The Detroit News, began publishing quilt patterns in 1929. Under the direction of Beauty In The Home editor Edith B. Crumb, the Quilt Club Corner was created in the fall of 1932. Membership in the club entitled the applicant to enter quilts in a future quilt show. Participation was exercised by writing letters to Ms. Crumb who published them and read them aloud on WWJ, a popular Detroit radio station. The column included membership lists with addresses so members could correspond and meet. November 17-19, 1933 were the dates of the first Detroit News quilt show. The three-day event attracted 50,000 visitors viewing over 1000 quilts. Club membership continued to grow, expanding into many states beyond Michigan. The second Detroit News, quilt show was held in October 12-14, 1934 and was said to be a greater success than the first show.

1935
Just weeks before the third Detroit News Quilt show, held October 18-20, 1935, Mary Gasperik picked up a Detroit News, dropped by a baseball fan at a World Series baseball game where the Chicago Cubs were hosting the Detroit Tigers. There she learned of the Detroit News Quilt Club Corner, its upcoming quilt show, and went home with an entry coupon. 

The October 22, 1935 Quilt Club Corner column, lists Mary as a member and Crumb describes her story:
I asked Mrs. S. Gasperik, who came over from Chicago just for the Quilt Show, how she happened to become interested in the Quilt Club Corner and she said that when the Tigers played one of the World Series games in Chicago someone dropped a Detroit News and when she picked it up it was opened at the Quilt Club Corner page and she immediately wrote to us and sent us several quilts for the exhibit. Of course, I did not expect that she would attend, but about 6 o’clock Saturday evening she arrived and said that she came over on the bus and intended to stay until the 5 o’clock bus left on Sunday afternoon. She brought a big supply of patches to exchange and I hope that she had a fine time. Gasperik’s Tulip Basket can be seen in a photograph taken by a Detroit News staff photographer. The Star Arcturus was completed in 1934 and may have been one of the several displayed at the 1935 show. The early Detroit News hung all submitted quilts, but only ones made from a Detroit News pattern were eligible for prizes. So neither the Tulip Basket or Star Arcturus received a prize. Although Gasperik did not win any ribbons, she did come to the attention of Edith B. Crumb, who began to write about Gasperik in her quilt columns.  These columns mentioning Gasperik have been found:
October 22, 1935, January 16, 1936, February 11, 1936, November 7, 1936, September 20, 1938, October 7, 1938, October 9, 1938, October 22, 1938, December 10, 1938, April 12, 1940, May 19, 1940, May 24, 1940, May 25, 1940, May 28, 1940, and
November 9, 1940.

Mary must have returned to Chicago feeling a burst of enthusiasm for this welcoming group. She had seen a wide variety of quilt-making, ranging from the simplest pieced quilt tops to work such as Ada Chilton’s creative masterpieces. The possibilities were endless. The enthusiasm for quilts was great and generously shared.

1936
At the October 1935 Detroit News Quilt Show and Contest Gasperik participated in the quilt club corner created at the exhibit site in the Naval Armory.  This was a furnished area where quilters could meet, sit, talk and exchange quilt blocks and fabric patches. Friendship quilts were popular and quilters were encouraged to trade signed blocks with one another. Once back home in Chicago, Gasperik made this Cottage Behind the Hill quilt block (from Aunt Martha Prize-Winning Quilts) and prepared a letter asking to trade blocks for a friendship quilt. She planned to send the letter to Quilt Club Corner members and include a pattern for a quilt block that may have been this one. She could also take the block and patterns to the next Quilt Show to solicit more blocks for her planned quilt. There is no evidence that Mary completed her friendship quilt. One quilt was particularly popular at the 1935 Detroit News Quilt Show. It was made by Marjorie Miller and featured the Detroit News’ Patchwork Lady. The News originally offered a pattern to make a silhouette of the “Lady Making Patchwork Quilt” in December of 1928.  In 1933, the Patchwork Lady became the mascot of the Detroit News Quilt Club Corner. Mrs. Miller received over 150 letters from attendees about her quilt. This quilt caught the eye of Mary Gasperik who finished her own version, Colonial Quilting Bee after 1940. On February 11, 1936, Edith B. Crumb mentioned Mary in her column. It mentioned three quilts and had a photo of one of them. Crumb relates: At every quilt show there is usually one quilt which arrives too late to be entered. This year, the late comer was sent by Mrs. Mary Gasperik, 9314 Cottage Grove avenue, Chicago, Ill.

So Mrs. Gasperik’s quilt was carefully and safely kept until after the show but, of course, I couldn’t possibly return it to her without opening it. Right away I knew that you would be interested in seeing a picture of the top which she sent.

