QUILT INDEX RECORD

33-29-72

Description of quilt:

Century of Progress Quilt from Nebraska

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. Sears offered a $200 bonus for an original design of the Century of Progress theme. This quilt is particularly charming since the quiltmaker appears to have made her own applique designs.

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:

231

Person filling out this form is:

Relative of quiltmaker

When was the form filled out?

2005

Who helped you fill out the form?

Merikay Waldvogel

This is a:

Finished quilt

Quilt's title:

Transportation Quilt

Names for quilt's pattern in common use:

Century of Progress

How wide is the quilt?

inches

How long is the quilt?

inches

What color is the quilt?

Blue or Navy; Cream; Red; Yellow

Overall color scheme:

Bright or primary colors

Type of inscription:

Date; Message; Place

What is inscribed on the quilt?

CENTURY OF PROGRESS CHICAGO 1933

What is the date inscribed on the quilt?

1933

Method used to make the inscription:

Other

Describe the method used to inscribe the quilt:

Applique

Location of inscription:

other

Describe where the inscription was found:

Front -- across the top of the quilt

Time period:

1930-1949

When was the quilt started?

1933

When was the quilt finished?

1933

Describe the quilt's layout:

Pictorial

Subject of the quilt:

Changes in transportation from 1833 to 1933

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Cotton

Fabric styles used in the quilt top:

Solid/plain

Applique techniques used to make the quilt top:

Hand Applique

Quilting designs used, overall motifs:

Grid square

Quilting designs used, background fills:

Grid/crosshatch

Where the quilt was made, country:

United States

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

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

Original to maker

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 country:

United States

Access and copyright information:

Restricted