QUILT INDEX RECORD

12-8-8056

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:

85.2136

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

6119.30

Object label:

Eight Pointed Star
Bozena Vilhelmina Clarke
Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan
1931-1937
Collection of Michigan State University Museum acc.#6119.30

Essay:

This quilt contains fabric scraps from Bozena's granddaughter, Harriet's dresses.

Owner's name for the quilt:

Eight Pointed Star

Names for quilt's pattern in common use:

LeMoyne Star

Biography of the quiltmaker?

Fabric scraps not suitable for quilting were used to make rugs. 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.

When was the form filled out?

10/8/1986

Quilt top made by:

Clarke, Bozena Vilhemina

Quilted by:

Clarke, Bozena Vilhemina

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)

Time period:

1930-1949

When was the quilt started?

1931

When was the quilt finished?

1937

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:

Motl

Quiltmaker's birth date:

2/24/1871

Quiltmaker's date and place of death:

3/17/1967

Quiltmaker's educational background:

Formal, probably to 8th grade, but she contined to read and educate herself.

Quiltmaker's religious affiliation:

Congregational

Quiltmaker's occupation:

She worked for a tailor at the site of the former downtown Hudson's store, homemaker after marriage.

Quiltmaker's father's name:

Motl, Franc

Quiltmaker's father's birthplace:

Austria

Quiltmaker's father's ethnic/tribal background:

Bohemian

Quiltmaker's mother's name:

Motl, Anna Smely

Quiltmaker's mother's ethnic/tribal background:

Bohemian. She married Franc in Bohemia and emigrated to the U.S. in 1870 and settled in Detroit.

Quiltmaker's marriage date(s):

4/28/1896, Detroit Michigan

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

Clarke, William George

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

English, from the Hythe, Kent, England.

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

1896 was a clerk in Gas Appliance Store. Later converted gas lights to electric lights. Sold lamps. In later years he sold insurance and retired at age 80.

Number of children:

3

How many of the quiltmaker's children were girls?

2

How many of the quiltmaker's children were boys?

1

How did the quiltmaker learn to quilt?

From guild or club member

When did the quiltmaker learn to quilt?

Age 50 or over

Other notes on how the quiltmaker learned, and how and why they quilt:

Quilts were made for many family members for special occassions and for gifts for birthdays, weddings, graduations, etc.

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?

The Rebecca Jane Circle of the Boulevard Congregational Church

Where does/did the group meet?

Located at the corner of Warren and West Grand Boulevard, 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, Bozena's granddaughter. The sold finished quilts for $25-$30. The also quilted tops for others.They quilted once a week and had a potluck

This is a:

Finished quilt

How wide is the quilt?

66 3/4"

How long is the quilt?

80 1/2"

Shape of edge:

Straight

Shape of corners:

Rounded

Overall color scheme:

Multicolor

Quilt's condition:

Good/moderate use

Describe the quilt's layout:

Block pattern

Number of quilt blocks:

27 whole blocks, 6 half blocks

Spacing of quilt blocks:

Separated by vertical strips

Describe the quilt setting:

Zigzag

Number of borders:

2

Describe the borders:

3/4" - 7/8", 5/8" - 3/4"

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Cotton

Materials used to make the back:

Cotton

Number of pieces of fabric in the quilt back:

3

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?

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:

9

Quilting designs used, background fills:

Grid/crosshatch

Describe the quilting designs used:

Fleur-di-lis

Where did the maker get their materials?

Sewing scraps

Related items such as diaries, obituaries, wills, household inventories, or pictures of the quiltmaker:

This quilt appears in the photo we have of Bozena. See 6119.55 for template

Publications (including web sites) where this quilt or maker was featured:

Photos of quilter; Diary or will description

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

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

This quilt contains many scraps from dresses made for Bozena's granddaughter Harriet, the quilt's donor.

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

Bozena had a favorite silver thimble. Her husband made her a custom frame to quilt on that was pained Nile green.

Who photographed this quilt?

Mark Eifert

Copyright holder:

Michigan State University Museum