Looks Easy
At first, you might think that it would not be so very difficult to make. But when I tell you that Mrs. Gasperik says that there are 1,467 pieces in it, you can see that you would not find it so very easy to assemble.

Even getting the pattern for this was not a simple matter. Mrs. Gasperik saw a small picture of a portion of a quilt like this in a book and her daughter copied it on paper, then Mrs. Gasperik cut the blocks and started to put them together. The pieced block contains over 100 pieces.

Designed By Man
The original of this quilt was made in 1835, so now Mrs. Gasperik has a copy of a fine century-old quilt. It was designed by a Mr. Hamill for his sweetheart, Mary Hayward.

The dark print is black and white, looking very much like an old-time calico and as near the material used in the original quilt as she could find. The source of Mary’s pattern was the book Quilts: Their Story and How to Make Them by Marie D. Webster, originally published in 1915. The second quilt mentioned in the column was described like this by Crumb: Not being content with working hard on one quilt of this pattern, Mrs. Gasperik has also pieced a “sister” quilt to it which is in red print with a white background. She is just finishing the quilting on it and says that it is turning out beautifully. Crumb mentions a third quilt, When that one is finished she has another quilt to put on the frames. It is called the “Bridal Bouquet” and she is planning on giving it to her niece as a wedding present. It is from her own design. On November 7, 1936 Crumb mentions Mary again. In the article Crumb relates that Mrs. Arthur Miller had a letter from Mrs. Mary Gasperick [sic], one of our Chicago members, and Mrs. Gasperick is planning on sending four quilts to the next show. When she finds out that it won’t be held until April, perhaps she will be able to send six or seven. We hope so, don’t we? The column also announces the dates for the next show as April 16-18, 1937. The show was switched from fall to spring. Crumb reasoned this to be better for quilters who will have all winter to finish their quilts. 1937
The fourth Detroit News Quilt Show was held April 16-18, 1937 and Gasperik was ready to compete.

We know from Garnet Warfel’s Detroit News article on October 9, 1938 that Gasperik submitted 4 quilts and came home with 4 honorable mention ribbons. It is unknown which four quilts were entered, but there are three original typed tags that are thought to be from the 1937 Detroit show: Two for Double Feather Star quilts and one for Four Little Pigs. Frances Purcell, quilt club member, quilt promoter, and pattern collector from Kokomo, Indiana saw Mary’s Double Feather Star quilts at the show and made this sketch (other Purcell quilt-related materials, are in the private collection of Merikay Waldvogel). Mary sent Crumb a Christmas Card in 1937 and Crumb sent Mary a thank you letter dated December 23, 1937. 1938
On September 1, 1938, Crumb wondered if Mrs. K. Hamburger and her friends will come over from Chicago for the three days as they did last year? We also have friends who come from Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and many, many parts of Michigan. Katherine Hamburger (February 10, 1940, March 8, 1941, September 30, 1945) made a variation of The Double Feather Star pattern that she entered in the 1942 Woman’s Day National Needlework Exhibition. The Hamburger version used two of the three motifs used in the Gasperik quilts. The Hamburger version was called “Harlequin” and the pattern for it was published in Woman’s Day, 1943.

On September 20, 1938 Crumb mentions Mary again; Yesterday a letter was received from Mrs. Mary Gasperik, 9314 Cottage Grove avenue, Chicago, saying she is sending over five finished quilts and two tops and, of course, she is coming to the show too. Last year she spent three days with us and brought two of her friends. October 7 was the first day of the 1938 Detroit News Quilt Show. Living in Chicago, Mary was not a Detroit News subscriber. She collected only a few columns that she picked up when she was in Detroit for the show. This October 7^th column is one that Mary collected. The third paragraph reports, The second highest award of $25 for a finished appliqued quilt, went to a Chicago woman, Mrs. Mary Gasperik, 9314 Cottage Grove avenue. Mrs. Gasperik will be in attendance at the show each day. The article further describes the show, Some 2,000 quilts and spreads, hung in five rows of racks throughout the length of the hall’s center unit, made what experts in the field declare to be the largest collection of quilts ever shown under one roof and the staff photos illustrate the description. The family believes that Roses and Forget-Me-Nots is the quilt mentioned as the first prize winner for a finished applique quilt since it was made from a Detroit News pattern. A surviving yellow paper tag (indicating it was exhibited at a Tuley Park quilt show in Chicago) reads as follows: “Roses Forget-Me Not First Prize in Detroit, Fourth Prize in Detroit, Second Prize at Indiana State Fair By Mrs. Mary Gasperik” In the October 7 issue, The Detroit News published the “List of Quilt Winners”. Mary appears as, Finished Appliqued Quilts (News Pattern) First prize, $25.00, Mrs. Mary Gasperik, 9314 Cottage Grove avenue, Chicago. Also on October 7, a full page rotogravure was published of the show. On October 9 the last day of the show Mary was mentioned again. Winner Honored
All day crowds surrounded Mrs. Mary Gasperik, of Chicago, winner of one of the big prizes for the best appliqued quilt. Mrs. Gasperik was radiant as she and her friend, Mrs. W. J. Reynolds, who accompanied her here from Chicago, told of getting “connected” with the local show.

