QUILT INDEX RECORD
18-14-38
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 or date her Indiana Wreath quilts. The family has two blue ribbons which were won by Gasperik Indiana Wreath quilts: #011 (Doris) at the 1953 Illinois State Fair, and #043 (Susan) at the 1958 Illinois State Fair. The most significant of the motifs Gasperik quilted into her versions of Indiana Wreath are the grape cluster and the elaborate corner feather design which she borrowed from Rose Kretsinger's quiltING designs presented in Plates IV and V of the famous 1935 quilt book: Romance of the Patchwork Quilt in America. With her re-creations of the famous Indiana Wreath, Gasperik was saluting Marie D. Webster and Rose G. Kretsinger, two major quilt figures of her time.
Where are the records for this quilt housed?
Mary Gasperik Legacy Project
Who documented this quilt?
Mary Gasperik Private Collection
Gasperik Legacy Project Number:
043
This is a:
Finished quilt
Quilt's title:
Indiana Wreath
Owner's name for quilt:
Indiana Wreath (Susan)
Brackman # or other source & #:
80.22, 80.23
How wide is the quilt?
80 inches
How long is the quilt?
102 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:
Fair/worn
Damage:
Disintegration of fabric; Fading
Time period:
1930-1949
When was the quilt started?
Unknown
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:
One
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 batting under appliqued 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, below vase, and in birds' beaks
Materials used to make the back:
Cotton
What color is the back of the quilt?
Yellow
Number of pieces of fabric in the quilt back:
3
Width of pieces on the back:
11". 35", 34"
Describe the back:
Solid/plain
Materials used in the quilt binding:
Cotton
Fabric structure of the binding:
Plain weave
How is the binding made?
Bias grain
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
Number of quilting stitches per inch, place 1:
10
Number of quilting stitches per inch, place 2:
11
Can you see any knots on the front or back of the quilt?
no
Quilting designs used, overall motifs:
Grid diamond; In-the-ditch; Single parallel lines
Quilting designs used, decorative motifs:
Floral; Wreaths
Quilting designs used, background fills:
Grid/crosshatch; Parallel lines
Describe the quilting designs used:
Quilted band of flowers around perimeter, double-feathered circular wreaths, large and elaborate cornucopias spilling fruit and flowers, grape clusters, large feather medallions, cross-hatch filled feathered hearts.
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. This quilt's wreath looks more open than that of its fabric twin, #011, because the purple print fabric of the wreath's innermost flowers has faded to near-white. Now faded and worn, this was originally the most elaborately quilted of the 4 Gasperik Indiana Wreaths.
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:
Brought to Susan by Elsie, as a gift from her grandmother, when Susan moved to California in 1968.
Describe anything about the history of the quilt that wasn't already recorded in a previous field:
Susan Salser has the note, dated December 20, 1968 and saved by her mother, which she sent to her grandmother thanking her for "your dotted grape wedding present quilt".
Why was the quilt made?
Art or personal expression
Details about why the quilt was made:
Mary Gasperik made at least 4 Indiana Wreath quilts. It would seem that she picked this complicated and famous patterns precisely to demonstrate what a master quilter she was.
The quilt was made to be used for:
Bedding, special occasion
Was the quilt used for something other than what it is used for now?
Susan used it as a wall hanging for several years. That (and washing it) is how it came to be so faded and the dotted black print of the grapes actually disintegrated some.
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:
McCall's #524 Indiana Wreath published circa 1935 is the likely overall pattern source.
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:
Rose Kretsinger quilting design in Plates IV and V, Romance of the Patchwork Quilt inspired the grape clusters and the elaborate feathered medallion corners.
What is the commercial name of the quilting design used for this quilt?
Floral border is C7 from Grandmother's Perforated Quilting Patterns (1934) also offered as No. 47 & 48 in Needleart Guild's Original Master Quilting Patterns;
Double Feather Wreath is a pattern inGrandmother Clark Book No. 22 (St. Louis, MO 1932).
Exhibitions where this quilt was displayed:
This quilt was not included in the Ravenswood quilt show of March 1992.
Contests entered:
Won a blue ribbon at the 1958 Illinois State Fair. Susan Salser has the ribbon. There is also a family photograph showing this quilt, its blue ribbon attached, hanging on a clothesline.
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.
McCall Indiana Wreath pattern envelope and instruction sheet; Winter 1937-38
McCall magazine with Indiana Wreath pattern featured.
Ownership of this quilt is:
Private
Quilt owner's name:
Susan Krueger Salser
Quilt owner's country:
United States
Person filling out this form is:
Relative of quiltmaker; Quilt owner; 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
Details
Cite this Quilt
Gasperik, Mar. Indiana Wreath. 1938-1945. From Mary Gasperik Legacy Project, Mary Gasperik Private Collection. Published in The Quilt Index, https://quiltindex.org/view/?type=fullrec&kid=18-14-38. Accessed: 11/04/24
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Gallery
Gasperik 02: Antique Quilt Design Sour...
Waldvogel, Merikay
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Essay
Mary Gasperik (1888-1969): Her Lif...
Waldvogel, Merikay
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Ephemera
Indiana Wreath
McCall
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Essay
Mary Gasperik and The Illinois State F...
Salser, Susan
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Ephemera
State Fair Briefs
Illinois State Register
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Gasperik, Mary Quiltmaker
Mary Gasperik Legacy Project
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1938-1945
Indiana Wreath Gasperik, Mary
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1940s
Indiana Wreath Gasperik, Mary