QUILT INDEX RECORD
12-8-1010
Who documented this quilt?
Michigan Quilt Project
Where are the records for this quilt housed?
Michigan State University Museum
Michigan Quilt Project Number:
02.0464
Quilt's title:
Clams Incognito
Names for quilt's pattern in common use:
Clamshell charm
Quilt top made by:
Donaldson, Beth
Quilted by:
Donaldson, Elizabeth Ann
If you are the quilt owner, how did you acquire this quilt?
Made the quilt
Where the quilt was made, city:
Lansing
Where the quilt was made, county:
Ingham
Where the quilt was made, state:
Michigan (MI)
Time period:
1976-1999
When was the quilt finished?
1996
Details about why the quilt was made:
This quilt was made for "Charm Quilts"
Quiltmaker's gender:
Female
Quiltmaker's city:
Lansing
Quiltmaker's county:
Ingham
Quiltmaker's state:
Michigan (MI)
Quiltmaker's maiden name:
Kolodziej
Quiltmaker's birth date:
5/1/1957
In which kind of environment did the quiltmaker live?
Urban
Quiltmaker's ethnic background/tribal affiliation:
Polish American
Quiltmaker's educational background:
3 years of college
Quiltmaker's religious affiliation:
Roman Catholic
Quiltmaker's occupation:
Quilter, quilt historian, Quilt collections assistant, MSU Museum
Quiltmaker's father's name:
Kolodziej, Chester John
Quiltmaker's father's ethnic/tribal background:
Polish American
Quiltmaker's mother's name:
Kolodziej, Joan Trybus
Quiltmaker's mother's ethnic/tribal background:
Polish American
Quiltmaker's marriage date(s):
June 1, 1979
Quiltmaker's spouse's/spouses' and /or partner's/partners' name(s):
Donaldson, Thomas James
Quiltmaker's spouse's/spouses' and/or partner's/partners' ethnic/tribal background:
Irish, French Canadian, American, Scottish
Quiltmaker's spouse's/spouses' and/or partner's/partners' occupation:
Vice President, Delphi Glass Corporation, Senior Analyst Small Business Administration
Number of children:
2
How many of the quiltmaker's children were girls?
2
When did the quiltmaker learn to quilt?
Age 11-19
Estimated number of quilts made by this quiltmaker:
more than 50
Does/did the quiltmaker sell quilts?
yes
Does/did the quiltmaker teach quilting?
yes
Does/did the quiltmaker belong to a group? Name of the group?
Capitol City Quilt Guild, The Charm Group.
Where does/did the group meet?
Lansing, MI
What are the main activities of the group?
Raffle quilts, charity quilts, round robins, block exchanges, challenge quilts.
This is a:
Finished quilt
How wide is the quilt?
45"
How long is the quilt?
45"
Shape of edge:
Straight
Shape of corners:
Straight
Quilt's condition:
Excellent/like new
Describe the type of inscription:
Title
What is inscribed on the quilt?
Clams Incognito, A Charm Quilt, by Beth Donaldson, Lansing, Michigan, 1996, 180 Clamshells, 45" x 45", Machine pieced and machine quilted
What is the date inscribed on the quilt?
1996
Location of inscription:
on back
Describe the quilt's layout:
Block pattern
Number of quilt blocks:
180
Size of quilt blocks:
4"
Arrangement of quilt blocks:
Straight
Number of borders:
2
Describe the borders:
Inner, 1 3/4"; Outer, 3"
Fiber types used to make the quilt top:
Cotton
Piecing techniques used to make the quilt top:
Machine Piecing
Materials used to make the back:
Cotton
What is the width of the binding (measure on the top only)?
less than a half inch
What kind of filling is used in the quilt?
Cotton or polyester blend
How are the layers held together?
Machine quilting
Number of quilting stitches per inch, place 1:
15
Number of quilting stitches per inch, place 2:
15
Quilting designs used, background fills:
Parallel lines
Commercial name of the pattern for the top:
"Charm Quilts" by Beth Donaldson, for EZ Quilting by Wright's, 1995, page 96.
Exhibitions where this quilt was displayed:
Many quilt shows where I have taught around Michigan
Related items such as diaries, obituaries, wills, household inventories, or pictures of the quiltmaker:
Charm Quilts by Beth Donaldson, for EZ Quilting by Wright's, 1995, page 96. "A Flair for Quilting, Meet Beth Donaldson, a dynamic teacher of many talents" by Nancy Roberts; Traditional Quiltworks, issue 76, page 24.
Publications (including web sites) where this quilt or maker was featured:
Have published two books, Block By Block for That Patchwork Place in 1995 and Charm Quilts for EZ International in 1997.
Ownership of this quilt is:
Private
Quilt owner's name:
Beth Donaldson
Quilt owner's city:
Lansing
Quilt owner's county:
Ingham
Quilt owner's state:
Michigan (MI)
How was this quilt acquired?
Made by owner
Access and copyright information:
Restricted
How did the quiltmaker participate in the creation of the quilt?
Made entire quilt
Where did the quiltmaker find the pattern for the quilting design on this quilt?
Original to maker
Describe any favorite patterns, tools, etc. used by the quiltmaker:
Sewing machine, Traditional, bed quilts.
Who photographed this quilt?
Sharon Risedorph
Copyright holder:
Michigan State University Museum
Cite this Quilt
Donaldson, Bet. Clams Incognito. 1996. From Michigan State University Museum, Michigan Quilt Project. Published in The Quilt Index, https://quiltindex.org/view/?type=fullrec&kid=12-8-1010. Accessed: 04/27/24
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Donaldson, Beth Author; Designer; Owner; Quiltmaker
Michigan Quilt Project
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Donaldson, Beth Author; Designer; Owner; Quiltmaker
Michigan Quilt Project