A baseball fan, Mrs. Gasperik went to the opening Chicago game of the 1935 World Series. There, by her seat, she found a Detroit News and read about Miss Crumb’s Quilt Club.

The next year Mrs. Gasperik came to the quilt show. She came back in 1937 with four quilts to exhibit. She received four honorable mentions. This year, she took a big prize. Mrs. Gasperik is Hungarian, but has lived in America 32 years.

Mary’s success was also reported in this Chicago area paper.

Mrs. Gasperik Wins National Quilt Award
First Prize in News Patterns and 2^nd Highest in All-Pattern Contest

The first prize of $25.00 in the Detroit News Quilt Show contest was awarded to Mrs. Mary Gasperik, 9314 Cottage Grove avenue, last week.

A grand prize of $25.00 was also given Mrs. Gasperik, who is a member of the Tuley Park “Quilt Club” for a finished appliqued quilt.

This national recognition is indeed a wonderful tribute to this zealous individual, who so arduously works for the betterment of her community-and we are sure the community is indeed proud of these recognized accomplishments.
 
The Rock River Batting Company sent a letter of congratulations:
Rock River Cotton Company
Manufacturers of Cotton Batting
Janesville, Wisconsin
October 18, 1938.
Dear Madam:
We wish to congratulate your success in being awarded second prize in the recent Detroit News Quilt Show.
As we are cotton batt manufacturers known for manufacturing the finest China quilt batts for quilt making we are forwarding under separate cover a present of our Two Star China Batt in size sheet 84x108 which is used by the finest quilters in the country.
If you have not used our batts we hope you try the Two Star in your next quilt.
Rock River’s raw cotton is handled many times to guarantee complete cleanliness and made into batts by the carded process in many fine layers to assure a uniform thickness. The carded process only, prepares the cotton for fine needle work and the fourteen stitches per inch that is the finest of quilting.
The winner of the first and second prize for quilts not of new pattern both used our China Quilt Batts in their prize quilts.
In Chicago our batts can be purchased at all the down town department stores, on the South Side at Frank’s on 79^th and Halstead, the Wiebolt Store on 63^rd Street, The Peoples Store on Michigan Avenue, Roseland or the Eagle Store in Harvey, Illinois.
We would be interested in having the name of the cotton batt in your prize quilt.
Yours Truly,
ROCK RIVER COTTON COMPANY
Joseph R. Hare.
JRH/da Gasperik clearly had become a major figure at the Detroit Show which was regarded as a national competition. I’m sure she was enormously happy. I’m also sure she wanted to win a Grand Prize in Detroit. Initially she hoped to accomplish that with Hungarian Girls, a quilt she entered in the next Detroit quilt show. She began working on it almost immediately. On October 22, 1938 Edith Crumb reported Mrs. Mary Gasperik, 9314 Cottage Grove ave., Chicago, Ill, made this gay quilt block which she calls her “Hungarian Girl,” and sent it to a Quilt Club meeting. The picture shows one of the girls which ended up doing a Round Dance on the finished quilt encircling the older Hungarian couple. Crumb’s entire quilt column of October 22, 1938 is devoted to a discussion of this quilt block. It inspired other members of the club (with distinctly Hungarian last names) to make their own versions and one member, Lena Seles, designed a Hungarian Boy block.

Just a few minutes before meeting time of the Quilt Club yesterday I received a package from Mrs. Mary Gasperik, 9314 Cottage Grove Ave., Chicago, Ill., and in it was a quilt block which Mrs. Gasperik made.

She calls this pattern her “Hungarian Girl” and it is appliqued and embroidered in very gay colors.

The skirt is a brilliant red ground percale with a conventional design in bright green, blue, yellow and black, the bodice is bright green and the edge of the apron is also green. The shoes and the head dress of bright yellow ground percale with blue, red and green conventional floral pattern.

The sleeves are of embroidered lines in white with red and green lines denoting bows and shirrings above the elbow. There is an embroidered necklace, also a bracelet of fine embroidered lines. The apron is of white mesh material and the hair is of brown embroidery in solid stitchery.

