QUILT INDEX RECORD

18-14-26

Essay:

This Delectable Mountains quilt is a close copy of the quilt that won 3rd place at the 1933 Sears Quilt Contest. A photo of the quilt also appeared in the instructional booklet used by Mary Gasperik at Tuley Park Quilting Club. However, this quilt is inscribed 1953 in the quilting. She may have put aside the 1930s quilt top and finished the quilting in 1953. This quilt contains an unusual number of pieced patterns and an array of quilting motifs, all of which can be traced to commercial sources.

On July 1, 2001 Joanne recorded the following information on a patch sewn to the back of the now-repaired quilt. It reads as follows:

“On January 4, 2001 Sufi Salser, a young golden retriever, had a bad day. She took her frustration out on this quilt. “Delectable Mountains” was an important quilt to our grandmother Mary Gasperik. She had made one several years earlier and had liked it so much that she made this second quilt in 1953. It received a ribbon at the Illinois State Fair a few years later. When Mary’s quilts were divided among the families of Elsie and Elmer, Doris selected it as one of her quilts. It was given to my cousin David Gasperik some time later. After the 1992 Mary Gasperik quilt show it stayed at cousin Susan Salser’s house. I received the quilt a few days after the incident and saw the damage: a 42” long tear along the side of the quilt, near the edge.

Cherrywood Fabrics had 2 of the fabrics, namely the green backing and what I first considered to be a perfect green for the front. Later a reproduction fabric of “poison green” from Vintage and Vogue replaced that green. The brown fabric was found during a quilting excursion in Florida. The light background fabric turned out to be the greatest challenge. That turned up in Wisconsin at Patched Works.

For the actual restoration I consulted longtime restoration expert Linda Honsberger. She guided me through the process. First and foremost she taught: never remove anything. The first step involved pulling the torn sections together and lining up the distorted areas and basting. Then I appliquéd the backing. In order to avoid any marks on the quilt, I transferred the quilt pattern from the front to the back, a few inches at a time by pushing straight pins through the quilt, along the quilting line. I could not quilt through the whole sandwich, but only through the top fabric, the original fabric and the batting, in other words ¾ through the sandwich. As larger areas were quilted on the back, I was able to appliqué the fabric patches onto the front of the quilt, and then transfer the quilt pattern from the back to the front, mark with pins, scratch and quilt. I made the interesting discovery that the ochre color of the binding and in the trees was originally a yellow-green similar to the backing (or maybe the same as the backing). I guess that’s known as “fugitive blue”.

I began the restoration on May 25, 2001 and worked on it till June 6. For company reasons it was put away till June 25 and finished early in the day on July 1, 2001. A special trip to California to deliver the quilt was scheduled July 23-25, 2001.

Joanne Gasperik” [signed]

Where are the records for this quilt housed?

Mary Gasperik Legacy Project

Who documented this quilt?

Mary Gasperik Private Collection

Gasperik Legacy Project Number:

021

This is a:

Finished quilt

Quilt's title:

Delectable Mountains

Owner's name for quilt:

Delectable Mountains

How wide is the quilt?

85 inches

How long is the quilt?

101 inches

Shape of edge:

Straight

Shape of corners:

Straight

What color is the quilt?

Brown; Gold; Green; White

Quilt's condition:

Excellent/like new

Damage:

Other

Describe the damage:

Small black inkstain in center block between two lower birds. A dog tore the quilt along its right-hand side in January 2001, after this photo was taken. The tear was repaired by Joanne Gasperik summer 2001.

Repairs:

Patched with new fabrics

Notes on condition, damage, or repairs:

Susan Salser has a set of photographs of the damage done to the quilt (by her dog) on January 4, 2001 when the quilt was still at her house years after the Ravenswood quilt show and Gasperik quilt photo shoot of 1992. Joanne Gasperik offered to repair the appalling 42" long by 6" wide tear running along half of the right side of the quilt through its lower right corner. Joanne's initial reaction, recorded in an e-mail to Susan dated 1/12/2001 reads (in an effort to cheer Susan up) "The quilt is not as bad as I thought! Really. I don't want to make light of it. It's going to be quite a task, especially the reverse stitching. There is one green and one brown swatch that I actually have to replace. There are three areas of background fabric, where I'll have to make a seam to replace the torn area. The other areas are small pieces which were pieced in, and I merely replace that whole trapezoid area, seam to seam. The green border simply requires a small 1" rectangle inserted. The same with the binding. Cherrywood had the precise darker green of the border and a pretty good match of the binding (which actually was a fugitive lime, but is now a light ochre. They didn't have the brown, which is a reddish dark brown. The background should be no problem. It looks like a fairly common light creamy color. They also had the perfect match of the backing. Whatever they had I ordered today…”

