QUILT INDEX RECORD
12-8-8057
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:
85.2137
If this quilt is owned by a museum, enter the accession number:
6119.31
Object label:
World's Fair
Laura May Clarke and Bozena Vilhelmina Clarke
Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan
1930-1938
Collection of Michigan State University Museum acc.#6119.31
Essay:
This quilt was made from a Detroit News pattern.
Owner's name for the quilt:
World's Fair
When was the form filled out?
10/11/1986
Quilt top made by:
Clarke, Laura Mae
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?
1930
When was the quilt finished?
1938
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:
Clarke
Quiltmaker's birth date:
7/22/1900
In which kind of environment did the quiltmaker live?
Urban
Quiltmaker's date and place of death:
3/7/1978
Quiltmaker's ethnic background/tribal affiliation:
Bohemian (Czech), English
Quiltmaker's educational background:
BA in education from Wayne State University.
Quiltmaker's religious affiliation:
Congregational
Quiltmaker's occupation:
Kindergarten School Teacher. One year she was National President of NEA Kindergarten Division. She was Teacher of the Month in Detroit, June, 1962.
Quiltmaker's father's name:
Clarke, William George
Quiltmaker's father's birthplace:
Bad Axe, Michigan
Quiltmaker's father's ethnic/tribal background:
English
Quiltmaker's mother's name:
Clarke, Bozena Vilhelmina Motl
Quiltmaker's mother's birthplace:
Detroit, Michigan
Quiltmaker's mother's ethnic/tribal background:
Bohemian (Czechoslovekia)
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
This is a:
Finished quilt
How wide is the quilt?
75 1/4"
How long is the quilt?
85"
Shape of edge:
Straight
Shape of corners:
Rounded
Quilt's condition:
Excellent/like new
What is inscribed on the quilt?
Laura M. Clarke and Bozena
What is the date inscribed on the quilt?
1930 & 1938
Location of inscription:
on back
Describe the quilt's layout:
Block pattern
Number of quilt blocks:
63
Arrangement of quilt blocks:
Straight
Describe the borders:
3 3/4", 1 1/2", 1", 4"
Fiber types used to make the quilt top:
Cotton
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:
6
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?
Blanket or flannel
How are the layers held together?
Hand quilting
Number of quilting stitches per inch, place 1:
6
Number of quilting stitches per inch, place 2:
6
Quilting designs used, decorative motifs:
Cables
Quilting designs used, background fills:
Parallel lines
Where did the maker find their pattern?
Commercial/Published source: Newspaper
Commercial name of the pattern for the top:
Detroit News
Exhibitions where this quilt was displayed:
A Family Legacy: Quilts from the Clarke Collection, MSU Museum, East Lansing, MI and Michigan State Fair, Detroit, Michigan, August - September, 1994.
Related items such as diaries, obituaries, wills, household inventories, or pictures of the quiltmaker:
Patterns; See 6119.31 template for border.
Publications (including web sites) where this quilt or maker was featured:
Photos of quilter
Source of the information on this quilt:
Museum volunteer
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 any favorite patterns, tools, etc. used by the quiltmaker:
She worked mostly on the tops and occassionally quilted. Her mother Bozena Clarke did most of her quilting.
Who photographed this quilt?
Mark Eifert
Copyright holder:
Michigan State University Museum
Cite this Quilt
Clarke, Laura Ma. World's Fair. 1938. 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=12-8-8057. Accessed: 04/23/24
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Ephemera
Handmade Household Inventory Booklet
Clarke, Laura May
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Collection
Clarke Family Quilt Collection
Michigan State University Museum
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Clarke, Laura May Quiltmaker
Michigan Quilt Project