The Spectrum
Made by: Edith Morrow Matthews
Location made: Winnemucca, NV
Year made: 1933
Fabric: Cotton
Techniques: Piecing, Appliqué, Quilting
Documented in Lane County
OQP#: 2012-LA-01-023

The Spectrum
The original title of this quilt was “Whirling Comets”. Edith’s husband gave her the idea to use the colors of the spectrum for her entry in the 1933 Sears quilt contest. She designed the pattern from that idea, and finished the quilt in two months.

The Sears and Roebuck Century of Progress Quilt Contest
In 1933, Chicago based company, Sears & Roebuck, announced a national quilt contest to coincide with the World’s Fair. The contest received over 25,000 entries, and contestants produced some fantastic quilts. “The Spectrum” won first prize in the Los Angeles region of the contest. It was one of thirty winning entries displayed at the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair.
You can see other winners from the contest online in 1933 Sears National Quilt Contest Discoveries.

The design of “The Spectrum” quilt originated with its maker, Edith Matthews and may have been inspired by a whirling comet motif that was part of the Century of Progress publicity. Her husband Ralph suggested using the color spectrum. It was one of the few “modern” designs in the contest, as many others were traditional patterns. Believed to be Edith’s first quilt, it was quite a technical achievement to machine sew the curved pieces so the top lies flat. Although not required by the contest sponsor, the cotton fabric was sold though the Sears, Roebuck catalog. It was the winner of 1,000 submissions in the Los Angeles contest division, which included Nevada where Mrs. Matthews lived at the time. Of the 25,000 quilts that were submitted nationally for the contest, The Spectrum was one of only 30 that were shown at the Fair. Edith received prize money of $210, a walnut-case sewing machine and the honor of her quilt being twice displayed in Chicago, both during the original three-month run and a Fair extension a year later. Mrs. Matthews was known as the ‘Bobcat Lady of Winnemucca” because she walked her pet bobcat around town on a leash.

 

Traditional Grandmother's Fan Pattern
Made by Olive Knauss Rolle
Made in Olympia, WA, circa 1955
Documented in Deschutes County
OQP#: 2010-01-016

Olive's Fans
This Grandmothers Fan pattern quilt was made of many small pieces of dress weight fabrics, sewn by hand and machine. According to her grand-daughter, the maker was an accomplished seamstress, and with six children to sew for, the fabrics may be scraps from the clothing she made. Family history with the quilt states that Grandma Olive was the wife of a millworker/farmer and “had few material resources.” Although this quilt may appear fancier than the others in the ‘utility’ category, when it was not being used as a bedcover it may have hung within the spaces of the house to provide privacy when there were no walls. It was hand quilted with pale yellow thread to match the fabric around the blocks, bound with bias binding applied by machine and has a thin cotton batt.

 

Traditional Roman Stripes Pattern
Maker is unknown, found in family cabin.
Made in the 1930's.
Documented in Umatilla County
OQP#: 2018.UM.APL.13

The maker of this utility quilt had more time to spend on her quilt than other utility quilt, or had available only smaller scraps of cloth. It was machine-pieced of cotton scraps, some of which may have been upholstery material. The rectangular segments were then set with long strips of plaid-patterned fabric. Reflecting the need for extra warmth in this winter-chilly corner of Northeastern Oregon where thin-walled cabins were heated with wood stoves, the batting is thick wool; the cotton flannel backing provides additional insulation and keeps the quilt from sliding off the bed at night. It was then tied with various colors of wool yarn. The binding is a separate strip of cloth and was sewn on by machine.

 

Brick Wall Pattern
From the Willamette Heritage Center collection: Made by "Church Ladies"
at the request of Thomas Kay Jr., after closing of the woolen mill in 1962.
This is the only surviving quilt known to be made from local mill fabric.
OQP#: 2016-MA-WHC-004

The former factory buildings which house the Willamette Heritage Center were used for wool spinning and weaving. The Thomas Kay Woolen Mill operated between 1889-1962, manufacturing blankets, wool flannel, tweed and fabric for military uniforms. This quilt, in a Brick Wall pattern is made of samples of the fabric woven in the mill. To date no other quilts which contain fabric from the factory have surfaced, making this a unique textile record of those made in this important industrial complex.