Susan Salser wants to record here that she feels deeply responsible for the damage to ‘Delectable Mountains’ and is eternally grateful to her cousin David Gasperik, the quilt’s owner, for his understanding and forgiveness. And to her cousin Joanne Gasperik, who did such a heart-felt AND skillful job of fixing the damage and restoring the quilt she wants to say “Thank you and bless you” from the bottom of her heart.

Please consult the material entered by Susan Salser and recorded by Joanne Gasperik under “Essay” to read the entire essay written by Joanne Gasperik about the history of this quilt and recording the details of her repair. This material is preserved as a printed cloth label sewn by Joanne to the back of the repaired quilt when she finished her work on July 1, 2001, just above Mary Gasperik’s own address label.

Type of inscription:

Date

What is inscribed on the quilt?

1953

Method used to make the inscription:

In the quilting

Location of inscription:

on block

Time period:

1950-1975

When was the quilt finished?

1950s

Family/owner's date for quilt:

Not certain

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

Not certain

Who estimated the quilt's date?

Merikay Waldvogel

Further information concerning dates:

This may be a quilt that she pieced in the 1930s and finished in the 1950s.

Describe the quilt's layout:

Medallion or framed center

Arrangement of quilt blocks:

On point or rotated on 45 degrees

Number of different block patterns used in the quilt:

3

What is the shape of the quilt blocks?

Triangles

Number of borders:

Two

Describe the borders:

One narrow outer border of plain fabric, inside of which is a border of pieced Pine Tree blocks.

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Cotton

Fabric styles used in the quilt top:

Solid/plain

Piecing techniques used to make the quilt top:

Hand Piecing

Applique techniques used to make the quilt top:

Hand Applique

Describe any unusual techniques used to make the quilt top:

It appears that on 3 different quilts Gasperik used a yellow-green or lime green backing: #011 (an undated Indiana Wreath), #021 (this Delectable Mountains, which is dated 1953) and #030 (Indian Feather Star, an undated quilt). If these quilts are ever reunited, they should be compared, to see if that fabric matches and can help date the two undated quilts. In this connection, it should be noted that the four applique birds in the center medallion of this quilt use the same pattern (as yet unidentified) as the trios of bluebirds hovering on the Gasperik's four Indiana Wreath quilts (#011, #063, #032, #043).

Materials used to make the back:

Cotton

What color is the back of the quilt?

Green

Describe the back:

Solid/plain

Materials used in the quilt binding:

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

How thick is the quilt?

Thin (Less than 3/16

How are the layers held together?

Hand quilting

Color of thread used in the quilting:

white

Quilting designs used, overall motifs:

Grid/crosshatch; Grid square; Single parallel lines

Quilting designs used, decorative motifs:

Feathering; Other

Quilting designs used, background fills:

Grid/crosshatch; Parallel lines; Other

Describe the quilting designs used:

A corner section taken from quilting block pattern number Q400 is quilted 16 times, radiating out from the center of the quilt. This design was published in the 1932 booklet Colonial Quilts published by H. Ver Mehren (Des Moines, IA).

The pattern of slender leafs arranged like windmill paddles looks exactly like a picture Gasperik would have seen in her copy of Old Patchwork Quilts, by Ruth E. Finley. Salser has her grandmother's pencil-marked well worn copy of this book. A quilt called "Double Pyramid", shown as Plate 10 in the book, shows such a quilted pattern and in the text Finley remarks on this feature of the quilt. There are pencil marks on this page of Gasperik's book.

The two doves quilted facing each other at the top of the quilt, appear to be copied from Carrie Hall (page 74, Plate XII, No. 7 'Dove of Peace').

The feather corner quilted 12 times around the center block (between the frame with the birds and the frame beginning the fern quilting) is either pattern B5 from WLM Clark Grandmother's Perforated Quilting Patterns booklet #32, or pattern No. 83, page 5, from Needleart Guild's Original Master Quilting Patterns.

