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Star of the Bluegrass

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QUILT INDEX RECORD

33-29-48

Description of quilt:

Duplicate of the Grand Prize Winning Quilt - Star of Bluegrass entered by Margaret Caden, Lexington, KY

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 grand prize winning quilt was entered by Margaret Caden although she probably had professional quilters from Eastern Kentucky make the quilt. As part of the honor of winning the $1000 top prize, the quilt was to be presented to the new first lady of the land, Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt. According to the niece-in-law of Margaret Caden, this quilt is an exact duplicate of the prize winning quilt. Miss Caden was not pleased to learn that her quilt would be given to Mrs. Roosevelt and that she would never see it again. So she had a duplicate quilt made. It is not known who made this quilt or if it is made of the same fabrics because the original quilt entry has not been seen since it was given to Mrs. Roosevelt and only b/w photos were ever taken of the quilt.

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:

130

Person filling out this form is:

Quilt owner

This is a:

Finished quilt

Quilt's title:

Star of the Bluegrass

What color is the quilt?

Green

Overall color scheme:

Light or pastel colors

Time period:

1930-1949

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

After 1934

Describe the quilt's layout:

Block pattern

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

Describe the techniques used to make the quilt top:

The padded (or "stuffed") quilting is distinctive. The original quilt entered by Margaret Caden was stuffed in the same design.

How are the layers held together?

Hand quilting

Quilting designs used, decorative motifs:

Other

Quilting designs used, background fills:

Grid/crosshatch

Describe the quilting designs used:

Multi-leaf fern designs fill the non-pieced areas--in the solid blocks and in the outer border.

Where the quilt was made, state:

Kentucky (KY)

Where the quilt was made, country:

United States

How was this quilt acquired?

Inheritance

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

It is assumed this duplicate quilt was made by professional quilters that Miss Caden employed on a regular basis, but their names are not known and its not clear if the same women worked on the original prize winning quilt.

Quilt is presently used as:

Investment; Keepsake/memento

Where did the maker get their materials?

Purchased new

Where did the maker find their pattern?

Another quilt

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

Another quilt

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

This quilt design was added to the Mountain Mist pattern line in 1950. It is Pattern #100 "Star of the Bluegrass."

Exhibitions where this quilt was displayed:

This quilt was discovered too late to be included in the exhibition “Patchwork Souvenirs of the 1933 World’s Fair” curated by Merikay Waldvogel and Barbara Brackman. This duplicate quilt was added to the exhibtion at the Lexington, KY exhibition (Feb 18-Apr 8, 1996) at the University of Kentucky Art Museum.

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)

Ownership of this quilt is:

Private

Quilt owner's country:

United States

In which kind of environment did the quiltmaker live?

Rural

Quiltmaker's country:

United States

Who photographed this quilt?

Gary Heatherly

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

Copyright holder:

Merikay Waldvogel

Cite this Quilt

Star of the Bluegrass. 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=33-29-48. Accessed: 03/29/24

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