 

Blue and Red Check
From the Willamette Heritage Center collection:
Donated by Jean Grabenhorst in 1976, believed to be made by a family member of her family, Harriet Coburn Wechter.
Quilt is made of all hand-woven wool, and is dated from the 1760s to 1780s.
OQP#: 2017-MA-WHC-010

Believed to be the oldest quilt that was documented, this pieced quilt is a “One Patch” design. It was made from scraps of hand-woven wool, dark blue and red. It was said to be made in 1790. Indicative of its age are the two corners that have been “cut out” to accommodate the posts at the foot of a four-poster bed.

 

Traditional One Patch Pattern
Cotton tobacco sacks were found in 1975.
432 Wallowa County Ranch Brands were hand embroidered by June Vernam in the year 2000.
his is known as a Time Span quilt.
Documented in Wallowa County.
OQP#: 2018.WL.JACC.04

Once the stitching is removed, the amount of muslin in a roll-your-own cigarette tobacco bag measures about 3x5 inches. The maker then enlivened the plain fabric by hand-embroidering the brands of cattle ranchers in varying shades of thread. Wallowa County is the fourth least-populated in the state and since there are 432 registered brands on the quilt, it would probably be safe to say that of cattle in this northeastern corner of Oregon outnumber the human population. The maker also recorded the names of the brand registrants, including both names of couples. So in addition to combining the practical (need for warmth, use of free fabric) with creative artistry she has created a historic record of ranchers, single and married, in her county in 1970. The back is a king-size sheet, the batting is a blanket or flannel and it was tied while it was lying on the floor with red embroidery floss.

 

"Twilight" Themed Crazy Quilt
Made by Janet Sue Takami Koda
Made in Vale, 2011
Documented in Malheur County
OQP#: 2016.WA.LP.10

As a high school library assistant, this quiltmaker combined the quilting skills that she learned on the internet with her desire to encourage students to read. Drawing from a series of popular books, she made themed wall quilts which were displayed in the school library. She cut up commercial fabrics, including Walmart t-shirts with characters faces, which she re-arranged and embellished with embroidered quotes from the books. The characters imagined signatures are included in a variety of languages, as are other motifs that refer to the stars and solar system. It was pieced on foundation fabric, hand appliqued, embroidered and tacked. The batting is cotton flannel, the binding is machine and hand stitched.

 

Fabric Portrait of Annie Oakley
Original design by Leotie Richards
Part of the American Hero's Series
Made in Sisters, 2016
Documented in Deschutes County
OQP#: 2019-DS-SP-31

This fabric portrait of the famous 19th century “Little Sure Shot” is one in a 12 – part series of fabric images of American folk heroes, which includes Sitting Bull, Bob Dylan and Julia Child. When the quilter retired from her career as art director for a major retail chain, she moved to Bend and took classes for two years at the Stitchin’ Post quilt shop. She began utilizing her graphic design skills in the medium of fabric. Her portraits in the series involved many hours of research on the subjects before she arrived at a final design. In addition to cotton fabrics, leather and upholstery materials have been used in this piece as well as embellishments, painting and drawing with ink. It is machine appliquéd, has a knife edged binding; the batt is cotton.

 

Traditional One Patch Pattern Signature Quilt
Made by members of the United Brethren Church of Holdman as a fundraiser in 1926.
Members paid .01¢ per letter in their name.
Documented in Umatilla County
OQP#: 2016.UM.UHM.004

This quilt was made to raise funds for the newly constructed United Brethren Church in Holdman , located in the rolling wheatlands 17 miles north of Pendleton. The individuals who signed their names paid a penny per letter. One woman transcribed the names onto the blocks which were embroidered by women in the community. The finished quilt was purchased by Mrs. Frank Holdman and passed to her son who returned it to Shirley Hevel, transcriber of the names onto the quilt in 1926. Shirley then donated it to the county historical museum in Pendleton, 63 years after its making. Holdman now consists of a grain elevator, an abandoned school and two houses. Because it was made between two federal censuses and contains 675 names, it is a unique fabric record of a once-bustling area in a thinly populated part of Umatilla County. The names of all of the signees are with museum records in Pendleton. The blocks were hand and machine pieced, and hand quilted. It has straight grain binding, also hand and machine applied. The batt is a blanket or flannel. It has a unique label on the back, made from the cup of a brassiere, embroidered with the names of the two people who donated it, Clifford Holdman and Shirley Hevel.

