QUILT INDEX RECORD

33-29-80

Description of quilt:

This quilt "Vases of Flowers" was made by an expert quiltmaker named Alma Cummings. For her contest entry, she completed a quilt kit Bucilla #8099 "Twin Vase" published in 1932. As well as this quilt is made, it did not win a ribbon.

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:

014

Person filling out this form is:

Blood relative of quiltmaker

Source of the information on this quilt:

Grand-daughter

When was the form filled out?

1983

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?

Barbara Brackman (1983) and Waldvogel (1993-94)

Location of data collection:

Waldvogel Collection

This is a:

Finished quilt

Quilt's title:

Vases of Flowers

Names for quilt's pattern in common use:

Twin Vase (Bucilla kit 8099)

How wide is the quilt?

72 inches

How long is the quilt?

86 inches

What color is the quilt?

Blue or Navy; Brown; Gold; Green; White; Yellow

Overall color scheme:

Light or pastel colors

Time period:

1930-1949

When was the quilt finished?

1933

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

1933

Who estimated the quilt's date?

Merikay Waldvogel

Further information concerning dates:

The quilt kit used by the quiltmaker was introduced by Bucilla in 1932.

Describe the quilt's layout:

Vertical bands

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Cotton

Fabric styles used in the quilt top:

Solid/plain

Describe the fibers or fabrics in the quilt top:

The print fabric is a reproduction of earlier calico prints. It was said to reproduce old "oil boil calicos."

Applique techniques used to make the quilt top:

Blanket, buttonhole, or other decorative applique stitch; Hand Applique

Embellishment techniques used to make the quilt top:

Embroidery

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

The scalloped edge is finished with a print cotton binding.

Quilt top made by:

Cummings, Alma Irene Hull

Quilted by:

Cummings, Alma Irene Hull

Where the quilt was made, city:

Scotch Ridge

Where the quilt was made, state:

Iowa (IA)

Where the quilt was made, country:

United States

How was this quilt acquired?

Inheritance

Why was the quilt made?

Challenge or Contest entry; Personal enjoyment

The quilt was made to be used for:

Bedding, special occasion

Where did the maker get their materials?

Purchased new

Where did the maker find their pattern?

Commercial/Published source: Kit

Commercial name of the pattern for the top:

Need to insert info here.

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

Kit

Exhibitions where this quilt was displayed:

This quilt travelled with the exhibition of 30 quilts entitled “Patchwork Souvenirs of the 1933 World’s Fair” was curated by Merikay Waldvogel and Barbara Brackman. The Knoxville Museum of Art and Smith-Kramer, Inc. coordinated the travelling exhibition to the following sites: Jan 7-Feb 7, 1994 Palm Beach, FL (The Society of the Four Arts); Mar 20-July 17, 1994 Lexington, MA (Museum of Our National Heritage); Aug 7–Sep 25, 1994 Midland, MI (Midland Center for the Arts); Oct 16–Dec 4, 1994 Logan, KS (Dane G. Hansen Memorial Museum; Dec 18, 1994–Apr 23, 1995 Chicago, IL (Chicago Cultural Center); May 10-Jul 2, 1995 Grosse Pointe Shores, MI (Edsel and Eleanor Ford House); Jul 23-Sep 10, 1995 Los Angeles, CA (Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum); Oct 1-Nov 19, 1995 Janesville, WI (Rock County Historical Society); Dec 10, 1995-Jan 28, 1996 Neenah, WI (Bergstrom-Mahler Museum); Feb 18-Apr 8, 1996 Lexington, KY (University of Kentucky Art Museum); May 3-July 24, 1996 Knoxville, TN (Knoxville Museum of Art).

Contests entered:

Sears National 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), pp. 30-31.

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

Photo of quiltmaker is on pg 31 of Patchwork Souvenirs.

Ownership of this quilt is:

Private

Quilt owner's country:

United States

Quiltmaker's maiden name:

Hull

Quiltmaker's gender:

Female

Quiltmaker's birth date:

08/09/1890

Quiltmaker's date and place of death:

08/09/1977

In which kind of environment did the quiltmaker live?

Rural

Quiltmaker's spouse's/spouses' and/or partner's/partners' occupation:

Farmer

Quiltmaker's city:

Scotch Ridge

Quiltmaker's state:

Iowa (IA)

Quiltmaker's country:

United States

Why does the quiltmaker quilt?

Income; Pleasure

Estimated number of quilts made by this quiltmaker:

more than 50

Does/did the quiltmaker sell quilts?

yes

Any other notes or stories about the quiltmaker:

According to her grand-daughter, she made hundreds of quqilts. "She learned to quilt from her mother Emma Hull when she was a very young girl. The family had heard that she won so many prizes at the Iowa State Fair that they told her to stop entering." Interview report with Barbara Brackman in 1983.

Who photographed this quilt?

Gary Heatherly

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

Copyright holder:

Merikay Waldvogel