QUILT INDEX RECORD
12-8-7253
Who documented this quilt?
Michigan Quilt Project; Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum Collection
Where are the records for this quilt housed?
Michigan State University Museum
Michigan Quilt Project Number:
85.1588
Quilt's title:
Bicentennial Quilt
Names for quilt's pattern in common use:
Embroidered sampler
When was the form filled out?
8/13/1985
Quilt top made by:
Gardner, Dorothy; Gerhart, Josie
If you are the quilt owner, how did you acquire this quilt?
Presentation or award
Where the quilt was made, city:
Bedford
Where the quilt was made, county:
Cuyahoga
Where the quilt was made, state:
Ohio (OH)
Time period:
1976-1999
When was the quilt started?
1975
When was the quilt finished?
1976
Details about why the quilt was made:
Made quilt for Bedford Public Library which conducted a fund raising raffle with the quilt as a prize. The purpose was to raise funds for the Bicentennial activities in the city of Bedford.
Quilt is presently used as:
Museum collection
Quiltmaker's gender:
Female
Quiltmaker's city:
Grand Rapids
Quiltmaker's county:
Kent
Quiltmaker's state:
Michigan (MI)
This is a:
Finished quilt
How wide is the quilt?
66 1/2"
How long is the quilt?
103"
Shape of edge:
Straight
Shape of corners:
Rounded
Quilt's condition:
Excellent/like new
What is inscribed on the quilt?
D. Gardner & J. Gerhard
What is the date inscribed on the quilt?
1976
Method used to make the inscription:
Embroidery
Describe where the inscription was found:
top
Number of quilt blocks:
80 rectangles
Arrangement of quilt blocks:
Straight
Spacing of quilt blocks:
Side by side
What is the shape of the quilt blocks?
Sampler
Number of borders:
1
Describe the borders:
4 1/2" sides, 4" ends. plain.
Fiber types used to make the quilt top:
Cotton
Embellishment techniques used to make the quilt top:
Embroidery
What color is the back of the quilt?
Blue or Navy
Number of pieces of fabric in the quilt back:
1
What kind of filling is used in the quilt?
Polyester
How are the layers held together?
Machine quilting
Describe the quilting designs used:
Pre-quilted
Where did the maker find their pattern?
Commercial/Published source: Kit
Commercial name of the pattern for the top:
Albert G. Fleming, distributed by Louisville Bedding.
Exhibitions where this quilt was displayed:
Bedford Public Library, 1975 or 1976
Ownership of this quilt is:
Public-Other
Quilt owner's name:
Gerald Ford Museum
Quilt owner's city:
Grand Rapids
Quilt owner's county:
Kent
Quilt owner's state:
Michigan (MI)
How was this quilt acquired?
Presentation/award
Tell the story of how the quilt was obtained:
The winner chose to donate it to the White House, It was not intended to be a matched set however the man who designed this also made one and sent one to Washington in 1975. Others may also have been made.
Describe anything about the history of the quilt that wasn't already recorded in a previous field:
The embroidery took from January until June. Both women were school teachers, and worked on it several hours after school each day. Mrs. Gerhart made one for her daughter.
Access and copyright information:
Restricted
How did the quiltmaker participate in the creation of the quilt?
Made entire quilt
Describe anything about the design of the quilt that wasn't already recorded in a previous field:
Quilt designed by Albert G. Fleming distributed by Louisville Bedding. The quilt was basically a mass produced item. The embroidering was done in order to enhance the design and to use a number of basic embroidery stitches.
Copyright holder:
Michigan State University Museum
Cite this Quilt
Gardner, Dorothy; Gerhart, Josi. Bicentennial Quilt. 1976. From Michigan State University Museum, Michigan Quilt Project; Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum Collection. Published in The Quilt Index, https://quiltindex.org/view/?type=fullrec&kid=12-8-7253. Accessed: 04/26/24