 

Northern Lights
Made by: Phyllis Blackman
Location made: La Grande
Year made: 2004
Fabric: Cotton
Techniques: Piecing, Quilting
Documented in Union County
OQP#: 2018.UN.LWC.11

This quilt was made as a fundraiser for a grand-daughter who was going on a school trip. The owner of this quilt received word she had won the raffle quilt just days before open heart surgery. When she hung up the phone, she exclaimed, “I’m going to live! I won the quilt!”

This quilt was made to raise funds for a grand-daughter’s school trip. Phyllis Blackman made more than a hundred quilts in her quilting career and was a long-time member of a quilt group in La Grande. The owner of this quilt was a fellow group member and purchased a raffle ticket. Days before open heart surgery Phyllis called to inform her that she had won the quilt. The owner’s response was, “I’m going to live; I won the quilt!” It covered her bed as she recuperated from surgery and it is used whenever she is ill. It was one of the last quilts that Phyllis made and hand quilted, and is cherished for the fond memories of her friend and the group’s quilting time together. The pattern was commercially published; the all-new fabric was purchased by the maker. Binding was machine and hand stitched; the batt is medium thickness polyester.

 

Single Block Pattern
Made by: Frank Wanecek
Location made: Spokane, WA
Year made: circa 1915
Fabric: Wool
Techniques: Piecing, Quilting/Embroidery
Documented in Deschutes County
OQP#: 2019.DS.SP.43

This woolen quilt is made from salesman samples and remnants from the tailor’s shop in Spokane, Washington. The quilting is unusual, stitched using a chain-stitch embroidery machine. The machine was brought to America in 1882, from Bohemia (now the Czech Republic).

This wool quilt was made from salesman samples and remnants from the work of its maker, a professional tailor. After a four-year apprenticeship in his native Bohemia (Czechoslovakia) which he finished at the age of 17, Franz Vanecek began working as a tailor, married and had a daughter. In 1882 the family emigrated to the U.S., settling in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Later he and his third wife and additional offspring moved to Spokane where he operated a successful tailoring business until his death in 1934. He made many quilts from the scraps from his business, most of which were used up. This one, made in 1915 was embroidered by a special chain stitch machine which the family states came with the family from Bohemia. The multi-colored thread may have been European-made, as well. The quilt does not have batting but is sewn through the front and back with the chain stitching. The back is cotton sateen and it has a knife-edge finish.

 

Everyday Barns (and Family Farms)
Original design by Karen Hanken
Made in Jacksonville, 2008
Documented in Jackson County
OQP#: 2018.JKJCGL.21

Karen Hanken has a deep appreciation for the rural landscape of Oregon and the structures that are a necessary part of the farming. This wall piece features barns, sheds, fences, cultivated fields and trees. It is one in a series by the artist who lives in Southern Oregon. Two others were recorded by the OQP: one features scenes of Southern Oregon. The other was selected for the poster for the Britt Music and Arts Festival in 2018. “Everyday Barns” was sewn in a “stitch and flip” method and details were hand drawn in fabric ink. It was thread painted/quilted by the maker in a variety of colors. The batt is cotton and it has a knife-edge finish.

 

Traditional One Patch Pattern
Made by Alice Janik, age 7
Made in Forest Grove, 2017
Documented in Washington County
OQP#: 2018.WA.SAC.11

My First Quilt
The tradition of quilt making and other needle arts learned from female relatives dwindled by the mid-20th century as modern girls become more proficient on computer keyboards than needle and thread. However, some of them are still encouraged to try quilting or even attend “quilt camps.” This cheery quilt was made by the youngest quilter whose work we documented, who enjoys attending a regular quilt group with her mother and older sister. At age 7, this was her “learning quilt”. Her mom cut the squares and Alice sewed them together in three days. Then she and her mom machine quilted it together. It has a polyester batt and the straight grain binding is machine sewn. In the tradition of quilts made for special events, Alice decided she wanted to make a special gift for her expectant teacher, which she subsequently designed and sewed herself.

