QUILT INDEX RECORD

18-14-15

Description:

Mary Gasperik's first two Tree of Life quilts were a pair of twin-sized quilts made as a 1935 wedding present for her daughter Elsie's friend. The whereabouts of these two quilts is not known. A family photograph, on the back of which is written the year 1935 and the recipient's name, is the only surviving image of these quilts. This photo is cropped from that b/w photo. See also #083.

Essay:

Salser's notes indicate that Ruth Stein's married named was Mrs. Ernest Stein and that although Ruth was a Chicago friend, the couple moved to Wisconsin. This information might be of help in locating the pair of quilts, in case they still exist.

Susan Salser remembers this about the making of the Tree of Life quilts:
1935 was a period of time in which grandma was going full bore with her quilt making. She had discovered the 'Detroit News' and its quilt club and shows and was made VERY aware of how quilters were rewarded (in prizes and publicity) for utilizing commercial pattern offerings. Grandma very actively sought recognition; we know that from the quality and volume of her work. 

The 'Tree of Life' quilts were ones which my mom [Elsie Gasperik Krueger] was deeply involved in helping design. Even though a lot of the design components are dictated by the McCall Kaumagraph #1853 for crewelwork, Elsie worked hard to draw the applique patterns for her mother and make suggestions about how best to turn the McCall pattern into an appliquéd, quilted quilt. She considered what might be amplified, what might be left out, proposed reflecting the applique IN the quilting design, etc. We know that from personal memory and also from mom’s cousin Vilma McClure who wrote me a letter explicitly describeing how hard mom worked to help grandma create these 'Tree of Life' quilts. Vilma stated that my mom was very involved in helping grandma with her quilting in these years. 'Tree of Life' was the specific pattern she mentioned, but I know there were also other MG/EGK quilt collaborations ('Double Feather Star', #006, #045, #081 and 'Four Little Pigs', #057 come to mind.)

Mary was stricter with Elsie than she was with her sons, sometimes driving her to tears. Despite that, my mother wanted to encourage her mother to use her prodigious needlework skills to express more personal and original  designs - especially using  connections with the elaborate floral embroideries of grandma’s native land, Hungary. So these particular quilts are attached to their mother/daughter relationship. My mom, the daughter who wanted more recognition of her own independence than her mother appeared willing to grant her and who refused to make, much less admire, the prolific embroidery she grew up surrounded by, was telling the expert needleworker how to improve or change her needlework. Image how grandma felt about that! 

My grandmother very much believed in formal family weddings and expressly demanded that her daughter turn over that decision to her. My mother (and father) wanted a private and civil ceremony and simply went ahead and married on a lunch break in downtown Chicago on Aug. 25, 1934. Grandma was deprived of the grand wedding (and accompanying wedding quilt stamp of approval) she was so determined to have. So, when my mom’s very good friend at the time, Ruth Peterson, got married (presumably in 1935 to someone with the last name Stern) grandma had her opportunity and used it to present Ruth and her husband with a pair of 'Tree of Life' quilts. These were possibly the very first 'Tree of Life' quilts grandma made.

Where are the records for this quilt housed?

Mary Gasperik Legacy Project

Who documented this quilt?

Mary Gasperik Private Collection

Gasperik Legacy Project Number:

082

This is a:

Finished quilt

Owner's name for quilt:

Tree of Life #1

What color is the quilt?

Beige or Tan; Brown; Cream; Green; Orange; Yellow

Overall color scheme:

Bright or primary colors; Dark colors

Quilt's condition:

Unknown/Not Rated

Time period:

1930-1949

When was the quilt finished?

1935

Family/owner's date for quilt:

1935

Who estimated the quilt's date?

Merikay Waldvogel

Further information concerning dates:

McCall Kaumagraph #1853 was offered in 1931-32. This Gasperik quilt appears in a family photograph dated 1935.

Describe the quilt's layout:

Medallion or framed center

Subject of the quilt:

Tree of Life

Number of borders:

One

Describe the borders:

Wide border of rich dark brown fabric, on four sides frames the center panel.

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Cotton

Fabric styles used in the quilt top:

Print; Solid/plain

Applique techniques used to make the quilt top:

Hand Applique

Embellishment techniques used to make the quilt top:

Embroidery

What kind of filling is used in the quilt?

Cannot tell

How are the layers held together?

Hand quilting

Quilting designs used, overall motifs:

Grid diamond; Outline

Quilting designs used, background fills:

Grid/crosshatch

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

The pair of quilts appearing in a photograph dated 1935 (which, in Elsie's handwriting, also notes they were "given to Ruth Peterson Stein") appear to be the simplest of Gasperik's Tree of Life series. The quiltING is an all-over hanging diamond pattern without Gasperik's usual flourishes and embedded motifs. There appear to be no birds: either quilted or appliqued. This (and its mate, #083) is the simplest - and probably earliest - Gasperik rendition of the McCall design. Although some decorative additions (and substitutions) were made, Gasperik constructed her five Tree of Life quilts (#031, #065, #044, #083, #082) from a single universe of fabrics.