Mrs. Gasperik has shown a great deal of patience in the creation of this block for there is a lot of very fine detail. For example the arm and hand are appliqued and embroidered and you may well imagine how difficult it is to turn in the material and embroider around the fingers. The shoes are also appliqued and the turning in of the material around the high heels is no easy matter either.
This block would be charming for a pillow top or it could be framed and used as a wall decoration or under the glass of a tray.
 
Mary made blocks where she partnered the Hungarian Girl with a Hungarian Boy (#095, #096) and framed them to be used as wall decorations as suggested in the Crumb column. On November 16 Edith Crumb wrote to Mary Gasperik letting her know that the Laurel Leaf quilt patterns were no longer available. The Laurel Leaf quilt was a series of patterns designed by Florence LaGanke Harris that were advertised in and distributed by the Detroit News  starting in May of 1935. Mary had already finished her quilt that contained elements of the Laurel Leaf pattern. The December 10, 1938 column describes the popularity of Mary’s Hungarian Girl block. Mrs. Lena Seles brought an appliqued block of an Hungarian peasant boy to be used with the Hungarian girl peasant block which Mrs. Mary Gasperik of Chicago designed.  Mrs. Bella Ware and Mrs. Seles have both copied the little girl and Mrs. Leontine Hardy is also going to make one like it. 1939
On January 1, 1939 Edith wrote in her column Dear Cornerites:  for a whole year you have been writing to me and now I have decided to start 1939 by turning the tables and writing to you.  On the whole it has been a glorious year, hasn’t it?  Our Friday meetings have been happy ones.  The biggest quilt show ever held was the high spot of the year, with nearly 2000 quilts on display and over 88,000 visitors to see them.

There was no quilt show in Detroit in 1939, but Mary sent a Christmas card to Edith B. Crumb and got this December 26 letter in return.

1940
On April 12, 1940 Edith B. Crumb tells members, Don’t hesitate to send in any that have already been displayed. They will be welcomed like old friends. We want to see a whole lot of those first year Flower Garden quilts. We want to see a whole lot of the Trip Around the World quilts – in fact lots of any and every kind. She has a reference to Gasperik and her friends, We expect to have a crowd of quilters from Chicago and others will come from all over the state.
 
In early Detroit News shows, the juvenile category referred to the quiltmakers age. In the 1940 show the juvenile category was for quilts made for children. On May 3, 1940, Crumb sent Mary this letter a few weeks before the show assuring her the quilts she made for young family members would be accepted. In the Sunday, May 19, paper before the big show, the Quilt Club Corner encouraged people to enter and visit the show. There is another reference to Gasperik and her friends: Quilts are coming from many states and visitors are coming from all over Michigan. A whole bus load of quilts is expected to arrive from Chicago. The first day of the show Edith B. Crumb’s May 24 column tempted viewers with descriptions of many of the quilts to be displayed including:
Comes From Chicago
Another quilt comes from a Hungarian woman living in Chicago, Mrs. Mary Gasperik. It depicts her own life in this country from the time of her arrival in 1927. Mrs. Gasperik will be among a bus load of women coming to the show from Chicago.” It also mentions “One of the lovely quilts shown is the patchwork lady design made by Mrs. Marjorie Miller. A real tiny quilt forms the center, being a quilt within a quilt and the patchwork ladies are seated about the center quilt, sewing away for dear life – each lady a little different in dress, coiffure, etc. Garnet Warfel reported on the Detroit News Quilt Show on May 25, 1940. He announces the winners of the big prizes including the Grand Prize Tree of Life quilt by Mrs. Charles Voelker. He writes, Mrs. Mary Gasparik [sic], of 9314 Cottage Grove avenue, Chicago, a prize winner of last year, won second prize, and Mrs. Arthur Miller, 12251 St. Mary’s avenue, won third prize with her lovely patchwork ladies’ quilt.