 

Saint Anthony's Torment
Made by Mary Catherine Lamb
Made in Portland, 1993
Documented in Yamhill County
OQP#: 2018-YC-TIL-004

When she was clearing her mother’s home after her death in 1986, Mary Catherine Lamb rediscovered the material reminders of her childhood upbringing in the Catholic Church. In a later interview she stated that “it was a revelation to me that I could embrace these images in a completely different way, on my own terms. I could incorporate playfulness and irreverence but…a little bit of grief and yearning for the security of the past.” She began creating art quilts based on these images and her memories for classes at Marylhurst College and the Oregon School of Arts & Crafts. Between 1990 and her death in 2009 she made 15 quilts with themes from her lapsed faith, using salvaged fabrics of varying weight, textures and fiber content. Eleven of her quilts are in the Lamb Collection of the International Quilt Study Center in Lincoln, Nebraska and two are at the Portland Art Museum. “Torment” was machine pieced and appliqued with machine satin stitching and hand quilted with gold metallic thread. The batt is polyester and the machine sewn binding is gold metallic striped ribbon.

 

Circle Medallion Pattern
Venice at Your Feet
Made by Anton Haas, Jr.
Made in Pleasant Hill, CA, 2003
Documented in Multnomah County
OQP#: 2011-03-16

The design of this quilt is a paper-pieced adaption of the inlaid marble floor of San Marco Cathedral, while the center was taken from the monastery in San Domenico, both in Venice, Italy. The tulip border was also designed by the maker. Anton Haas, Jr. is a former tailor and costume designer and self-taught quilter. In 2004 he moved to Oregon where he now resides and where the quilt was documented. The fabric on the back of the quilt is pieced in a classic black and white marble floor pattern. The quilt was made using fusible and machine applique and machine quilted. It has a polyester batt and straight-grain binding, applied by machine and hand.

 

Grandma Rose's Quilt
Made by Stella Hampton Rose
Location made: Payette, Idaho
Made circa 1930's
Fabric: Cotton
Techniques: Piecing, Appliqué & Embroidery, Quilting
Floral Vine Appliqué: A Nancy Page Quilt Pattern
Nancy Page was a byline for household and quilt pattern features by Florence La Ganke Harris, a Cleveland, Ohio, home economist. The Quilt Club column began in 1932 and was carried nationwide.
OQP#: 2018.BK.UMC.27

This is one of many quilts made by Stella Hampton (McCullough) Rose. Born in Missouri, she and her family moved west in 1915. The westward move did not prove fruitful for their economic stability. In the 1930's, like many others, poverty gripped the family. Today, family members recount witnessing Stella being strapped to a plow and pulling the implement to prepare the soil for planting. They could not afford a horse. She quilted for pleasure.

Stella Hampton McCullough Rose had a very difficult life. She married twice, the first time at age 16, and gave birth to eight children. According to her great-granddaughter who inherited this quilt, Grandma Rose’s second husband was chronically unemployed and Rose lived most of her life in poverty. Consequently, in addition to caring for her own family she worked well into her sixties as a housekeeper/cook for other families, often for more than 40 hours/week. The quilt documentation team estimated that this quilt was made in the 1930’s, when Rose would have been in her late fifties. The design was by “Nancy Page” the pseudonym of a designer whose blocks were nationally syndicated in U.S. newspapers during the Depression. In spite of her personal hardships – Stella was reported to have pulled a plow herself when she did not have a horse – she made at least two bright, cheerful quilts, which are treasured by the family. This one is hand appliquéd and quilted. The batt is thin cotton and the bias binding attached by machine and hand.

 

Block Pattern
Made by Twylla Hoch
Based on commercial pattern "On The Farm"
Variations: barn doors open and wheels turn
Made in Waldport, 2002
Documented in Lincoln County
OQP#: 1459-06-15

Wheels Go Round
Twylla Hoch made this quilt for her then three-year old grandson. She started with a commercial pattern that featured a farm theme, but began improving upon it when asked if she could “make the wheels go around.” The barn door opens and the tractor wheels move. It was loaned for the exhibit by Conor, who is now 17. It was machine pieced, using cloud, grass and rain motif fabrics and hand quilted. The batt is polyester; the binding is straight grain, machine and hand sewn.

