QUILT INDEX RECORD

12-8-5649

Who documented this quilt?

Michigan Quilt Project; Michigan State University Museum Collection; Quilts and Human Rights

Where are the records for this quilt housed?

Michigan State University Museum

Michigan Quilt Project Number:

10.0167

If this quilt is owned by a museum, enter the accession number:

2010:113.1

Object label:

Survivors 2003
Aniko Feher
Southfield, Michigan
2010
Collection of Michigan State University Museum acc.#2010:113.1

Essay:

This is a memorial quilt dedicated to my mother, who was a Holocaust survivor. She was liberated in Bergen-Belsen. After liberation Bergen-Belsen became a DP camp. It took her a while to recuperated from starvation. Once she was physically stronger she wanted to return home and find her family. Survivors were promised transportation home but after many months no transportation was provided. My mother with 4 other survivors from Budapest decided to go home on their own. Most of their journey was on foot. Somewhere on that journey a tiny group photo was Taken of the 5 survivors. In the group photo my mother is the second from the left, the large portrait is also of her when she was old and fragile, before she passed away.

I don’t recall the names of the other people. My mother and them parted ways when they got into Budapest. She said the two girls on the right were sisters and the shorter one was only 15 years old. The woman on the left was a married woman who had a little girl left behind in the Ghetto. All through that long and hard journey she was carrying a doll for the child as a gift. On the last leg of the journey they were traveling on a crowded train. While they slept someone stole the doll. This woman was inconsolable, how can she come home without a gift for her daughter? She didn’t even know if her child was still alive.

My mother didn’t want to talk about her war time experiences, but stories bubbled to the surface in the most unexpected ways. She never allowed me to wear yellow and never explained why. During the war, Jews were forced to wear a yellow star on their clothing to mark them. She would never allow my ears to be pierced. When I was older, she told me: 'I saw too many times woman’s earrings getting torn out of their ears.'

--Aniko Feher

Quilt's title:

Survivors 2003

Quilt top made by:

Feher, Aniko

Quilted by:

Feher, Aniko

If you are the quilt owner, how did you acquire this quilt?

Purchased the quilt

Where the quilt was made, city:

Royal Oak

Where the quilt was made, county:

Oakland

Where the quilt was made, state:

Michigan (MI)

Where the quilt was made, country:

United States

Time period:

2000-2025

When was the quilt started?

2010

When was the quilt finished?

2010

Why was the quilt made?

Commemorative; Memorial

Quilt is presently used as:

Museum collection

Quiltmaker's city:

Royal Oak

Quiltmaker's county:

Oakland

Quiltmaker's state:

Michigan (MI)

Quiltmaker's birthplace, country:

Hungary

Other notes on how the quiltmaker learned, and how and why they quilt:

Born and raised in Hungary, quilting was an unknown art form to me. All my life I loved to draw people and their faces. It fascinated me that behind every face there was a life story. Yet a portrait is a moment in time that captures the whole person. When I came to the United States, I discovered quilting rather accidently at an art fair. I remember how that quilt immediately attracted me with its colors and softness. At first I tried teaching myself quilting at home. Later on I realized there were such a things as guilds and classes, but by that time it was too late. I was off doing my own thing....

This is a:

Finished quilt

How wide is the quilt?

41"

How long is the quilt?

47"

Shape of edge:

Straight

Shape of corners:

Straight

What color is the quilt?

Gold; Gray; Red; White

Quilt's condition:

Excellent/like new

Describe the quilt's layout:

Medallion or framed center

Number of borders:

2

Describe the borders:

inner, gray; outer pieced multicolored

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Cotton

Piecing techniques used to make the quilt top:

Machine Piecing

Applique techniques used to make the quilt top:

Machine Applique

Embellishment techniques used to make the quilt top:

Ink drawing; Painting

Materials used to make the back:

Cotton

Materials used in the quilt binding:

Cotton

How is the binding made?

Straight grain

What is the width of the binding (measure on the top only)?

half inch - one inch

What kind of filling is used in the quilt?

Cotton

How are the layers held together?

Machine quilting

Quilting designs used, overall motifs:

Outline

Describe the quilting designs used:

Barbed wire

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

This is a memorial quilt dedicated to my mother, who was a Holocaust survivor. She was liberated in Bergen-Belsen. After liberation Bergen-Belsen became a DP camp. It took her a while to recuperated from starvation. Once she was physically stronger she wanted to return home and find her family. Survivors were promised transportation home but after many months no transportation was provided. My mother with 4 other survivors from Budapest decided to go home on their own. Most of their journey was on foot. Somewhere on that journey a tiny group photo was Taken of the 5 survivors. In the group photo my mother is the second from the left, the large portrait is also of her when she was old and fragile, before she passed away. I don’t recall the names of the other people. My mother and them parted ways when they got into Budapest. She said the two girls on the right were sisters and the shorter one was only 15 years old. The woman on the left was a married woman who had a little girl left behind in the Ghetto. All through that long and hard journey she was carrying a doll for the child as a gift. On the last leg of the journey they were traveling on a crowded train. While they slept someone stole the doll. This woman was inconsolable, how can she come home without a gift for her daughter? She didn’t even know if her child was still alive. My mother didn’t want to talk about her war time experiences, but stories bubbled to the surface in the most unexpected ways. She never allowed me to wear yellow and never explained why. During the war, Jews were forced to wear a yellow star on their clothing to mark them. She would never allow my ears to be pierced. When I was older, she told me: “I saw too many times woman’s earrings getting torn out of their ears.”

Where did the maker get their materials?

Purchased new

Where did the maker find their pattern?

Original to maker

Exhibitions where this quilt was displayed:

This will part the MSU Museum's touring exhibit, Quilts and Human Rights.

Source of the information on this quilt:

Museum employee

Ownership of this quilt is:

Public- Michigan State University Museum

Quilt owner's name:

Michigan State University Museum

Quilt owner's city:

East Lansing

Quilt owner's county:

Ingham

Quilt owner's state:

Michigan (MI)

Quilt owner's country:

United States

How was this quilt acquired?

Purchase

Describe anything about the history of the quilt that wasn't already recorded in a previous field:

The MSU Museum commissioned Aniko Feher to make a copy of her quilt Survivors 2003.

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

Who photographed this quilt?

Pearl Yee Wong

Copyright holder:

MSU Board of Trustees