The single fern leaf quilted in numerous triangles, from Aunt Martha's Answer to 'How Shall I Quilt It?', where it is described as "pattern C5573 Fern quilting design with border to match. For a very pretty effect pad the quilting. Border is 3" wide. Both on one pattern. 12" 30 cents".

The quilted cornucopia spilling a triple-leaf fern (found quilted twice into the top corner areas of the quilt) is a motif Gasperik quilted onto several of her quilts (including Indiana Wreath #011, Indians (Michael) #019, and Bridal Bouquet #064).

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

Gasperik used 3 Nancy Cabot patterns published in Chicago Tribune in 1933-34 - Delectable Mountains, Pine Tree and Tree of Paradise. A full-size quilt in this layout won 3rd place at the 1933 Sears Quilt Contest--and an illustration of the quilt was included in the Alice Beyer Quilting booklet used by Tuley Park Quilt Club as a quilting manual. Another source for the pieced (larger) Pine Tree at the center top of the quilt is Detroit News Pine Tree pattern ID-42. Pattern ID-42 is featured in the October 29, 1936 newspaper (page 30) and the leaflet could have been picked up by Gasperik at any of the 3 Detroit quilt shows subsequent to this date, which she attended.

Quilt top made by:

Gasperik, Mary

Quilted by:

Gasperik, Mary

Where the quilt was made, city:

Chicago

Where the quilt was made, county:

Cook County

Where the quilt was made, state:

Illinois (IL)

Where the quilt was made, country:

United States

How was this quilt acquired?

Inheritance

Tell the story of how the quilt was obtained:

Selected by Doris Gasperik during a division of Gasperik quilts after Mary died.

Why was the quilt made?

Personal enjoyment

The quilt was made to be used for:

Unknown

Quilt is presently used as:

Keepsake/memento

Describe present uses of the quilt:

Mary's grandchildren regard her quilts as a unique collection to be preserved and appreciated.

Where did the maker get their materials?

Purchased new

Where did the maker find their pattern?

Commercial/Published source: Book; Commercial/Published source: Newspaper

Describe the source of the pattern:

Detroit News Pine Tree block pattern ID-42

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

Published material

Describe where the quilting design pattern was found:

Slender leaves in windmills probably copied from Plate 10 in Ruth Finley book (1929). Gasperik's copy of Finley's book had pencil marks on this page.

What is the commercial name of the quilting design used for this quilt?

Quilting Design Q400 (15-inch) in Colonial Quilts by H. Ver Mehren--used 16 times radiating out from the birds.

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

Other quilting designs come from WLM Clark Grandmother's Perforated Quilting Patterns Booklet #32 and/or Needleart Guild's "Original Master Quilting Patterns" (#83 - Corner Feather Designs).

Exhibitions where this quilt was displayed:

The family has a yellow paper exhibit tag reading "Delectable Mountains by Mrs. M. Gasperik". It isn't certain that this tag was pinned to quilt #020. That tag might constitute supporting evidence that there was in fact an earlier Gasperik 'Delectable Mountains' quilt. As far as Salser is aware, Gasperik quilts were last shown at the February 1949 Tuley Park quilt show, whereas quilt #020 is dated 1953.

Illinois State Fair 1953.

The Quilts of Mary Gasperik>, Ravenswood Historic Site, Livermore, CA, March 14-15, 1992.

This is one of the 23 Mary Gasperik quilts exhibited in the Carnegie Room of the Marion Indiana Public Library July 16-17, 2021 in connection with the ceremony honoring the induction of Mary Gasperik into The Quilters Hall of Fame as their 2021 Legacy Quilter honoree. Mary Gasperik Quilters Hall of Fame Induction Exhibit.

Contests entered:

Illinois State Fair, 1953, first prize ribbon

Publications (including web sites) where this quilt or maker was featured:

Merikay Waldvogel and Barbara Brackman. Patchwork Souvenirs of the 1933 Chicago World's Fair, (Nashville, TN: Rutledge Hill Press, 1993)102-103.

Merikay Waldvogel "One American Dream Comes True", Quilters Newsletter Magazine, March 2008, 46-49.

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

The Detroit News, October 29, 1936, p. 30 "Pine Trees on Quilt or Tree of Paradise", announcing Pine Tree Quilt Pattern ID-42.

