QUILT INDEX RECORD

15-11-3940

Where are the records for this quilt housed?

Wisconsin Quilt History Project

Who documented this quilt?

Wisconsin Quilt History Project

Wisconsin Quilt History Project Number:

A1511

Person filling out this form is:

Quilt owner; Relative of quiltmaker; Other

Source of the information on this quilt:

Granddaughter of the quiltmaker

When was the form filled out?

03-02-2024

Choose the best description of the source to the quilt:

Quilt owner

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

Inherited; Received as a gift

Describe the relationship to the quilt's maker:

Granddaughter of the quiltmaker

Where was the quilt documentation day held?

Wisconsin Museum of Quilts & Fiber Arts, Cedarburg, WI

This is a:

Finished quilt

Owner's name for quilt:

Grandma's Quilt

Names for quilt's pattern in common use:

Bowtie

How wide is the quilt?

61 in.

How long is the quilt?

85 in.

Shape of edge:

Straight

Shape of corners:

Straight

What color is the quilt?

Beige or Tan; Cream

Overall color scheme:

Light or pastel colors

Describe any colors not included in the other color fields:

Pale peach

Quilt's condition:

Good/moderate use

Damage:

Open seams

Time period:

1930-1949

Family/owner's date for quilt:

1925-1935

Describe the quilt's layout:

Block pattern

Number of quilt blocks:

494

Size of quilt blocks:

3.50 in. x 3.50.

Arrangement of quilt blocks:

Straight

Spacing of quilt blocks:

Alternating with plain squares

Number of different block patterns used in the quilt:

2

What is the shape of the quilt blocks?

Squares

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Rayon; Silk

Fabric types used to make the quilt top:

Satin

Fabric styles used in the quilt top:

Dotted

Describe the fibers or fabrics in the quilt top:

The rayon and silk fabrics may be blends. The fabrics included woven dots and woven chevron patterns.

Piecing techniques used to make the quilt top:

Hand Piecing; Machine Piecing

Materials used to make the back:

Cotton

Description of the back:

Floral print sheet.

What color is the back of the quilt?

Brown; Gray; Green; Pink; White

Number of pieces of fabric in the quilt back:

1

Describe the back:

Print; Same fabric used throughout

What kind of filling is used in the quilt?

No filling

How are the layers held together?

Not quilted

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

The quilt top was made with light pink, ivory, and white satin. The back was sheeting, possible "Penebscot" brand from Marshall Fields. Note the concentration of bowtie squares on top and bottom of the quilt.

Quilt top made by:

Adamaitis, Jeannette Obukowicz, a.k.a. Adams, Jeannette

Where the quilt was made, city:

Chicago

Where the quilt was made, county:

Cook

Where the quilt was made, state:

Illinois (IL)

Where the quilt was made, country:

United States

How was this quilt acquired?

Inheritance

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

There is a sister-quilt of almost the same construction with a few different foundation pieces and includes lace, etc.

Why was the quilt made?

Art or personal expression; Home decoration

The quilt was made to be used for:

Bedding, daily use

Where did the maker get their materials?

Sewing scraps

Describe the sources of the quilt's materials:

The scraps were from a corset-making factory

Where did the maker find their pattern?

Another quilt; Public domain/traditional pattern; Unknown

Ownership of this quilt is:

Private

Quilt owner's name:

Gregory, Adrianne

Quilt owner's country:

United States

Quiltmaker's maiden name:

Obukowicz

Quiltmaker's gender:

Female

Quiltmaker's birth date:

1895

Quiltmaker's birthplace, city:

Kaunas

Quiltmaker's birthplace, country:

Lithuania

Quiltmaker's marriage date(s):

1917

Quiltmaker's date and place of death:

1975

Quiltmaker's ethnic background/tribal affiliation:

Lithuanian

Quiltmaker's educational background:

High School

Quiltmaker's religious affiliation:

Catholic

Quiltmaker's occupation:

Factory seamstress, homemaker

In which kind of environment did the quiltmaker live?

Urban

Quiltmaker's county:

Cook

Quiltmaker's city:

Chicago

Quiltmaker's state:

Illinois (IL)

Quiltmaker's country:

United States

Quiltmaker's father's birthplace:

Lithuania

Quiltmaker's father's ethnic/tribal background:

Lithuanian

Quiltmaker's mother's birthplace:

Lithuania

Quiltmaker's mother's ethnic/tribal background:

Lithuanian

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

Adamaitis, Paul Peter

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

Lithuanian

How did the quiltmaker learn to quilt?

Self-Taught; Other

When did the quiltmaker learn to quilt?

Age 11-19

Why does the quiltmaker quilt?

Gifts; Necessity; Pleasure

Notes on how the quiltmaker learned, and how and why they quilt:

Maker worked as a seamstress in a corset factory.

Estimated number of quilts made by this quiltmaker:

5-20 quilts

Any other notes or stories about the quiltmaker:

According to the quilt owner the quiltmaker probably came to the US near the end of WWI. Her eventual husband also came from Lithuania to escape being drafted. She believed they met in Chicago and were married there in a Lithuanian church. At some point the maker got a job sewing women's undergarments and kept the scraps. That is why all the fabric is stain/brocade and "skin colored." The owner tried to find a corset factory near Hyde Park where the maker lived, but could only find a factory in Aurora, IL. The quilt owner never knew that the maker had a job, so she might have made undergarments to support herself after moving from Lithuania, but before her marriage. The family has four of these quilts plus a few pillow covers. The maker never taught her daughter to sew.

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

Copyright holder:

Wisconsin Museum of Quilts & Fiber Arts

Details

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