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Flower Garden

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QUILT INDEX RECORD

33-29-41

Description of quilt:

Flower Garden Quilt

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. This Flower Garden quilt represents the thousands of well-made quilts that did not reach the final rounds of judging.

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:

162

Person filling out this form is:

Relative of quiltmaker

This is a:

Finished quilt

Quilt's title:

Flower Garden

How wide is the quilt?

75 inches

How long is the quilt?

80 inches

What color is the quilt?

Coral; Cream; Green; Yellow

Overall color scheme:

Bright or primary colors

Time period:

1930-1949

Family/owner's date for quilt:

1933

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Cotton

Fabric styles used in the quilt top:

Print; Solid/plain

Piecing techniques used to make the quilt top:

Hand Piecing

How are the layers held together?

Hand quilting

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

The center medallion arrangement using traditional Flower Garden units is created by carefully selecting the contrasting colors. An antique quilt in this arrangement was published in Ruth Finley's 1930 book "Old Quilts." The antique quilt is still in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Expert quilters attempted to duplicate the layout.

Quilt top made by:

Rowbotham, Julia

Quilted by:

Rowbotham, Julia

Where the quilt was made, city:

DeSmeth

Where the quilt was made, state:

South Dakota (SD)

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?

Commercial/Published source: Pattern

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

According to the owner, "Julia read about the contest and wanted to enter but could not afford the material. Her daughter ordered the material from a Sears catalogue. Every stitch was her own from piecing to quilting. The quilt was mailed to Sears Roebuck in Minneapolis."

Exhibitions where this quilt was displayed:

The exhibition of 30 quilts entitled “Patchwork Souvenirs of the 1933 World’s Fair” was curated by Merikay Waldvogel and Barbara Brackman. The Knoxville Museum of Art and Smith-Kramer, Inc. coordinated the travelling exhibition. Although this quilt was not included in the original group, it was added to the exhibit at the Rock County Historical Society (Janesville, WI), when the Patchwork Souvenirs exhibit was on display there Oct 1-Nov 19, 1995

Contests entered:

Sears Quilt Contest, 1933 Chicago World's Fair

Ownership of this quilt is:

Private

Quilt owner's country:

United States

Quiltmaker's gender:

Female

In which kind of environment did the quiltmaker live?

Rural

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

Ran a cream and egg inspection station.

Quiltmaker's city:

DeSmeth

Quiltmaker's state:

South Dakota (SD)

Quiltmaker's country:

United States

Does/did the quiltmaker sell quilts?

yes

Any other notes or stories about the quiltmaker:

According to the family member, "Julia quilted for other people to supplement their income. Most of the time she would have a quilt on frames in their living room. She raised a family of five, three girls and two boys also two grandchildren whose parents died at an early age. George and Julia were perfect companions enjoying life together for 72 years. They died 10 days apart reaching the ages of 90 and 98."

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

Copyright holder:

Merikay Waldvogel

Cite this Quilt

Rowbotham, Juli. Flower Garden. 1930-1949. 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=33-29-41. Accessed: 03/29/24

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