QUILT INDEX RECORD

18-14-37

Description:

The interesting thing about the four Indiana Wreath quilts is that they show more experimentation with quiltING design than experimentation with appliqué pattern. It is the selection of fabrics, and the quiltING patterns which distinguish these four quilts which look, at first glance, to be the 'same' quilt. Although the range of experimentation is narrow here, Mary did not duplicate her Indiana Wreath quilts. Because a quiltING motif which was offered in 1943 by Women's Day (May 1943, p.42; the pattern was sold as 'Coat of Arms' by the magazine) does not appear on this quilt although it does appear on the three other Gasperik Indiana Wreath quilts, it is thought that this was the first of the four Gasperik Indiana Wreath quilts to be completed. That the quiltING on this quilt is somewhat less complex than the quiltING on the other three quilts might substantiate this hypothesis.

Where are the records for this quilt housed?

Mary Gasperik Legacy Project

Who documented this quilt?

Mary Gasperik Private Collection

Gasperik Legacy Project Number:

032

This is a:

Finished quilt

Quilt's title:

Indiana Wreath

Owner's name for quilt:

Indiana Wreath (Linda)

Brackman # or other source & #:

80.22, 80.23

How wide is the quilt?

74 inches

How long is the quilt?

94 inches

Shape of edge:

Straight

Shape of corners:

Straight

What color is the quilt?

Blue or Navy; Green; Red; White

Overall color scheme:

Bright or primary colors

Quilt's condition:

Excellent/like new

Time period:

1930-1949

When was the quilt started?

Not known

When was the quilt finished?

1938-1945

Date estimated by an antique dealer, quilt historian or appraiser:

1938-1945

Who estimated the quilt's date?

Merikay Waldvogel

Further information concerning dates:

Earliest estimated date is based on the fact that Indiana Wreath pattern #524 was offered in McCall's Needlework Magazine, Winter 1937-1938, pp 26-27. Mary Gasperik probably consulted this pattern when she designed her Indiana Wreath quilts.

Describe the quilt's layout:

Medallion or framed center

Number of borders:

1

Describe the borders:

Outer edges on all four sides have an applique floral and leaf vine that frame the quilt.

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; Other embellishment technique

Describe any unusual techniques used to make the quilt top:

extra layer of batting pads the applique grapes

Can you feel or see paper on the quilt that was used as a construction aid?

no

Describe embellishment materials or techniques:

embroidered wheat in vase and in birds' beaks

Materials used to make the back:

Cotton

What color is the back of the quilt?

Yellow

Describe the back:

Solid/plain

Materials used in the quilt binding:

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

How are the layers held together?

Hand quilting

Color of thread used in the quilting:

white

Can you see any knots on the front or back of the quilt?

no

Quilting designs used, overall motifs:

Grid diamond

Quilting designs used, decorative motifs:

Floral; Wreaths

Quilting designs used, background fills:

Grid/crosshatch

Describe the quilting designs used:

Feathered wreaths, grape clusters, large and elaborate cornucopia spilling fruit and flowers, five-leaf ferns, three-leaf ferns

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

The four Gasperik Indiana Wreath quilts can be divided into two sets of two. Each pair uses the same set of fabrics. Quilts #011 and #043 use a set of polka dots prints of different colors. These two quilts also have wheat stalks embroidered under the vase. Quilts #032 and #063 employ a wider range of fabrics: the wreath's flowers are executed in floral prints. The grapes are made from a print of white stars on dark purple, cut such that the effect is of water glistening on a rounded surface.

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?

Gift

Tell the story of how the quilt was obtained:

This quilt was brought to Linda by her mother Elsie, as a gift from her grandmother, the quilt's maker.

Why was the quilt made?

Art or personal expression

The quilt was made to be used for:

Bedding, special occasion

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: Book; Commercial/Published source: Pattern

Describe the source of the pattern:

Inspiration for the Indiana Wreath quilt made famous by Marie Webster who used a 19th century quilt in this pattern as the frontispiece of her quilt book.
McCalls produced a commercial pattern.
Other designers including Rose Kretsinger made their own.