The May 28, 1940 Detroit News contained a complete list of winners at the show. Mary was mentioned, Runners-up in the finished applique group were Mrs. Mary Gasperick [sic], 9314 Cottage Grove avenue, Chicago, Ill., and Mrs. Arthur Miller, 12251 St. Mary’s avenue, Detroit. Mary Gasperik entered at least four quilts and won five ribbons at the 1940 show. The Second Place ribbon was for one of Mary's Tree of Life (#031) quilts. Mary made one of the ten quilts that were given a Special Premium Finished Quilts News Pattern ribbon and $5, probably for Old-Time-Nosegay (syndicated in other papers as French Bouquet), a quilt dated 1939. Three Honorable Mention ribbons are in the Gasperik family collection. One of the Honorable Mention ribbons was probably for Hungarian Girls – a non News pattern. The other two quilts are unknown, but they may be children’s quilts, since Mary inquired about whether she could enter them. The last letter Mary received from Edith B. Crumb was on May 31, 1940 and congratulated her on her winning quilt. A local Chicagoland newspaper celebrated Mary’s quilt show wins.
Mrs. Mary Gasperik Wins $20 and Ribbons at Detroit Quilt Show
Mrs. Mary Gasperik, 9314 Cottage Grove avenue, again won recognition at the Annual Detroit News Quilt Show held last week in the motor city. Over 2000 entries vied for the 76 prizes offered and Mrs. Gasperik won the second prize of $15.00 in the applique group and also $5 for the best finished quilt made with a Detroit News pattern. Three other of her six entries won ribbons, making 5 winning ribbons out of 6 entries won by her.
Mrs. Gasperik also won several prizes last year. She is a member of the Tuley Park Quilt Club. Gasperik’s Hungarian Girls was much admired, but did not win the $50 Grand Prize, it won an Honorable Mention. So Gasperik went home and began work on her next attempt to win Detroit’s Grand Prize. The quilt was Colonial Quilting Bee, where she chose to salute the Detroit Quilt Club itself by reproducing the silhouette of the quilter seated in a high-backed chair, the very emblem of the Detroit Quilt Show. The silhouette was used by one of Detroit’s best quilters, Marjorie Miller, to make a much beloved quilting bee quilt which Gasperik saw on display at the 1935 and 1940 quilt show (where it was, ironically, a runner up to Gasperik’s Tree of Life). From the November 7, 1936 column, we know Miller and Gasperik corresponded. Comparing the Miller and Gasperik quilts, one must conclude that it is likely that Miller shared her patterns with Gasperik. Gasperik, as master quilters do, added some of her own details. Gasperik finished that quilt, probably in time for a 1941 or 1942 anticipated Detroit Quilt Show. She appears to have regarded it as her best work (mentioning to one of her fans that she hoped to donate it to the Art Institute of Chicago). Unfortunately, Gasperik’s salute to The Detroit News Quilt Club Corner never had the chance to been seen in Detroit or to win Detroit’s highest honor, the Grand Prize. The May 1940 Detroit show was the last one. Edith and the Detroit Quilt Club Corner members never knew what they missed.

The last mention of Mary Gasperik came on November 9, 1940. Edith wrote: Mrs. Mary Sorensen went to Chicago for a visit and while there called on our friend, Mrs. Mary Gasperik, 9314 Cottage Grove avenue. She and Mrs. Gasperik had a most enjoyable time talking over patterns, patches and quilt shows.

Mrs. Gasperik has already started her quilt for the next Detroit News show and even though Mrs. Sorensen knows what it is she won’t tell me a single thing about it for she promised that she would keep it a secret.

The quilt referred to was probably the Colonial Quilting Bee. 1941
During the last half of the 1930s, Detroit News readers were hearing more and more news of the war in Europe. On December 7, 1941, Japan bombed Pearl Harbor bring the war to America. Everyone was encouraged to join the war effort and that included the Detroit News Quilt Club Corner. On December 10, 1941, At the invitation of Miss Edith Crumb, Detroit News Quilt Club Editor, members of the Quilt Club as well as several other representative Detroit women, met at a luncheon yesterday to discuss plans for the organization of The Detroit News Needles for Defense Club. A club for all Detroit women interested in working for American defense. Quilt Club members will be invited to join the new organization for the duration of the war. Among those at yesterday’s meeting were, left to right: Mrs. Charles Voelker, Mrs. Sylvia Carlen, Mrs. Harry V. Woodhouse, Edith B. Crumb, Quilt Club Editor; Mrs. Anna Zumbro, Mrs. Eva Schaub and Florence Davies, Detroit Women’s Editor. This was not in addition to the Quilt Club, but a replacement for the duration of the war. After the war the Quilt Club did not return. Meanwhile, Mary had started entering quilts in the Illinois State Fair) in 1940. After the end of the Detroit News Quilt Club, she directed her competitive energies to the Illinois State Fair and few other competitions.
By Susan Salser

Learn more about how Gasperik’s granddaughter Susan Salser discovered and researched her grandmother’s involvement in the Detroit News Quilt Club Corner, see How I Researched the Mary Gasperik Quilt Collection: An Introduction to Susan Salser’s Chronological List of Selected Quilt Columns Published by The Detroit News.
and
Notes on The Detroit News Quilt Club columns.