QUILT INDEX RECORD

33-29-95

Description of quilt:

Edith Morrow Matthews's dynamic quilt won first place in the Los Angeles regional contest with 1000 entries.

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. Edith Matthews named it "The Spectrum." The quilt went to Chicago for judging and was exhibited in both seasons of the Chicago World's Fair -- Summers of 1933 and 1934. She kept correspondence from the Sears Contest organizer which helps historians understand how the quilts were handled and exhbited. She was not the only prize winner who kept a box of treasured memories of this quilt contest experience.

Where are the records for this quilt housed?

Merikay Waldvogel Legacy Project; Oregon Quilt Project

Who documented this quilt?

Merikay Waldvogel Legacy Project; Sears Quilt Contest 1933 Chicago World's Fair

Merikay Waldvogel Legacy Project Number:

Waldvogel Collection #035; Oregon Quilt Project #2012.01.023

Person filling out this form is:

Niece of quiltmaker

When was the form filled out?

1984

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?

Brackman (1984)

Location of data collection:

Oregon Quilt Project location: Westminster Pres. Church

This is a:

Finished quilt

Quilt's title:

The Spectrum

How wide is the quilt?

76 inches

How long is the quilt?

92 inches

What color is the quilt?

Blue or Navy; Gold; Green; Lavender; Red; Yellow

Overall color scheme:

Bright or primary colors

Type of inscription:

Date; Signature

What is inscribed on the quilt?

Edith Matthews 1933 Later label: "The Spectrum" Owner's own Lucille and Phi Kinnaman #035 3.5

What is the date inscribed on the quilt?

1933

Method used to make the inscription:

Embroidery

Location of inscription:

on back

Time period:

1930-1949

When was the quilt started?

1933

When was the quilt finished?

1933

Family/owner's date for quilt:

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:

Broadcloth

Fabric styles used in the quilt top:

Solid/plain

Piecing techniques used to make the quilt top:

Hand Piecing; Machine Piecing

Applique techniques used to make the quilt top:

Hand Applique

Describe the techniques used to make the quilt top:

The swirling design is especially difficult to do, but it makes for a dynamic quilt. The white central orb with radiating spikes is appliqued to cover the point where the swirls come together.

What color is the back of the quilt?

Cream

Describe the back:

Machine sewn; Solid/plain

How are the layers held together?

Hand quilting

Quilting designs used, overall motifs:

Echo; Outline

Describe the quilting designs used:

In the center area, the quilting is in concentric circles (1" apart) which expand out and cross over the swirling colors. At the outer areas, the quilting sometimes follows the curves of the swirls.

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

A traditional quilter might never attempt a design with curves and ponts that come together as they do in this quilt. Since it was her first quilt, she may not have known how difficult her chosen design would be.

Quilt top made by:

Matthews, Edith Morrow

Quilted by:

Matthews, Edith Morrow

Where the quilt was made, city:

Winnemucca

Where the quilt was made, state:

Nevada (NV)

Where the quilt was made, country:

United States

How was this quilt acquired?

Inheritance

Tell the story of how the quilt was obtained:

The current owner is the great niece of the quiltmaker. She inherited the quilt from her father, Phinea Kinnaman.

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

Describe the sources of the quilt's materials:

She used Sears "Pastoral Cloth" cotton fabric.

Where did the maker find their pattern?

Original to maker

Describe the source of the pattern:

Her husband supposedly came up with the design idea for the quilt. Source: Newspaper article.

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

Original to maker

Exhibitions where this quilt was displayed:

Quilt was exhibited at the 1933 Chicago World's Fair and also with the top winning quilts at the 1934 Chicago World's Fair. Exhibition site: The Sears Pavilion. West Coast Quilter's Conference, Portland, OR, 1984. Missouri Quilt Conference, Columbia, MO, 1984? Quilt was also exhibited at a show organized by Joyce Gross of Mill Valley, CA. 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). The Unbroken Thread, Quilt Show. Lane County Historical Museum, Eugene, OR. April 17-25, 2004. Lane County Fair Quilt Exhibit, ?

Contests entered:

Century of Progress Quilt Contest, Los Angeles, CA, USA, May 1933 Prizes or Awards Won: 1st place out of over 1,000 quilts entered. Won $210 and was given a large walnut sewing cabinet as a small token of appreciation from Sears. 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), pg 101, 104-105. Note: The color photo on pg 105 was reversed. The photo of the quilt on display in Los Angeles with its two ribbons showing is oriented correctly--with the swirls going clockwise. Quilters' Journal (ed. Joyce Gross), No. 27 cover, pp.

