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Leaf and Vine ; Leaf and Vine (Burgundy); Leaf Quilt

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QUILT INDEX RECORD

18-14-42

Description:

Gasperik may be celebrating the end of WWII in this quilt, which is an adaptation of Homeneedlecraft Creations kit #7182. The laurel branch wreath resembles the United Nations emblem. This quilt may have been completed much later than the other two Leaf and Vine quilts.

Essay:

There is a typed list of quilts and quilt-related materials that Gasperik's daughter Elsie compiled during her mother's final illness, when she was trying to document materials in the East Hazelcrest house. Under a category called "Elsie and family" she listed "Maroon Leaf Design 1954". It is not known whether Elsie did this because her mother gave her this quilt in 1954 or if she thought the quilt was completed in 1954. Salser believes this quilt was one of the later quilts her grandmother completed because she remembers her grandmother displaying it and talking about it (as if it was a current or recent project) on visits to East Hazelcrest which she made with her mother after her older sisters were off to college. That memory fits with a 1954 date of completion.

Where are the records for this quilt housed?

Mary Gasperik Legacy Project

Who documented this quilt?

Mary Gasperik Private Collection

Gasperik Legacy Project Number:

024

This is a:

Finished quilt

Quilt's title:

Leaf and Vine

Owner's name for quilt:

Leaf and Vine (Burgundy)

Names for quilt's pattern in common use:

Leaf Quilt

How wide is the quilt?

88 inches

How long is the quilt?

94 inches

Shape of edge:

Straight

Shape of corners:

Straight

What color is the quilt?

Burgundy; Cream; Pink

Quilt's condition:

Excellent/like new

Time period:

1930-1949

When was the quilt finished?

1940s

Family/owner's date for quilt:

1940s

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

1940s

Who estimated the quilt's date?

Merikay Waldvogel

Further information concerning dates:

The quilt is based on a 1940s Homeneedlecraft Creations kit #7182.

Describe the quilt's layout:

Vertical bands

Spacing of quilt blocks:

Side by side

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Cotton

Fabric styles used in the quilt top:

Print; Solid/plain

Applique techniques used to make the quilt top:

Hand Applique

Embellishment techniques used to make the quilt top:

Embroidery

Materials used to make the back:

Cotton

Materials used in the quilt binding:

Cotton

How is the binding made?

Bias grain

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 are the layers held together?

Hand quilting

Color of thread used in the quilting:

white

Number of quilting stitches per inch, place 1:

14

Quilting designs used, overall motifs:

Clamshell; Double parallel lines; Grid/crosshatch; Grid diamond; Grid square

Quilting designs used, decorative motifs:

Feathering; Floral; Wreaths; Other

Quilting designs used, background fills:

Grid/crosshatch

Describe the quilting designs used:

The elaborate basket of fruit and flowers quilted into the very center of this quilt is found on 4 Gasperik quilts: #009, #016, #024 and #061. It is from an unknown source. The scale and elaborateness of this quilted vase is reminiscent of commercial applique flower basket block patterns widely available in the 1930s and 1940s.

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

To this version of the Homeneedlecraft Creations kit #7182 kit quilt design Gasperik added, at the top, two appliqued arched laurel stems, arranged to make a formal looking wreath. Such a wreath became the symbol for the United Nations after World War II. This quilt may be Gasperik's way of commemorating the War's end. There is an alternative explanation for the wreath. When Salser read microfilm of the April 15, 1945 Detroit News she noticed that a similar looking wreath was used by at least one advertiser to commemorate the President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's death. Chicago newspapers may also have used this symbol as his death announcement. The elegant and large feather pattern quilting embracing the laurel wreath at the top of the quilt, and the crown-like arrangement of feathered quilting at the bottom of the quilt give it a very formal, almost regal, look. Its narrow color range enhances the quilt's commemorative effect.

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?