The East Hazelcrest News issue No. 18, dated Sept. 23, 1953, published by American Legion Post 1139 mentions that "one of the women of our village, Mrs. Stephen Gasperik, was awarded 2 first prizes & a second prize at the Ill. State Fair for her quilts. The 2 first were given for her "Delectable Mountain" quilt & "Bridal Bouquet". The second place ribbon was placed on her "Indiana Wreath”. Last year she won a 1st & two 3rds. Quilting is almost a lost art, requiring a tremendous amount of patience & skill with a needle." Elmer Gasperik heirs, private collection.

A b/w family photo (undated) showing Mary Gasperik standing next to this quilt with its attached ribbon was probably taken at the 1953 Illinois State Fair quilt display.

Ownership of this quilt is:

Private

Quilt owner's name:

David Gasperik

Quilt owner's country:

United States

Person filling out this form is:

Relative of quiltmaker; Author/researcher

If you are a relative of the quiltmaker, how are you related? The quiltmaker is my:

Grandmother

Describe the relationship to the quilt's maker:

Grand-daughter Susan Salser began this research effort in 1991, after she and her two sisters divided up the quilts which belonged to their mother (Elsie Gasperik Krueger) who died in 1988. Her ongoing research has been fruitful and interesting.

Quiltmaker's maiden name:

Mihalovits, Maria

Quiltmaker's gender:

Female

Quiltmaker's birth date:

01/25/1888

Quiltmaker's birthplace, country:

Hungary

Quiltmaker's date of death:

05/25/1969

Quiltmaker's ethnic background/tribal affiliation:

Hungarian

Quiltmaker's educational background:

Elementary School

In which kind of environment did the quiltmaker live?

Rural

Quiltmaker's city:

Chicago

Quiltmaker's county:

Cook

Quiltmaker's state:

Illinois (IL)

Quiltmaker's country:

United States

Quiltmaker's father's name:

Mihalovits, Istvan

Quiltmaker's father's birthplace:

Hungary

Quiltmaker's father's ethnic/tribal background:

Hungarian

Quiltmaker's mother's name:

Mihalovits, Vidoszava

Quiltmaker's mother's birthplace:

Hungary

Quiltmaker's mother's ethnic/tribal background:

Hungarian

Quiltmaker's spouse's/spouses' and/or partner's/partners' ethnic/tribal background:

Hungarian

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

Milk Dealer/Grocery Store Owner/Butcher

Number of children:

3

How many of the quiltmaker's children were girls?

1 (Elsie 1909-1988)

How many of the quiltmaker's children were boys?

2 (Elmer and Stephen)

How did the quiltmaker learn to quilt?

From guild or club member; Self-Taught

When did the quiltmaker learn to quilt?

Age 40-49

Why does the quiltmaker quilt?

Pleasure; Other

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

To exhibit in shows held by her Tuley Park quilt club in Chicago, the Detroit News quilt show in Detroit, many Illinois State Fairs, at least one Indiana State Fair. She entered quilts in at least 2 Chicago department store contests. She made at least one quilt and one quilt top specifically for the 1939 New York Worlds Fair quilt contest. She also made children's quilts specifically for grandchildren and great-grandchildren; and wedding and wedding anniversary quilts for her son Elmer and grand-daughter Karen. Primarily, she wanted to make quilts because it was her life passion and her greatest talent. The occasions and venues to show them presented themselves. It should be noted that prior to Mary's emigration to America in late 1904, at age 16, she was an apprenticed needleworker in her native Hungary. The intricate and colorful floral embroideries traditional to Hungary lend themselves especially well to applique, the quilt style Mary preferred.

Does/did the quiltmaker belong to a group? Name of the group?

Tuley Park Quilt Club and Detroit News Quilt Club

Does/did the quiltmaker belong to a group?

Southside Chicago and Detroit MI

What are the main activities of the group?

Chicago group met to quilt and held periodic quilt shows; Detroit group held national exhibits and contests.

Estimated number of quilts made by this quiltmaker:

more than 50

Does/did the quiltmaker sell quilts?

no

Does/did the quiltmaker teach quilting?

no

Artist statement or biography of quiltmaker or quilt group:

See introductory essay.

Who photographed this quilt?

Don Gonzalez

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

Copyright holder:

Susan Salser

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