QUILT INDEX RECORD

33-29-60

Description of quilt:

Sears Building commemorative

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:

176

Person filling out this form is:

Daughter of quiltmaker

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

Who helped you fill out the form?

Waldvogel

Location of data collection:

2003

This is a:

Finished quilt

Quilt's title:

Sears Building

How wide is the quilt?

How long is the quilt?

inches

What color is the quilt?

Blue or Navy; Lavender; Purple; White

Overall color scheme:

Light or pastel colors

What is inscribed on the quilt?

The quilt has a piece of the original tag still visible that was sewn into the binding on the bottom right corner and then cut off. The official contest entry label includes contest entry information: Name of Maker. Pattern Name, When Quilt Was Made, Selling Price if willing to sell, Quilter's Name, Address, City and State, Sears Store Name/Number. Entry label also included the following statement: "I certify that this quilt is entirely of my own making, and that it has never been exhibited previously" to which the quilter signed her name.

Time period:

1930-1949

When was the quilt started?

1933

When was the quilt finished?

1933

Describe the quilt's layout:

Medallion or framed center

Subject of the quilt:

Sears Pavilion at the Century of Progress Exposition

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

Embellishment techniques used to make the quilt top:

Embroidery

How are the layers held together?

Hand quilting

Quilt top made by:

Greer, Alice Summers

Quilted by:

Greer, Alice Summers

Where the quilt was made, city:

Sunbright

Where the quilt was made, state:

Tennessee (TN)

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?

Original to maker

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

The family story is that Alice used a drawing of the Sears Pavilion on the cover of the Sears Roebuck catalog that year for her quilt design and the one airplane on her quilt is Charles Lindbergh's "Spirit of St. Louis."

Exhibitions where this quilt was displayed:

This quilt was included in a special exhibition at the 2003 Spring International Quilt Festival “The Quintessential Quilt” at Rosemont outside Chicago, IL on April 10-13, 2003. Curated by Merikay Waldvogel. Festival organized by Quilts, Inc. Houston, TX.

Contests entered:

Sears Quilt Contest, 1933 Chicago World's Fair

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

Quiltmaker's maiden name:

Summers

Quiltmaker's gender:

Female

Quiltmaker's birth date:

1891

Quiltmaker's date and place of death:

1971

In which kind of environment did the quiltmaker live?

Rural

Quiltmaker's city:

Sunbright

Quiltmaker's state:

Tennessee (TN)

Quiltmaker's country:

United States

Any other notes or stories about the quiltmaker:

In 1933 at the time of the contest, Alice Greer was the postmaster of Sunbright, Tennessee, a small town northwest of Knoxville. Later, she worked as a teacher for the county schools. After retirement, she went on to college, graduating in 1962. Her daughter remembers her mother's story of making the quilt and going on the train to Chicago to see the winning quilts.

Who photographed this quilt?

Merikay Waldvogel

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

Copyright holder:

Merikay Waldvogel