QUILT INDEX RECORD
33-29-40
Description of quilt:
A Century of Progress Quilt made with patriotic images. The maker won only a green merit ribbon.
Essay:
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. Sears offered a $200 bonus if the grand prize winning quilt was made in the theme of A Century of Progress. Many people took the challenge. Grace Skllestad added patriotic drawings to a red, white and blue Lone Star quilt and added the words "Sears Century of Progress."
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:
117
Person filling out this form is:
Relative of quiltmaker
Source of the information on this quilt:
Grand-daughter
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
This is a:
Finished quilt
Quilt's title:
All American Star
What color is the quilt?
Blue or Navy; Cream; Red; White
Overall color scheme:
Bright or primary colors
Type of inscription:
Message
What is inscribed on the quilt?
SEARS CENTURY OF PROGRESS ALL AMERICAN STAR A LINCOLN G WASHINGTON PRES ROOSEVELT World's Fair/LET'S GO!/1933/CHICAGO LIBERTY
Location of inscription:
multiple locations
Time period:
1930-1949
When was the quilt finished?
1933
Describe the quilt's layout:
Medallion or framed center
Subject of the quilt:
Century of Progress- Historical Events
Fiber types used to make the quilt top:
Cotton
Fabric types used to make the quilt top:
Sateen
Fabric styles used in the quilt top:
Solid/plain
Piecing techniques used to make the quilt top:
Hand Piecing
Embellishment techniques used to make the quilt top:
Embroidery; Painting
Describe the techniques used to make the quilt top:
Images on the quilt are made with crayon. These include: Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, an eagle with outspread wings, an American Flag, Pres. Roosevelt, the Statue of Liberty, the U.S. Capitol, and Uncle Sam. At the right side is a traced trademark relating to the 1933 World's Fair -- which may have been a handkerchief design.
How are the layers held together?
Hand quilting
Quilt top made by:
Skillestad, Grace Edith
Quilted by:
Skillestad, Grace Edith
Where the quilt was made, city:
Union
Where the quilt was made, state:
Montana (MT)
Where the quilt was made, country:
United States
How was this quilt acquired?
Inheritance
Why was the quilt made?
Challenge or Contest entry
Quilt is presently used as:
Keepsake/memento
Where did the maker get their materials?
Purchased new
Where did the maker find their pattern?
Public domain/traditional pattern
Contests entered:
Sears Quilt Contest, 1933 Chicago World's Fair. Minneapolis Round. Won a Green Merit Ribbon. Dawson County Fair (Glendive, Montana) Blue Ribbon, c. 1958.
Related items such as diaries, obituaries, wills, household inventories, or pictures of the quiltmaker:
Envelope from Sears Roebuck and Co. (Minneapolis) Jun 21, 1933. List of Prize Winners in the Minneapolis region. Green Merit ribbon with a note attached: "Patriotic Quilt Made by Mrs. Skillestad to exhibit at World's Fair at Chicago in 1933. It won an Award of Merit among 45,000 quilts." Ribbon (First Premium) no date, Dawson County Fair, Glendive, Montana.
Ownership of this quilt is:
Private
Quilt owner's country:
United States
Quiltmaker's maiden name:
Aldrich
Quiltmaker's gender:
Female
Quiltmaker's birth date:
02-22-1891
Quiltmaker's date and place of death:
12-28-1961
In which kind of environment did the quiltmaker live?
Rural
Quiltmaker's spouse's/spouses' and/or partner's/partners' occupation:
Rancher
Quiltmaker's city:
Union
Quiltmaker's state:
Montana (MT)
Quiltmaker's country:
United States
Any other notes or stories about the quiltmaker:
According to her grand-daughter, Grace was living in Montana at the time of the contest. Her husband was a rancher and farmer. They had four sons. They lived their later years in Glendive, Montana. "She was a beautiful artist. She did velvet painting, beading, embroidery. She taught 4-H sewing classes."
Who photographed this quilt?
Merikay Waldvogel
Access and copyright information:
Restricted
Cite this Quilt
Skillestad, Grace Edit. All American Star. 1933. From Merikay Waldvogel Legacy Project, Merikay Waldvogel Legacy Project; Sears Quilt Contest 1933 Chicago World's Fair. Published in The Quilt Index, https://quiltindex.org/view/?type=fullrec&kid=33-29-40. Accessed: 03/29/24