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