QUILT INDEX RECORD

12-8-869

Who documented this quilt?

Michigan Quilt Project; Michigan State University Museum Collection

Where are the records for this quilt housed?

Michigan State University Museum

Michigan Quilt Project Number:

01.0095

If this quilt is owned by a museum, enter the accession number:

TC2001:1

Object label:

Star of Bethlehem reproduction
Beth Donaldson, top's maker and Kari Ruedisale, quilter
Lansing, Ingham County, Michigan
2001
Collection of Michigan State University Museum acc.#TC2001.1

Essay:

This quilt was inspired by another Lone Star quilt in the collection of the Michigan State University Museum.

The reproduction of this traditional Lone Star is made easier by using rotary cutting and strip piecing techniques as well as machine piecing, appliquéing, and quilting. The fabrics of the original were calicos typical of the era and it is easy today to find similar reproductions. The appliqué shapes are all slightly different in the original. Irregularity in the shapes and placements of the Woodland flowers are part of this quilt's original appeal and it is best not to be too exact when cutting, laying out, and sewing them in the reproduction.

The pattern for this reproduction can be found in Great Lakes, Great Quilts.

Quilt's title:

Star of Bethlehem Reproduction

Names for quilt's pattern in common use:

Lone Star

Quilt top made by:

Donaldson, Beth

Quilted by:

Ruedisale, Kari

If you are the quilt owner, how did you acquire this quilt?

Purchased the quilt

Where the quilt was made, city:

Lansing

Where the quilt was made, county:

Ingham

Where the quilt was made, state:

Michigan (MI)

Time period:

2000-2025

When was the quilt started?

2001

When was the quilt finished?

2001

Quilt is presently used as:

Museum collection

Quiltmaker's gender:

Female

Quiltmaker's city:

Lansing

Quiltmaker's county:

Ingham

Quiltmaker's state:

Michigan (MI)

Quiltmaker's maiden name:

Kolodziej

Quiltmaker's birth date:

5/1/1957

In which kind of environment did the quiltmaker live?

Urban

Quiltmaker's ethnic background/tribal affiliation:

Polish American

Quiltmaker's educational background:

3 years of college

Quiltmaker's religious affiliation:

Roman Catholic

Quiltmaker's occupation:

Quilter, quilt historian, Quilt collections assistant, MSU Museum

Quiltmaker's father's name:

Kolodziej, Chester John

Quiltmaker's father's ethnic/tribal background:

Polish American

Quiltmaker's mother's name:

Kolodziej, Joan Trybus

Quiltmaker's mother's ethnic/tribal background:

Polish American

Quiltmaker's marriage date(s):

June 1, 1979

Quiltmaker's spouse's/spouses' and /or partner's/partners' name(s):

Donaldson, Thomas James

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

Irish, French Canadian, American, Scottish

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

Vice President, Delphi Glass Corporation, Senior Analyst Small Business Administration

Number of children:

2

How many of the quiltmaker's children were girls?

2

When did the quiltmaker learn to quilt?

Age 11-19

Estimated number of quilts made by this quiltmaker:

more than 50

Does/did the quiltmaker sell quilts?

yes

Does/did the quiltmaker teach quilting?

yes

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

Capitol City Quilt Guild, The Charm Group.

Where does/did the group meet?

Lansing, MI

What are the main activities of the group?

Raffle quilts, charity quilts, round robins, block exchanges, challenge quilts.

This is a:

Finished quilt

How wide is the quilt?

78"

How long is the quilt?

94"

Shape of edge:

Straight

Quilt's condition:

Excellent/like new

Number of quilt blocks:

1

Size of quilt blocks:

The star is 66"

Arrangement of quilt blocks:

Straight

Number of borders:

1

Describe the borders:

4 1/2"

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Cotton

Piecing techniques used to make the quilt top:

Machine Piecing

Applique techniques used to make the quilt top:

Machine Applique

Materials used to make the back:

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 or polyester blend

How are the layers held together?

Machine quilting

Quilting designs used, overall motifs:

Outline

Where did the maker get their materials?

Purchased new

Describe the sources of the quilt's materials:

Fabrics purchased at Country Stitches, East Lansing, MI

Where did the maker find their pattern?

Another quilt

Exhibitions where this quilt was displayed:

Quilts Old & New: Reproductions from the Great Lakes Quilt Center, East Lansing, MI, January 12-August 17, 2003, Michigan State University Museum

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

Great Lakes, Great Quilts (2001) book, page 43.

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

Have published two books, Block By Block for That Patchwork Place in 1995 and Charm Quilts for EZ International in 1997.

Source of the information on this quilt:

Museum employee

Ownership of this quilt is:

Public- Michigan State University Museum

Quilt owner's name:

Michigan State University Museum

Quilt owner's city:

East Lansing

Quilt owner's county:

Ingham

Quilt owner's state:

Michigan (MI)

How was this quilt acquired?

Purchase

Tell the story of how the quilt was obtained:

2001

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

How did the quiltmaker participate in the creation of the quilt?

Made entire quilt top

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

This quilt was made to produce a pattern for the book Great Lakes, Great Quilts. It is a reproduction of MSUM #6615.1

Describe any favorite patterns, tools, etc. used by the quiltmaker:

Sewing machine, Traditional, bed quilts.

Copyright holder:

Michigan State University Museum