 

Signature Quilt
Made by: Participants and dedicated volunteers of the 1993 “Walking the Oregon Trail” Sesquicentennial Event
Location signed: along the Oregon trail
Fabric: Cotton
Year made: 1993
Techniques: Piecing, Quilting
Documented in Clackamas County
OQP#: 2017.CL.LO.10

The Official Sesquicentennial Wagon Train Signature Quilt
This double sided quilt was made to record the names of all who participated in the Oregon Trail Wagon Train Reenactment as they walked across Oregon, following the Barlow Road. Volunteers assembled fabric panels which were sent out on the wagon train. Each day, at the end of their walk, participants were invited to wash their hands, and write their name and message on one of the solid half-square triangles. Additionally, each participant received a square of the quilt’s printed fabric for personal use. The signed fabric was assembled, and marked for hand quilting, which was done during the three day End of the Oregon Trail Event in Oregon City.

A national and statewide commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the historic Oregon Trail took place in 1993. Several hundred people began at Farewell Bend State Park on the Snake River and walked the route around Mt. Hood, finishing in Oregon City, the official end of the Trail. Mary Bywater Cross recruited quiltmakers and fabricators who prepared the cloth triangles. At the end of the daily walk participants were invited to write their names and message (as a family unit) on a triangle. The title of the quilt was hand written by calligrapher Denise Clausen. After the event the panels were machine sewn together, basted, and hand quilted in three days by many volunteers. The names were transcribed and that list, along with the quilt, were given to the Museum of the Oregon Territory in Oregon City.

 

Crazy Quilt
Top made by Kayse Durgan, 2012
Quilted by the Quilted Sisters of the First Baptist Church of Hillsboro
Donated to a Tuality Hospital breast cancer patient
Documented in Washington County
OQP#: 2014-WA-MU-007

Although a bout with cancer is not the same positive event as a wedding or anniversary, the prayers, good wishes and hope for recovery embodied in this quilt make it very special to its owner, who uses it every day. The Oregon Quilt Project documented several quilts made by female friends for women facing breast cancer treatment. This was made by “Quilted Sisters” of the First Baptist Church, Hillsboro, and presented to the owner in the hospital after her surgery. The vibrant multi-colored scraps were sewn on foundation fabric in a traditional “string” pattern. It has a thin batt, tied, and the binding is the edge of the backing wrapped to the front and sewn down.

 

Appliqué Pansy
Made by Lula Schminck
Began in 1931, finished in 1933
Documented in 2017 in Lake county, during Lakeview's annual "Irish Days" Celebration
OQP#: 2017.LK.GP.003

Made by Lula Schminck, began in 1931, finished in 1933. Lula’s husband Dalph loved to garden, and each day he would pick out a special pansy to present to his love, Lula. After a lengthy time, Lula decided to make this quilt to commemorate his affection. Dalph hooked a pansy rug to match, which can be seen at the Schminck Museum in Lakeview, Oregon.

 

Through the Garden Gate
Top made by: Philomena Durcan
Quilted by: Rosemary Kurtz
Location made: Sunnyvale, CA
Year made: 1994
Fabrics: Cotton, Sateen, Brocade
Techniques: Appliqué, Quilting
Documented in Washington County
OQP#: 2016.WA.LP.10

Philomena Durcan’s gift to the quilting world includes designs based on traditional Irish Catholic motifs: Celtic crosses, the monks’ knots in the Book of Kells and patterns from the Dominican Sisters’ chapel in their convent in Dublin.

Excerpt from the Introduction of A Celtic Garden
“I explored many possible ways to develop flower designs that captured the essence of the Celtic gardens of Ireland and Scotland. I decided to keep the flower patterns themselves simple, and let bias [tape] layering and use of color and fabric add depth, texture, and richness to the finished designs. I imagined seeing the flowers through rustic iron gates or through old Irish garden walls…”

Irish-born, Philomena Durcan was familiar with Irish lace-making but became enthusiastic about quilt making when she immigrated to California. A skillful needlewoman, she eventually developed a style of Celtic quilting which she began teaching. This led to a number of published books on the technique and international travels. This quilt was inspired by a garden in Scotland where she was presenting a class. She stated, “In my mind’s eye I imagined seeing the flowers through rustic iron gates…and combined Celtic interlace patterns with floral designs.” The fabrics are hand dyed and the top is hand appliqued. It is quilted over a thin cotton batt hand and bias binding on the edges is also applied by hand.

