QUILT INDEX RECORD

33-29-52

Description of quilt:

This quilt made by Lillie Belle Shaffer Carpenter of Hyndman, Pennsylvania won first place at the Philadelphia Regional round of judging and therefore was exhibited at the Sears Pavilion at the Chicago World's Fair in the Summer of 1933. It did not win one of the three top national awards. In 1934, when the organizers re-opened the Fair for a second season, Sears invited back the top 10 regional winners for a special exhibit. Mrs. Carpenter saved her ribbons, the correspondence with Sears, the listing of winners in the Philadelphia round, a newspaper account with photos of the top three winning quilts, and letters from people who attended the 1933 exhibit asking her for the pattern. The pattern named "Rising Sun" is a commercial pattern she bought from Hubert Ver Mehren. The family called it "Sunburst."

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.

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:

008

Person filling out this form is:

Son of quiltmaker

How did the quiltmaker participate in the creation of the quilt?

Other

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

Inherited

Who helped you fill out the form?

Brackman (1982) and Waldvogel (1992)

Location of data collection:

Waldvogel Collection

This is a:

Finished quilt

Quilt's title:

Rising Sun

How wide is the quilt?

How long is the quilt?

What color is the quilt?

Orange; Yellow

Overall color scheme:

Bright or primary colors

Time period:

1930-1949

When was the quilt started?

1933

When was the quilt finished?

1933

Family/owner's date for quilt:

1933

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

1933

Who estimated the quilt's date?

Merikay Waldvogel

Further information concerning dates:

Commercial pattern was published in 1932-1933

Describe the quilt's layout:

Medallion or framed center

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Cotton

Fabric types used to make the quilt top:

Sateen

Piecing techniques used to make the quilt top:

Hand Piecing

How are the layers held together?

Hand quilting

Quilting designs used, overall motifs:

Grid/crosshatch; Outline

Quilting designs used, decorative motifs:

Feathering; Floral; Wreaths

Quilting designs used, background fills:

Grid/crosshatch

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

The four color shades light and medium yellow and medium and dark orange are repeated in the center medallion and in the four outer borders. This distinctive coloration in large central medallion designs is a hallmark of Hubert Ver Mehren designs.

Quilt top made by:

Carpenter, Lillie Belle Shaffer

Quilted by:

Carpenter, Lillie Belle Shaffer

Where the quilt was made, city:

Hyndman

Where the quilt was made, state:

Pennsylvania (PA)

Where the quilt was made, country:

United States

How was this quilt acquired?

Gift

Tell the story of how the quilt was obtained:

The quilt shown in this record is actually a duplicate of the winning quilt. Someone purchased the winning quilt and Lillie Belle Carpenter made a second for her son, Carl.

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

The whereabouts of the original quilt is not known.

Why was the quilt made?

Challenge or Contest entry; Gift or presentation

The quilt was made to be used for:

Bedding, special occasion

Quilt is presently used as:

Unknown

Where did the maker get their materials?

Purchased new

Where did the maker find their pattern?

Commercial/Published source: Pattern; Commercial/Published source: Kit

Commercial name of the pattern for the top:

Hubert Ver Mehren c/o Needleart Co., 609 South Paulina St, Chicago, IL

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

Commercial pattern; Kit

What is the commercial name of the quilting design used for this quilt?

Hubert Ver Mehren c/o Needleart Co., 609 South Paulina St, Chicago, IL

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

This commercial pattern for both the piecing templates and the quilting designs was sold through a mail order catalog in 1932. The pattern was also available as a kit with the necessary fabrics in the correct color shading. It is likely Mrs. Carpenter used a kit for her original quilt as well as the duplicate.

Exhibitions where this quilt was displayed:

The quilt was one of only 30 quilts exhibited at 1933 National Sears Contest exhibit held at the Sears Pavilion on the grounds of the Chicago World's Fair in the summer of 1933. In 1934, Carpenter was invited to send her quilt for a special exhibit of the top 10 winning quilts held also at the Sears Pavilion. This quilt did not travel with the Patchwork Souvenirs exhibition, but the full story appears in the book “Patchwork Souvenirs of the 1933 World’s Fair.”

Contests entered:

1933 Sears Natioinal Quilt Contest

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. 39-42.

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

Family owns a number of important documents related to the 1933 Sears Quilt Contest. Many were photocopied in 1992 for the quilt's story in Patchwork Souvenirs. These photocopied materials include: Philadelphia newspaper account with photos of winning quilts, and the three judges; a photo of Lillie Belle Carpenter c. 1910; List of Philadelphia Regional winners and their hometowns; Newspaper (probably Hyndman, PA) "Hyndman Woman Wins in Quilting Contest"; Two similar articles; Letter dated May 27, 1933 from Sears Contest organizer tellng her that she won first place of $200 in the Philadelphia reion; Letter dated June 22, 1933, from Sears Contest organizer announcing the top 3 national winners; Letter dated August 2, 1933 from Sears contest organizer saying the company planned to publish a booklet of the winning pattern designs; Letter dated November 14, 1933 from Sears contest organizer, telling Carpenter her quilt would be returned to her; Letter from Needleart Co referencing the commercial pattern; Letters from viewers inquiring about the source of pattern.

Ownership of this quilt is:

Private

Quilt owner's country:

United States

Quiltmaker's maiden name:

Shaffer

Quiltmaker's gender:

Female

Quiltmaker's birth date:

1877

Quiltmaker's date and place of death:

1945

In which kind of environment did the quiltmaker live?

Rural

Quiltmaker's spouse's/spouses' and /or partner's/partners' name(s):

Carpenter, Virgil

Quiltmaker's city:

Hyndman

Quiltmaker's state:

Pennsylvania (PA)

Quiltmaker's country:

United States

Why does the quiltmaker quilt?

Pleasure

Any other notes or stories about the quiltmaker:

A poem was written by Mildred Carpenter in honor of Lillie Belle's quilting honor. Her Skillful Hands I see her sitting by a quilting frame; I see her shining needle weaving a pattern; She does not think her work will make for her a name Or that a lot of money she might ear. 'Twas just a bit of handwork for a brother; 'Twas just another act of helpfulness and love; "Twas just a bit from the dull life of a mother; "Twas just another accomplishment to approve. I see her hands as they skillfully stitch, stitch, stitch. Oh no, you would say, they are not very pretty, Not soft, tapering, and white like the idle rich but hands of a farmer's wife who does her duty. It is the old, old story proven once again, Using one's intellect and one's hand for service; A fully rich, most abundant life you attain And thru the hardship comes the rising sun of bliss.

Who photographed this quilt?

Gary Heatherly

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

Copyright holder:

Merikay Waldvogel