QUILT INDEX RECORD
18-14-21
Description:
In this quilt (and in #052), she experimented with the pieced blocks and borders. She chose different arrangements, thus the dimensions are slightly different. Quilting designs (in the plain blocks) are the same in both quilts.
Essay:
Either this quilt or the other Pinwheel (#052) is visible in a photo from the Tuley Park quilt show (Nov 16, 1938) Chicago Park District Photo. The corners of the quilt are not visible in the photo. If they were, then it could be determined which of the two is shown because the corner triangles are rotated differently in the two quilts. The source of this traditional block pattern is not known. Ruth Finley's book contains a photo of a quilt with similar corner triangle rotations (See Plate 59) and a quilt with flying geese border (see Plate 17).
Where are the records for this quilt housed?
Mary Gasperik Legacy Project
Who documented this quilt?
Mary Gasperik Private Collection
Gasperik Legacy Project Number:
003
This is a:
Finished quilt
Quilt's title:
Blue Pinwheel
Owner's name for quilt:
Blue Pinwheel (Doris)
Names for quilt's pattern in common use:
Pinwheel
How wide is the quilt?
63 inches
How long is the quilt?
93 inches
Shape of edge:
Straight
Shape of corners:
Straight
What color is the quilt?
Blue or Navy; White
Overall color scheme:
Two color
Quilt's condition:
Very good/almost new
Time period:
1930-1949
When was the quilt finished?
1934-1936
Family/owner's date for quilt:
1934-1936
Date estimated by an antique dealer, quilt historian or appraiser:
1938
Who estimated the quilt's date?
Merikay Waldvogel
Further information concerning dates:
This estimated date is based on Chicago Park District photo dated (Nov 16, 1938) of a quilt exhibit at Tuley Park. This quilt (or its close match #052) is visible.
Describe the quilt's layout:
Block pattern
Arrangement of quilt blocks:
Straight
Spacing of quilt blocks:
Alternating with plain squares
Number of different block patterns used in the quilt:
Only one block
What is the shape of the quilt blocks?
Triangles
Number of borders:
Two borders surround the quilt
Describe the borders:
Flying geese border in blue. Outer border is white.
Fiber types used to make the quilt top:
Cotton
Fabric styles used in the quilt top:
Print; Solid/plain
Piecing techniques used to make the quilt top:
Hand Piecing
Materials used to make the back:
Cotton
Materials used in the quilt binding:
Cotton
What kind of filling is used in the quilt?
Cotton
How are the layers held together?
Hand quilting
Can you see any knots on the front or back of the quilt?
no
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
How was this quilt acquired?
Inheritance
The quilt was made to be used for:
Bedding, daily use
Quilt is presently used as:
Keepsake/memento
Describe present uses of the quilt:
Mary's grandchildren regard her quilts as a unique collection to be preserved and appreciated.
Where did the maker get their materials?
Purchased new
Where did the maker find their pattern?
Commercial/Published source: Pattern
Describe anything about the design of the quilt that wasn't already recorded in a previous field:
This is a common (traditional) pieced pattern she might have seen in a quilt history book (Ruth Finley's) or she may have purchased a pattern (McCall's).
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:
B/W photo of
Ownership of this quilt is:
Private
Quilt owner's name:
Elmer Gasperik heirs - Kathy Jacob contact
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:
Like its mate, Blue Pinwheel #052, this quilt is a learning experience, an experiment in making minor adjustments and rearrangements to a very traditional pieced quilt design. 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?
Don Gonzalez
Access and copyright information:
Restricted
Copyright holder:
Hank Finn
Cite this Quilt
Gasperik, Mar. Blue Pinwheel. 1934-1936. From Mary Gasperik Legacy Project, Mary Gasperik Private Collection. Published in The Quilt Index, https://quiltindex.org/view/?type=fullrec&kid=18-14-21. Accessed: 06/19/25
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Essay
Mary Gasperik and the Tuley Park Quilt...
Waldvogel, Merikay
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Gallery
Gasperik 03: 1930s Quilt Pattern Sourc...
Waldvogel, Merikay
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Gasperik, Mary Quiltmaker
Mary Gasperik Legacy Project
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1934-1936
Blue Pinwheel Gasperik, Mary