 

Log Patch Pattern; A Log Cabin Variation
Made by Sally Powers Rogers
Began n 1991, Tacoma, WA
Finished in 2003, Redmond, OR
Documented in Deschutes County
OQP#: 2019-DS-SP-31

My American Log Cabin
Indirectly, this very traditional quilt pattern marks two military conflicts. The top was machine-pieced in 1991 during “Desert Storm” and hand-quilted twelve years later during the Iraq war. Sally’s reasons for making quilts include for gifts, pleasure and “therapy.” The batting is cotton and the binding was applied by machine and by hand.

 

Log Cabin Variation; Nine-Eleven Memorial Quilt
Top made by Sue Waldron
Quilted by Karen Kemmer
Made in Medford, began 2001, finished 2017
Documented in Jackson County
OQP#: 2018.JK.JCGL.13

Not just a grim reminder of a tragic event, Sue Waldron’s quilt reflects the reactions and feelings of Americans in response to the 2001 attack. The overall pieced pattern is a very traditional Log Cabin in red, white and blue, but rather than the blocks being “fixed” with repetitive color placement, the layout creates an irregular, unsettled rhythm. Twenty blocks embroidered in traditional redwork feature various phrases and images from the event. Her final sentence in the label summarizes her intent: “the unification of one nation, with one focus. It did not last, but for just a while-United We Stood.” The quilt was designed, hand embroidered and machine pieced by the owner. It was machine quilted by Karen Kemmer over a cotton batt, and finished with straight grain, machine and hand sewn binding.

 

Lake Oswego Signature Quilt Club Signatures
Top made by Jeannie Koenig Pickens, 2012
Quilted by members of Lake Oswego Quilters
Documented in Clackamas County
OQP#: 2014.CL.MC.0006

Established in 1958, the Oswego Quilters have met weekly for more than 60 years. When its founder Helen Grigg died in 2011, member Jeannie Koenig Pickens felt that the history of the group should be commemorated with, of course, a quilt! With no final design in mind, she began collecting signatures on small pieces of white fabric. Contemplating the layout of the top she determined that a circle of figures with connecting hands would reflect their personal bonds. Unusually, the quilt center’s design came after the layout of the border. Twelve center blocks represent quilts in a frame, with 12 women around each. The top was hand appliquéd by the designer, then hand quilted by group members. It has a thin polyester batt and the applied binding is hand sewn.

 

Block Pattern
90^th Anniversary Quilt
Made by Members of the Skip-a-Week Quilt Club
Made in Estacada, 2011
Documented in Clackamas County
OQP#: 2017-CK-GG-003

Founded in 1921, The Skip-a-Week Quilt Club (“Friendship and Service”) has been meeting at the Garfield Grange in rural Clackamas County near Estacada for almost a century. This quilt was made in 2011 to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the group. Each of its nine hand-appliqued blocks feature a woman in costume whose style is typical of its decade. These are set in a field of hand-inked names, which includes every member of record from 1921-2011. It was hand quilted over a thin cotton batt by members of the Club in a grid diamond pattern.

 

USA Map Quilt
From the Willamette Heritage Center collection:
Made by Clara Early, with design help from her map-draftsman husband, Charles
Began in 1930, finished in 1939
Scale is 1 inch=36 miles
OQP#: 2013.MA.WHC.007

This quilt was designed and made by a wife and husband between 1930-39. Mr. Early was a map draftsman who worked for ten months to make accurate templates for each state, as well as parts of Mexico and Canada, at a scale of 1” to 36 miles. His wife Clara then used the templates to cut out and hand applique each state into place. To further challenge the quilter’s skills the fabric is a notoriously slippery rayon satin and sateen. State flowers were hand painted onto each block. The batting is either a thin blanket or cotton flannel, and the “family masterpiece” was hand quilted in clamshell and diamond and grid squares.

