QUILT INDEX RECORD

33-29-18

Description of quilt:

Iris appliqué quilt made from an Anne Orr Studio kit quilt.

Essay:

This quilt entered by Flora Wade of Knoxville, Tennessee, won a second place ribbon in the Atlanta region and consequently went on to the national round of judging in Chicago. It remained in Chicago for the length of the 1933 Fair. The 1933 Sears National Quilt Contest was announced in January 1933 with a deadline of May 15, 1933. Over 24,000 quilts were entered at local Sears stores or sent to one of 10 regional mail order houses. Quilts were judged at each site with the top three winners moving onto the next round. Finally just 30 quilts reached the final judging held at the Sears Pavilion on the 1933 Chicago World's Fair site. Interestingly, Anne Orr was one of the final round judges. Several quilts made in her pattern and kit designs were entered, but none of them received one of the top three honors.

Where are the records for this quilt housed?

Merikay Waldvogel Legacy Project

Who documented this quilt?

Merikay Waldvogel Legacy Project; Sears Quilt Contest 1933 Chicago World's Fair

Merikay Waldvogel Legacy Project Number:

085

Person filling out this form is:

Blood relative of quiltmaker

When was the form filled out?

1992

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

Who helped you fill out the form?

Waldvogel

This is a:

Finished quilt

Quilt's title:

Iris (Second Place - Atlanta Region)

How wide is the quilt?

75 inches

How long is the quilt?

89 inches

What color is the quilt?

Green; Orange; White; Yellow

Overall color scheme:

Light or pastel colors

Time period:

1930-1949

Date estimated by an antique dealer, quilt historian or appraiser:

1933

Further information concerning dates:

This kit quilt was available in 1933. It was featured in Anne Orr's Good Housekeeping article (Jan 1933) in which she announced she would be judging the final round of the Sears National Quilt Contest.

Describe the quilt's layout:

Medallion or framed center

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Cotton

Fabric styles used in the quilt top:

Solid/plain

Applique techniques used to make the quilt top:

Hand Applique

How are the layers held together?

Hand quilting

Quilt top made by:

Wade, Flora Sexton

Quilted by:

Wade, Flora Sexton

Where the quilt was made, city:

Knoxville

Where the quilt was made, county:

Knox

Where the quilt was made, state:

Tennessee (TN)

Where the quilt was made, country:

United States

How was this quilt acquired?

Inheritance

Tell the story of how the quilt was obtained:

At her death, the quilt went to family members. A great niece owned the quilt in 1994 at the time of the exhibit.

Why was the quilt made?

Challenge or Contest entry

Quilt is presently used as:

Keepsake/memento

Where did the maker find their pattern?

Commercial/Published source: Kit

Commercial name of the pattern for the top:

Anne Orr Studio - Iris

Exhibitions where this quilt was displayed:

This quilt was chosen for the exhibition of 30 quilts entitled “Patchwork Souvenirs of the 1933 World’s Fair” curated by Merikay Waldvogel and Barbara Brackman. The goal of the exhibit was to include as many of the top 30 regional winning quilts as possible. This quilt had not been seen since 1933 when we began the search to find it. The quilt was described as yellow and orange Iris quilt in the Atlanta newspaper account of the regional contest. Waldvogel was not surprised when the quilt was finally found in South Carolina to learn that the quilt was an Anne Orr kit. Anne Orr was well-known nationally but especially in Tennessee. When it was learned that she was a national judge, some quiltmakers made her kits. Others that won were "Autumn Leaves" entered by two people in the final round, "Lincoln Quilt" entered by a woman from Kentucky, and this one by Flora Wade. The Knoxville Museum of Art and Smith-Kramer, Inc. coordinated the travelling exhibition to the following sites: Jan 7-Feb 7, 1994 Palm Beach, FL (The Society of the Four Arts); Mar 20-July 17, 1994 Lexington, MA (Museum of Our National Heritage); Aug 7–Sep 25, 1994 Midland, MI (Midland Center for the Arts); Oct 16–Dec 4, 1994 Logan, KS (Dane G. Hansen Memorial Museum; Dec 18, 1994–Apr 23, 1995 Chicago, IL (Chicago Cultural Center); May 10-Jul 2, 1995 Grosse Pointe Shores, MI (Edsel and Eleanor Ford House); Jul 23-Sep 10, 1995 Los Angeles, CA (Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum); Oct 1-Nov 19, 1995 Janesville, WI (Rock County Historical Society); Dec 10, 1995-Jan 28, 1996 Neenah, WI (Bergstrom-Mahler Museum); Feb 18-Apr 8, 1996 Lexington, KY (University of Kentucky Art Museum); May 3-July 24, 1996 Knoxville, TN (Knoxville Museum of Art).

Contests entered:

Sears Quilt Contest, 1933 Chicago World's Fair

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

Merikay Waldvogel and Barbara Brackman. Patchwork Souvenirs of the 1933 World's Fair (Nashville, TN: Rutledge Hill Press, 1993), pp. 27-28.

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

Anne Orr Studio pamphlet of kit quilts. Good Housekeeping Magazine (Jan 1933) article by Anne Orr.

Ownership of this quilt is:

Private

Quilt owner's country:

United States

Quiltmaker's maiden name:

Sexton

Quiltmaker's gender:

Female

Quiltmaker's date and place of death:

1968

In which kind of environment did the quiltmaker live?

Urban

Quiltmaker's county:

Knox

Quiltmaker's city:

Knoxville

Quiltmaker's state:

Tennessee (TN)

Quiltmaker's country:

United States

Any other notes or stories about the quiltmaker:

Flora Sexton was born in Friendsville, Tennessee, a Quaker community. Trained as a nurse, she took a job at a nearby Knoxville hospital. One night injured and badly burned passengers and workers from a railroad accident arrived at the hospital in ambulances. One of her patients was Joe Wade. They fell in love, married and lived on Scott Street in Knoxville for the rest of their lives. His hobby was woodworking. hers was quilting. A group of friends quilted regularly at her house since she could keep a quilt frame up because she had no children.

Who photographed this quilt?

Gary Heatherly

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

Copyright holder:

Merikay Waldvogel