Commercial name of the pattern for the top:

Probably McCall's #524 Indiana Wreath.
The pattern for the three hovering blue birds may be borrowed from a quiltING pattern offered in a Nancy Page Quilting Club Column in the newspaper.

Where did the quiltmaker find the pattern for the quilting design on the quilt?

Published material

Describe where the quilting design pattern was found:

Grape clusters copied from Plate IV quilting pattern by Rose Kretsinger in Romance of the Patchwork Quilt.

What is the commercial name of the quilting design used for this quilt?

Fern pattern C5573 from Aunt Martha's Answer to 'How Shall I Quilt It?'

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

Judging by the pp 26-27 presentation of the McCall Indiana Wreath No. 524 pattern in the Winter 1937-38 issue of McCall's Needlework magazine, where it is accompanied by information and photos about Cecilia Knapp and her Michigan quilt business, it is likely that Mrs. Knapp was the source of McCall's Indiana Wreath design. Further, Mary Gasperik kept a business card from Mrs. Knapp, whom she probably met at the 1935 or 1938 Detroit News quilt show. Gasperik might well have gotten her pattern directly from Cecilia Knapp.

Exhibitions where this quilt was displayed:

The Quilts of Mary Gasperik, Ravenswood Historic Site, Livermore, CA, March 14-15, 1992.

This is one of the 23 Mary Gasperik quilts exhibited in the Carnegie Room of the Marion Indiana Public Library July 16-17, 2021 in connection with the ceremony honoring the induction of Mary Gasperik into The Quilters Hall of Fame as their 2021 Legacy Quilter honoree. Mary Gasperik Quilters Hall of Fame Induction Exhibit.

Perhaps exhibited in a Tuley Park quilt show (there is a yellow paper exhibit tag labelled 'Indiana Wreath')

Contests entered:

Likely sent to Illinos State Fair, unknown year.

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:

Quilts: Their Story and How to Make Them, Marie D. Webster, Doubleday, Doran & Company Inc., 1928, frontispiece is a hand-tinted photograph of the 1858 quilt made by Elizabeth J. Hart. Also see text about 'Indiana Wreath' on pages 84-86.

Winter 1937-38 McCall magazine pages 26-27 with Indiana Wreath pattern featured as well as text about and photo of Cecilia Knapp and photo of an Indiana Wreath quilt presumably from her quilt business.

Business card which belonged to Mary Gasperik, which reads "Cecilia Knapp, Quilts and Patchwares by The Woman Who Makes Them, 712 S. Monroe St., Monroe, Mich. PATTERNS AND STAMPINGS". Mary Gasperik archive, care of Karen Finn.

Ownership of this quilt is:

Private

Quilt owner's name:

Linda Krueger McLachlan

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:

The four Indiana Wreath quilts (#011, #032, #043 and #063) were made to demonstrate the quilter's mastery of her art at a time when she was doing her best work. One alone would make a powerful statement. Four of them constitute a tour de force. Gasperik made quilts to exhibit in shows held by her Tuley Park quilt club in Chicago, the Detroit News quilt show in Detroit, many Illinois State Fairs, at least one Indiana State Fair. She entered quilts in at least 2 Chicago department store contests. She made at least one quilt and one quilt top specifically for the 1939 New York Worlds Fair quilt contest. She also made children's quilts specifically for grandchildren and great-grandchildren; and wedding and wedding anniversary quilts for her son Elmer and grand-daughter Karen. Primarily, she wanted to make quilts because it was her life passion and her greatest talent. The occasions and venues to show them presented themselves. It should be noted that prior to Mary's emigration to America in late 1904, at age 16, she was an apprenticed needleworker in her native Hungary. The intricate and colorful floral embroideries traditional to Hungary lend themselves especially well to applique, the quilt style Mary preferred.

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?

Southside Chicago 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

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