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

Photo of quiltmaker standing in front of her quilt is on pg 104 of Patchwork Souvenirs of the 1933 World's Fair. News clippings of articles related to her winning quilt: Humboldt Star and Silver State (Winnemucca, Nevada). "When she opened a letter she received today from Sears, Roebuck and Co., Los Angeles, a $200 check fell out of the envelope." [Note: amount is marked out -- it should have been $210 which means she probably won a lower level prize, too.] This article in her local paper included the information provided by Sears Roebuck & Co. announcing the 2 other regional winners and the three national winners. "Mrs. R. Mathews of This City Sees Silver on Clouds" in Humboldt Star and Silver State, June 23, 1933. Correspondence to and from Sears includes: Mrs. Ralph Matthews to Sears, Roebuck & Co. in Los Angeles (May 9, 1933) in which she declares hers is an original design she named "The Spectrum." She added that she used "your Pastoral Cloth. Your Pastoral Cloth is certainly wonderful cloth to work with." F. R. Henninger to Mrs. Ralph Matthews (June 19, 1933) informing her of her contest success. He mentions the two checks she won for first prize in both the Los Angeles Region and in the Los Angeles Mail Order House rounds. F. R. Henninger (Sears in Los Angeles) to editor of Humboldt Star and Silver State (June 19, 1933) telling of Mrs. Matthews winning quilt and including a photo and story to include. Fritz Hooker of Stearns & Foster Co. to Mrs. Ralph Matthews (October 14, 1933) asking if she might have used Mountain Mist batting. He noted that Miss Caden, the grand prize winner, used a Stearns and Foster batting "White Rose." Sue Roberts to Mrs. Ralph Matthews (November 14, 1933) notifying the quiltmaker that her quilt was being returned to her by insured express. Sue Roberts to Mrs. Ralph Matthews (August 7, 1934) expresses her appreciation for the loan of her quilt and she gave instructions for sending the quilt. Sears also offered to sell the quilt if she would provide a price. Sue Roberts to Mrs. Ralph Matthews (August 21, 1934) Safe arrival of her quilt to the 1934 exhibit. Sue Roberts to Mrs. Ralph Matthews (November 20, 1934) thanking her for the loan of her quilt for the 1934 exhibit. As a token of appreciation, they sent a walnut sewing cabinet.

Ownership of this quilt is:

Private

Quilt owner's name:

Darlene Fisher

Quilt owner's state:

Oregon (OR)

Quilt owner's country:

United States

Quiltmaker's maiden name:

Morrow

Quiltmaker's gender:

Female

Quiltmaker's birth date:

02/19/1884

Quiltmaker's date and place of death:

08/07/1971

In which kind of environment did the quiltmaker live?

Rural

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

Matthews, Ralph

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

Mechanical Engineer

Quiltmaker's city:

Winnemucca

Quiltmaker's state:

Nevada (NV)

Quiltmaker's country:

United States

Why does the quiltmaker quilt?

Pleasure

Estimated number of quilts made by this quiltmaker:

1-5 quilts

Any other notes or stories about the quiltmaker:

According to one newspaper account, the idea for this quilt came from her husband. She told the newspaper reporter that this was her first quilt. "And there's another part of the story too. If you asked grandmother about making quilts, you would probably be led to believe that only the women of a bygone day knew how to make quilts. "But Mrs. Mathews confesses that she never made a quilt before in her life. Prize winner that she is, grandmother would probably consider her still just a rank amateur. " ' All it took,' says Mrs. Mathews. Was good hard work, five to eight [missing info]. Keep on seeing the rainbows, we might add. Source: Humboldt Star & Silver State (June 23, 1933). She was known as the " Bobcat Lady" in Winnemucca because she used to walk her pet Bobcat on a leash.

Who photographed this quilt?

Gary Heatherly

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

Copyright holder:

Merikay Waldvogel

Details

• 

  Overall condition:

  Very good/almost new

  Materials used to make the back:

  Cotton

  Number of pieces of fabric in the quilt back:

  3

  Width of pieces on the back:

  10.5"; 32.75"; 33"

  How is the binding made?

  Edges turned in/ no separate binding