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Swirling Star; Swirls

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QUILT INDEX RECORD

32-28-586

Alberta Heritage Quilt Project Number:

AHQP 1-0074

Where are the records for this quilt housed?

Royal Alberta Museum

Who documented this quilt?

Alberta Heritage Quilt Project

Person filling out this form is:

Quiltmaker

This is a:

Finished quilt

Owner's name for quilt:

Swirling Star

Names for quilt's pattern in common use:

Swirls

How wide is the quilt?

78 inches

How long is the quilt?

117.5 inches

Shape of edge:

Other

Describe the edge:

Following block shape (irregular) with mitered corners

Shape of corners:

Other

Describe the corners:

Following block shape

What color is the quilt?

Brown; Cream; Rust

Overall color scheme:

Multicolor

Type of inscription:

Date

What is inscribed on the quilt?

Pieced 1987 - Quilted 1989 Lois Woytenko

Method used to make the inscription:

In the quilting

Location of inscription:

on block

Time period:

1976-1999

When was the quilt started?

c.1986

When was the quilt finished?

c.1989

Describe the quilt's layout:

One patch or allover

Spacing of quilt blocks:

Side by side

What is the shape of the quilt blocks?

Same block throughout

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Cotton

Fabric patterns, styles, motifs, or print categories used in the quilt top:

Floral; Print; Solid/plain; Striped

Piecing techniques used to make the quilt top:

Hand Piecing

Materials used to make the back:

Cotton

What color is the back of the quilt?

Blue or Navy; Cream; Rust

Number of pieces of fabric in the quilt back:

3

Describe the back:

Print; Same fabric used throughout

How is the binding made?

Bias grain; Front turned to back; Hand sewn; Home cut; Machine sewn

What kind of filling is used in the quilt?

Polyester

How thick is the quilt?

Thin (Less than 3/16?)

How are the layers held together?

Hand quilting

Number of quilting stitches per inch, place 1:

8

Quilting designs used, overall motifs:

Outline

Describe the quilting designs used:

Outline quilting .25 inches from edge of patch

Quilt top made by:

Woytenko, Lois Elaine Smith

Where the quilt was made, city:

Victoria, La Range

Where the quilt was made, province:

British Columbia, Saskatchewan

Where the quilt was made, country:

Canada

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

Quilt was begun in 1985 in Victoria, BC, and finished in La Range Saskatchewan in 1989.

Why was the quilt made?

Personal enjoyment

Where did the maker get their materials?

Purchased new; Sewing scraps

Describe the sources of the quilt's materials:

"The muslin was off the shelf, browns were some scraps I bought from a dress maker in Victoria--there were just enought of some fabrics to finish the border. It was 'new' scraps"

Where did the maker find their pattern?

Another quilt; Original to maker

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

The quiltmaker saw a small two inch drawing when on a bus trip, where a pieced star was appliqued to a backing. The quiltmaker drafted the pattern up and found that it could work as a one template design.

Exhibitions where this quilt was displayed:

La Range Quilt Show; A Quilt Canada 1990 (Teachers Exhibition)

Contests entered:

Saskatoon Exhibition Handcraft Competition: Secion Winner, Best of Show, Olive Hayes Memorial Award.

Ownership of this quilt is:

Private

Quiltmaker's maiden name:

Smith

Quiltmaker's gender:

Female

Quiltmaker's birth date:

05-10-1945

Quiltmaker's birthplace, city:

Alert Bay

Quiltmaker's birthplace, country:

Canada

Quiltmaker's birthplace, province:

British Columbia

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

The quiltmaker "love[s] one patch and this pattern caught my imagination"

Biography of the quiltmaker:

"This quilt was started along with several others when we were moving from Victoria to Vancouver to La Range. I took stars along to piece at Expo 86 and exchanged the pattern template with many ladies as we stood waiting in line. The stars were complete and pieced in a diamond. I pieced some white (muslin) to each side and started print borders on one side to try and keep the size down. I then pieced the borders, only to find when I got to the end the pattern became very sparse- so I changed it to run diagonal on the ends. When this was done the angle that developed was not compatable with the centre design angles on the front (centre diamonds). The binding was sewn to the front by machine so that the natural curved points were mitered and then stitched to back by hand- this took approximately twenty hours and was finished only a half hour before the La Range fair was due to open. My quilt was hung to encourage quilting in the area." The quiltmaker has lived in Alert Bay, BC; Vancouver, BC; Nanaimo, BC; Mackenzie, BC; Victoria, BC; Ladysmith, BC; Sydney, BC; La Range, SK; Regina, SK; and Calgary, AB.

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

Copyright holder:

Royal Alberta Museum

Cite this Quilt

Woytenko, Lois Elaine Smit. Swirling Star. c.1989. From Royal Alberta Museum, Alberta Heritage Quilt Project. Published in The Quilt Index, https://quiltindex.org/view/?type=fullrec&kid=32-28-586. Accessed: 03/29/24