QUILT INDEX RECORD

33-29-73

Description of quilt:

Ora Stanley of Oakdale, CA won the $5 Mail Order Prize in the Los Angeles region.

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. Not much is known about the winners of the Los Angeles region except for the top three winners. The descendant of Ora Stanley still had the letter from Sears stating that she had won the $5 Mail Order prize.

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:

172

Person filling out this form is:

Son of quiltmaker

When was the form filled out?

1999

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

This is a:

Finished quilt

Quilt's title:

Ocean Waves

How wide is the quilt?

70 inches

How long is the quilt?

79 inches

What color is the quilt?

Pink; White

Overall color scheme:

Light or pastel colors

Time period:

1930-1949

When was the quilt started?

1928

When was the quilt finished?

1933

Describe the quilt's layout:

Block pattern

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Cotton

Fabric styles used in the quilt top:

Floral; Geometric; Multiple scrap

Quilt top made by:

Stanley, Ora Lee

Quilted by:

Starley, Ora Lee

Where the quilt was made, city:

Oakdale

Where the quilt was made, state:

California (CA)

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:

Exhibit; Keepsake/memento

Where did the maker find their pattern?

Public domain/traditional pattern

Exhibitions where this quilt was displayed:

1998 and 1999 Folsom Historical society Quilt show.

Contests entered:

Los Angeles Regional Round, Sears Quilt Contest, 1933 Chicago World's Fair. She won the $5 Mail Order Award.

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

Letter dated June 19, 1933 from Sue Roberts, Home Advisor for Sears Roebuck and Co. to Mrs. Ora L. Stanley, Oakdale, California. Red Ribbon with metal clip - Century of Progress National Quilt Contest/Mail Order Division Award/1933.

Ownership of this quilt is:

Private

Quilt owner's country:

United States

Quiltmaker's maiden name:

Bickel

Quiltmaker's gender:

Female

Quiltmaker's birth date:

04-10-1881

Quiltmaker's date and place of death:

1951

In which kind of environment did the quiltmaker live?

Rural

Quiltmaker's city:

Oakdale

Quiltmaker's state:

California (CA)

Quiltmaker's country:

United States

Any other notes or stories about the quiltmaker:

According to the quiltmaker's son, "Her husband left her with $10 and five children to raise. She was a chicken farmer and an avid quilter. She made this quilt with scraps saved and worked on it for five years or more. when she heard of the Sears Quilting Contest in conjunction with the 1933 World's Fair in Chicago she hurried to have it finished. It won a small prize. She died in 1951 and this beautiful quilt keeps her memory alive." When her son Bernard Stanley and his wife moved to an assisted living situation, they found the 1933 letter from Sears which congratulates Ora Lee Stanley for winning the $5 Mail Order prize.

Access and copyright information:

Restricted