QUILT INDEX RECORD

12-8-8939

Who documented this quilt?

Michigan Quilt Project

Where are the records for this quilt housed?

Michigan State University Museum

Michigan Quilt Project Number:

86.1748

Object label:

Colorama

Essay:

Carolyn Oberman was awarded a First-Prize Blue Ribbon in the applique category at the Ottawa County Fair in 1985 for this unique quilt entitled Colorama. The quilt was made as a graduation gift for her granddaughter Susan Scott. Oberman, a self-described traditionalist who likes "old time patterns," chose this bright contemporary quilt design because her granddaughter likes rainbows.

Quilt's title:

Colorama

Names for quilt's pattern in common use:

Fan or clamshell variation

When was the form filled out?

10/30/1986

Quilt top made by:

Oberman, Carolyn

Quilted by:

Oberman, Carolyn

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

Received as a gift

Where the quilt was made, city:

Fennville

Where the quilt was made, county:

Allegan

Where the quilt was made, state:

Michigan (MI)

Time period:

1976-1999

When was the quilt started?

1984

When was the quilt finished?

1985

Why was the quilt made?

Gift or presentation

Details about why the quilt was made:

High school graduation

Quiltmaker's gender:

Female

Quiltmaker's city:

Fennville

Quiltmaker's county:

Allegan

Quiltmaker's state:

Michigan (MI)

Quiltmaker's maiden name:

Hershberger

Quiltmaker's birth date:

4/7/1921

Quiltmaker's educational background:

12 grades, through High School, Business school

Quiltmaker's religious affiliation:

Protestant, Presbyterian

Quiltmaker's occupation:

Many areas of Food Service until retired in 1985

Quiltmaker's father's name:

Hershberger, Loren

Quiltmaker's father's ethnic/tribal background:

German and English

Quiltmaker's mother's name:

Hershberger, Mary Blocher

Quiltmaker's mother's ethnic/tribal background:

German

Number of children:

2

How many of the quiltmaker's children were girls?

2

How did the quiltmaker learn to quilt?

Self-Taught

When did the quiltmaker learn to quilt?

Age 11-19

Estimated number of quilts made by this quiltmaker:

5-20 quilts

Does/did the quiltmaker sell quilts?

yes

What are the main activities of the group?

I loved designing and working with color and I liked the idea of creating beautiful things that would last long after I am gone. I have made a quilt for each of my two daughters and am now starting to make a quilt for my six grandchildren.

This is a:

Finished quilt

How wide is the quilt?

62"

How long is the quilt?

90"

Shape of edge:

Straight

Shape of corners:

Rounded

Quilt's condition:

Excellent/like new

Describe the type of inscription:

Title

What is inscribed on the quilt?

Carolyn Oberman, also included are name of quilt, size, name of recipient, and relation to maker

What is the date inscribed on the quilt?

1985

Describe the quilt's layout:

Block pattern

Number of quilt blocks:

24

Size of quilt blocks:

13 1/2"

Arrangement of quilt blocks:

Straight

Spacing of quilt blocks:

Side by side

Number of borders:

1

Describe the borders:

4"

Fabric styles used in the quilt top:

Solid/plain

Describe the techniques used to make the quilt top:

Applique

Materials used to make the back:

Cotton

What color is the back of the quilt?

Yellow

Number of pieces of fabric in the quilt back:

1

How is the binding made?

Commercial

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:

6

Number of quilting stitches per inch, place 2:

7

Describe the quilting designs used:

Outline/Ditch

Where did the maker get their materials?

Purchased new

Describe the sources of the quilt's materials:

Fabrics purchased at Grandville fabric store, Holland, MI

Where did the maker find their pattern?

Commercial/Published source: Magazine

Commercial name of the pattern for the top:

Needle and Thread, April, 1984, p. 18. Mary Borkowski, designer.

Contests entered:

Ottawa County Fair, Holland Michigan, 1985, First place blue ribbon in applique

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

Michigan Quilts, fig. 58, p. 50

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

Two of Carolyn's quilts are featured in Michigan Quilts: 150 Years of a Textile Tradition, page 50

Person filling out this form is:

Quiltmaker

Source of the information on this quilt:

Granddaughter of quiltmaker

Ownership of this quilt is:

Private

Quilt owner's name:

Susan Scott

Quilt owner's city:

Grand Haven

Quilt owner's county:

Ottawa

Quilt owner's state:

Michigan (MI)

How was this quilt acquired?

Gift

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:

A rainbow was chosen because the recipient likes rainbows.

Describe any unique traditions, quilting related customs, beliefs, songs or rhymes used by the quiltmaker:

My grandmother, or her mother or sisters would not quilt on Sunday because they were Dunkards and quilting was considered work not to be done on a Sunday.

Who photographed this quilt?

Peter Glendinning

Copyright holder:

Michigan State University Museum