 

Sherman County Centennial Celebration Quilt
Original design by Sherry Kaseberg
Made in Moro, 1989
Documented in Sherman County
OQP#: 2015-SM-MU-003

County historical society president Sherry Kaseberg thought that a quilt would be a good way to commemorate the one-hundredth anniversary of the second least-populated county in the state. The overall theme is the growth and progress of Sherman County. Subsequently, packets of fabrics and a list of designs were distributed. Quilters were to create the designs and add something personal. Once the blocks were assembled anyone who wanted to help with the quilting did so at the Community Presbyterian Church. Two identical quilts were made: one to remain in the Sherman County Museum, the other to be raffled. The winner has loaned her “duplicate” to this exhibit. Blocks were hand appliqued and embroidered and then machine sewn together. It has a polyester batt, is hand quilted, and the edges finished with straight grain binding, machine and hand sewn.

 

Pine Tree variation
From the Willamette Heritage Center collection:
Known to Willamette Heritage Center as the Oakes Family quilt, it was mailed to the museum in 2016, after it was found in a thrift store in Arizona. How it got there is a mystery!
OQP#: 2017.MA.WHC.004

Oakes Family Anniversary Quilt
Made in Salem in 1938 to commemorate the 40th wedding anniversary of Pearl Warner Oakes and Albert Oakes, the quilt apparently went to one of their six children when the couple died in the 1940’s. The quilt ended up in a thrift store on a Navajo Indian reservation in Arizona, where it was purchased by a customer. She in turn, took advantage of the genealogical information available on the internet and conducted research on the family members listed on the quilt blocks. She sent it to the Willamette Heritage Center and when staff contacted an Oakes descendant, the museum was advised to keep it for their collection. Family opinions about how the quilt got to Arizona are on the Quilt Index. It was hand and machine pieced, hand appliquéd and embroidered. The backing fabric is believed to be from the 1980’s, and it is machine quilted, suggesting the top may have been quilted 40 years after its completion. The batt is either cotton or a polyester blend; the edges are finished by turning them in.

 

Folded Log Cabin
The "Dump Quilt"
Maker and place made are unknown
Found in a box at the Yachats dump in 1996
Examination determined date made 1840-1860
Documented in Lincoln County
OQP#: 1600-02-17

The name of this quilt refers to its discovery in 1996 in a cardboard box tossed into the community garbage dump in Yachats, Oregon. Although its somber colors were not fashionable in the 1990’s the finders recognized that its workmanship merited its rescue. Documented by the North Coast Quilters in 2017, that group estimated it was made ca 1840-1860. It is a unique design, scraps often less than one-half inch wide folded into curvy log cabin blocks. The block centers feature small appliqued motifs of equally original design. It may have been foundation pieced on a single piece of fabric. There is no batt or quilting, but some of the running stitches of the blocks go through into the backing fabric. How or why it was discarded remains a mystery, as it was carefully mended and in good condition for its age, suggesting it was treasured by someone for many years.

 

Japanese Blocks
Threads of a Story Untold
OQP#: 2019-CK-GG-006

Orphan blocks - quilt blocks that were never sewn together to make a quilt – always leave questions about their past. A large box found at a Portland yard sale could have been shouting “I have a story to tell!” The sign on the box said: “145 blocks, Japanese kimono fabric, made during WWII internment camp in Idaho. Parents owned laundry on Killingsworth, PDX.” Inside were piles of beautiful, colorful, folded patchwork blocks in a style we now refer to as Japanese folded or origami patchwork. The seller provided clues to their story, and further research by the Oregon Quilt Project has given a voice to these stunning and curious quilt blocks.

The seller’s mother was a high school friend of Jane Nishino at Jefferson High School in NE Portland. In 1942 the Nishino family was sent to the Minidoka Internment Center in Idaho and Jane and her brother sent letters and photographs back to their Portland friend. After the war “Jane” married, and records have her as Mieko Ikada. Mieko continued a friendship with her old high school pal as they both worked as seamstresses at Jantzen. “It is our understanding that in the 1960’s Mieko presented these blocks to our mother for her birthday to honor their long, loyal friendship,” stated the seller. 

The Oregon Quilt Project documentation led to the conclusion that probably the first of these blocks were made in Idaho at Minidoka during the war years, and may have used some kimono fabric, but Mieko continued to use scrap fabrics to make more blocks up into the 1960’s. Most of these blocks will be donated to local and national historical and human rights organizations that are committed to documenting, educating, and remembering the dark moment of the WWII Japanese Internment Centers in America.