QUILT INDEX RECORD

15-11-991

Where are the records for this quilt housed?

Wisconsin Quilt History Project

Who documented this quilt?

Wisconsin Quilt History Project

Wisconsin Quilt History Project Number:

138

Person filling out this form is:

Blood relative of quiltmaker; Quilt owner; Other

Source of the information on this quilt:

Great- granddaughter of quilt maker

When was the form filled out?

10-15-1988

Choose the best description of the source to the quilt:

Quilt owner

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

Inherited

Interviewer:

Mac Quee, N.

Where was the quilt documentation day held?

Cedarburg Cultural Center

This is a:

Finished quilt

Owner's name for quilt:

Fan

Names for quilt's pattern in common use:

Grandmother's Fan, Art Deco Fan

Brackman # or other source & #:

3325

How wide is the quilt?

72 in.

How long is the quilt?

82 in.

Shape of edge:

Straight

Shape of corners:

Straight

What color is the quilt?

Blue or Navy; Gray; Pink; White; Yellow

Overall color scheme:

Multicolor

Quilt's condition:

Good/moderate use

Time period:

1930-1949

Family/owner's date for quilt:

1930's

Further information concerning dates:

Mrs. Aaron was approximately 70 years of age when she made the quilt.

Describe the quilt's layout:

Block pattern

Number of quilt blocks:

42

Size of quilt blocks:

10.75 x 10.75 in.

Arrangement of quilt blocks:

Straight

Spacing of quilt blocks:

Side by side

Number of different block patterns used in the quilt:

1

Number of borders:

1

Describe the borders:

Outer light blue solid/plain border forms the perimeter of the quilt and measures 3.5 in. wide.

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Cotton

Fabric types used to make the quilt top:

Broadcloth

Fabric styles used in the quilt top:

Floral; Print; Solid/plain

Piecing techniques used to make the quilt top:

Machine Piecing

Applique techniques used to make the quilt top:

Hand Applique

Can you feel or see paper on the quilt that was used as a construction aid?

no

Materials used to make the back:

Cotton

What color is the back of the quilt?

White

Describe the back:

Same fabric used throughout; Solid/plain

How is the binding made?

Edges turned in/ no separate binding; Hand sewn

What kind of filling is used in the quilt?

Cannot tell

How thick is the quilt?

Thin (Less than 3/16

How are the layers held together?

Hand quilting

Color of thread used in the quilting:

White

Quilting designs used, overall motifs:

Outline

Quilting designs used, background fills:

Parallel lines

Describe the quilting designs used:

Outline quilting follows the design of the top in the fan blocks. Diagonal parallel lines fill in the light blue border. Stitches are medium size and even most of the time.

Features or notes about the quilt's appearance, materials, or construction:

The direction of the fan blocks alternates row by horizontal row. The dark blue pie shape of the fan is placed in either the upper left-hand corner or upper right-hand corner.

Quilt top made by:

Aaron, Emily Dobratz

Quilted by:

Aaron, Emily Dobratz

Where the quilt was made, city:

Milwaukee

Where the quilt was made, county:

Milwaukee

Where the quilt was made, state:

Wisconsin (WI)

Where the quilt was made, country:

United States

How was this quilt acquired?

Inheritance

Tell the story of how the quilt was obtained:

The owner inherited the quilt from her great-grandmother.

The quilt was made to be used for:

Bedding, daily use

Quilt is presently used as:

Keepsake/memento

Where did the maker get their materials?

Purchased new; Sewing scraps; Other

Describe the sources of the quilt's materials:

Fabric samples

Where did the maker find their pattern?

Public domain/traditional pattern

Where did the quiltmaker find the pattern for the quilting design on the quilt?

Public domain

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

May have gotten materials from her husband (Louis Aaron) or her son-in-law (Maurice Van Engel). Mr. Aaron eventually managed a dry goods store and Mr. Van Engel was a salesman of general merchandise.

Ownership of this quilt is:

Private

Quiltmaker's maiden name:

Dobratz

Quiltmaker's gender:

Female

Quiltmaker's birth date:

1861

Quiltmaker's birthplace, country:

Germany

Quiltmaker's ethnic background/tribal affiliation:

German

In which kind of environment did the quiltmaker live?

Urban

Quiltmaker's county:

Milwaukee

Quiltmaker's city:

Wauwatosa

Quiltmaker's state:

Wisconsin (WI)

Quiltmaker's country:

United States

Quiltmaker's father's name:

Dobratz, John

Quiltmaker's father's ethnic/tribal background:

German

Quiltmaker's mother's name:

Dobratz, Ema

Quiltmaker's mother's ethnic/tribal background:

German

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

Aaron, Louis

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

German

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

Retail merchant who eventually managed a dry goods store.

Number of children:

4

How many of the quiltmaker's children were girls?

3

How many of the quiltmaker's children were boys?

1

Any other notes or stories about the quiltmaker:

On her 90th birthday she gathered all of the women in the family and divided up her jewelry. The family always played the card game Hearts at her birthday parties. Mrs. Aaron emigrated from Germany to America in 1871. In 1883 she married her husband, Louis, who also was came from Germany. Together they raised four children. He died in 1922. She lived in Wauwatosa for a while as a widow. The 1930 census shows she eventually moved in with her daughter Frieda Van Engel and her son-in-law Maurice Van Engel. They lived in Milwaukee on N. 37th St. She lived to at least 96 years of age. Her daughter Freida died in Milwaukee in 1973. Additional information on Mrs. Aaron and her family was found on Ancestry.com and other online genealogy sites. Mrs. Aaron has other quilts documented in the Quilt Index under her name at #136, #137, #139, #140, #141 and #142.

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

Copyright holder:

Wisconsin Museum of Quilts & Fiber Arts

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