Quilt top made by:

Gasperik, Mary

Quilted by:

Gasperik, Mary

Where the quilt was made, city:

Chicago

Where the quilt was made, county:

Cook County

Where the quilt was made, state:

Illinois (IL)

Where the quilt was made, country:

United States

Tell the story of how the quilt was obtained:

Made for Mary Gasperik's friend Ruth Peterson Stein for her twin beds in 1935. Karen Krueger remembers that they were given by Gasperik as a wedding present.

Why was the quilt made?

Wedding

The quilt was made to be used for:

Bedding, special occasion

Where did the maker get their materials?

Purchased new

Where did the maker find their pattern?

Commercial/Published source: Pattern

Commercial name of the pattern for the top:

"McCall #1853 Crewelwork Pattern/Tree of Life" published in McCall Decorative Arts and Needlework 1931-1932.

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

According to Elsie's cousin, Vilma McClure, Elsie helped Gasperik design the Tree of Life quilts. Elsie's daughters remember that this particular series of quilts, the Tree of Life quilts, seemed to be Elsie's personal favorites of all the quilts her mother made.

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

Merikay Waldvogel and Barbara Brackman. Patchwork Souvenirs of the 1933 Chicago World's Fair, (Nashville, TN: Rutledge Hill Press, 1993)102-103.

Merikay Waldvogel "One American Dream Comes True", Quilters Newsletter Magazine, March 2008, 46-49.

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

January 9, 1994 letter from Vilma McClure to Susan Salser: "About your mother. She helped design many of the quilts. I particularly remember the family tree quilt. I saw it in the making. I think your mother designed that one. Elsie was most pleased that her mother had such a passion for making quilts. Indeed, Aunt Mary didn't do anything else - literally! Your mother went to Hazelcrest and cleaned her mother's house and did her wash on a regular basis." (Susan Salser, personal collection).

Family photograph, b&w, showing a pair of Tree of Life quilts. Written on the back, in Elsie's hand: "1935 Twin Tree of Life made for Ruth Peterson Stein".

Ownership of this quilt is:

Private

Quilt owner's country:

United States

Person filling out this form is:

Relative of quiltmaker; Author/researcher

If you are a relative of the quiltmaker, how are you related? The quiltmaker is my:

Grandmother

Describe the relationship to the quilt's maker:

Grand-daughter Susan Salser began this research effort in 1991, after she and her two sisters divided up the quilts which belonged to their mother (Elsie Gasperik Krueger) who died in 1988. Her ongoing research has been fruitful and interesting.

Quiltmaker's maiden name:

Mihalovits, Maria

Quiltmaker's gender:

Female

Quiltmaker's birth date:

01/25/1888

Quiltmaker's birthplace, country:

Hungary

Quiltmaker's marriage date(s):

11/18/1906

Quiltmaker's date of death:

05/25/1969

Quiltmaker's ethnic background/tribal affiliation:

Hungarian

Quiltmaker's educational background:

Elementary School

In which kind of environment did the quiltmaker live?

Rural

Quiltmaker's city:

Chicago

Quiltmaker's county:

Cook

Quiltmaker's state:

Illinois (IL)

Quiltmaker's country:

United States

Quiltmaker's father's name:

Mihalovits, Istvan

Quiltmaker's father's birthplace:

Hungary

Quiltmaker's father's ethnic/tribal background:

Hungarian

Quiltmaker's mother's name:

Mihalovits, Vidoszava

Quiltmaker's mother's birthplace:

Hungary

Quiltmaker's mother's ethnic/tribal background:

Hungarian

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

Gasperik, Stephen

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

Hungarian

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

Milk Dealer/Grocery Store Owner/Butcher

Number of children:

3

How many of the quiltmaker's children were girls?

1 (Elsie 1909-1988)

How many of the quiltmaker's children were boys?

2 (Elmer and Stephen)

How did the quiltmaker learn to quilt?

From guild or club member; Self-Taught

When did the quiltmaker learn to quilt?

Age 40-49

Why does the quiltmaker quilt?

Pleasure; Other

Other notes on how the quiltmaker learned, and how and why they quilt:

Mary Gasperik made quilts because it was her life passion and greatest talent. As opportunities arose, she entered contests and exhibited them publicly. She also made special quilts for her family.

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

Tuley Park Quilt Club and Detroit News Quilt Club

Does/did the quiltmaker belong to a group?

Chicago, IL and Detroit, MI

What are the main activities of the group?

Chicago group met to quilt and held periodic quilt shows; Detroit group held national exhibits and contests.

Estimated number of quilts made by this quiltmaker:

more than 50

Does/did the quiltmaker sell quilts?

no

Does/did the quiltmaker teach quilting?

no

Who photographed this quilt?

unknown, famly photo

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

Copyright holder:

Hank Finn

Details