevard Congregational Church.
Where does/did the group meet?
The corner of Warren and West Grand Boulevard in Detroit, Michigan.
What are the main activities of the group?
This group sewed together to make items for church bazaars. They sold "heaps of Aprons" according to Harriet Clarke, Emilie's daughter. The sold finished quilts for $25-$30. The also quilted tops for others. They quilted once a week and had a potluck lunc
This is a:
Finished quilt
How wide is the quilt?
74"
How long is the quilt?
96"
Shape of edge:
Straight
Shape of corners:
Straight
Quilt's condition:
Fair/worn
Describe the quilt's layout:
Block pattern
Number of quilt blocks:
30
Arrangement of quilt blocks:
Straight
Number of borders:
3
Describe the borders:
4 1/4", 3 1/4", 3"
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
How is the binding made?
Straight 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?
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:
7
Quilting designs used, decorative motifs:
Floral
Quilting designs used, background fills:
Parallel lines
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?
Gift
Tell the story of how the quilt was obtained:
12-11-1985, Dr. Harriet A. Clarke, donor
Access and copyright information:
Restricted
How did the quiltmaker participate in the creation of the quilt?
Made entire quilt
Who photographed this quilt?
Mark Eifert
Copyright holder:
Michigan State University Museum
Cite this Quilt
Clarke, Emili. Irish Chain. 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=12-8-8052. Accessed: 04/26/24
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Collection
Clarke Family Quilt Collection
Michigan State University Museum