QUILT INDEX RECORD

33-29-45

Description of quilt:

Whimsical Quilt with a Century of Progress theme.

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. The contest organizers offered an incentive for quilters to make original designs in the theme of the Chicago World's Fair "A Century of Progress." This is one of the most whimsical. These original designed quilts were not the favorites of local and regional judges, but two actually reached the final round and were judged at the Sears Pavilion. See #184 and #212 This quilt was included in the 1988 Quilt Engagement Calendar (Dutton). It was exhibited in a exhibit at the Hoover Museum (West Branch, Iowa).

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:

195

Person filling out this form is:

Quilt owner

If you are the quilt owner, how did you acquire this quilt?

Purchased the quilt

This is a:

Finished quilt

Quilt's title:

Phoenix Rising

How wide is the quilt?

72 inches

How long is the quilt?

92 inches

What color is the quilt?

Cream; Lavender; Purple; White; Yellow

Overall color scheme:

Bright or primary colors

Time period:

1930-1949

When was the quilt started?

1933

When was the quilt finished?

1933

Subject of the quilt:

Century of Progress, Chicago History

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Cotton

Fabric styles used in the quilt top:

Solid/plain

Piecing techniques used to make the quilt top:

Hand Piecing

Applique techniques used to make the quilt top:

Hand Applique

How are the layers held together?

Hand quilting

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

Prairie Points surround the quilt's outer edge.

Where the quilt was made, country:

United States

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

In 1998, the quilt was owned by the America Hurrah Collection. In January 1997, the quilt was in the collection of the Laura Fisher Galleries.

Why was the quilt made?

Challenge or Contest entry

Quilt is presently used as:

Exhibit; Investment

Where did the maker get their materials?

Purchased new

Where did the maker find their pattern?

Original to maker

Where did the quiltmaker find the pattern for the quilting design on the quilt?

Original to maker

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

The quilt's fanciful design commemorates the city of Chicago's efforts to overcome the Chicago Fire to become a world class city in 1933. Motifs that show up on other theme quilts for the contest are included also--a log cabin, a horse-drawn wagon, a modern automobbile, and an airplane. Compare this quiltmaker's "Sears Pavilion" in the upper left corner of the panel to others' designs that were traced.

Exhibitions where this quilt was displayed:

"Patterns of the Past: A Century of American Quilting" Jan 23, 2011 through ???, Herbert Hoover Museum, West Branch, Iowa.

Contests entered:

Sears Quilt Contest, 1933 Chicago World's Fair

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

See photo in 1998 Quilt Engagement Calendar (Week of July 26).

Ownership of this quilt is:

Private

Quilt owner's name:

Nancy Pfutzenreuter

Quilt owner's country:

United States

Quiltmaker's country:

United States

Access and copyright information:

Restricted