Gift

Tell the story of how the quilt was obtained:

Shortly before her death in 1969, Mary Gasperik asked daughter Elsie to select 3 quilts as gifts from her to her 3 granddaughters: Joanne, Charlene and Louise Gasperik. This is one of the three quilts Elsie selected and gave to the girls' mother, Erika Gasperik. Originally Louise's choice, it was later given to her sister Joanne.

Why was the quilt made?

Art or personal expression

The quilt was made to be used for:

Bedding, special occasion

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: Kit

Commercial name of the pattern for the top:

Homeneedlecraft Creations #7182 Home Decorator's Quilted Spread

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

Original to maker

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

Quilting Pattern C5580 "odd shaped feather" from Aunt Martha Answers How To Quilt It.

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

Elaborate quilted feathers extend outward from the crossed laurel boughs. At the center of the boughs is a feathered circle. At the bottom, the arched quilted feathers touch, forming a crown.

Exhibitions where this quilt was displayed:

1960 Illinois State Fair, blue ribbon

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

A Celebration of Quilts and the Women Who Made Them, Naples Historical Society, Inc. and The Naples Quilters Guild, Inc. Palm Cottage 137 12th Avenue South, Naples FL, January 25-29, 2005.

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:

1960 Illinois State Fair, First Place

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:

Kit envelope - Homeneedlecraft Creations #7182 Decorator's Quilted Spread.

Letter dated August 27, 1960 from Mrs. D. Burdell to Mary Gasperik admiring prizewinning quilts at recent Fair. From the description, one of these was Hungarian Girls (#014) and the other "in two shades of purple" must have been this quilt (#024).

Three separate yellow paper exhibit tags reading:
1) "Leaf Quilt First Prize at Springfield, Mrs. Mary Gasperik"
2) "Leaf Quilt First Prize in Springfield given to Doris Gasperik as a first anniversary gift, by Mrs. Mary Gasperik" - this tag would have been attached to quilt #013)
3) Leaf Quilt First Prize at Springfield. Given to Daughter Elsie Krueger. by Mrs. Mary Gasperik" - this tag would have been attached to quilt #061).

Family color photo stamped June 1961 showing this quilt, with a blue ribbon attached to it, airing on a backyard clothesline. Susan Salser - private collection. Note: a color photograph of Mary and Stephen Gasperik standing next to Hungarian Girls (quilt #014), bearing its blue ribbon, was taken on the same occasion. These are probably ribbons from the 1960 Illinois State Fair.

Video of 1992 The Quilts of Mary Gasperik in Livermore, California - collection of Susan Salser.

Alliance For American Quilts, Quilters' S.O.S. - Save Our Stories Project, Tape number - AQSG-005, Joanne Gasperik, Interviewee, Karen Alexander, Interviewer, October 4, 2002.

Program. A Celebration of Quilts and the Women Who Made Them. Naples Quilt Guild and Naples Historical Society, Palm Cottage 137 12th Avenue South, January 25-29, 2005.

Salser has an ebay printout, dated Nov 15, 2007, showing an auction quilt which appears to be made from the Homeneedlecraft Creations No. 7182 kit. It looks like a faithful rendition of the kit; but the interesting thing about it is the fabric colors: the leaves are half grey and half light green, and the flowers are solid dark red. The two border panels are grey and white leaves appliqued on a light green ground.

Ownership of this quilt is:

Private

Quilt owner's name:

Joanne 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:

This quilt (like its sister quilts: #013 and #061) is an experiment in transforming commercial Homeneedlecraft Creations No. 7182. Mary Gasperik made quilts 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

Who photographed this quilt?

Don Gonzalez

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

Copyright holder:

Susan Salser

Details

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Cite this Quilt

Gasperik, Mar. Leaf and Vine . 1940s. From Mary Gasperik Legacy Project, Mary Gasperik Private Collection. Published in The Quilt Index, https://quiltindex.org/view/?type=fullrec&kid=18-14-42. Accessed: 03/28/24

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