QUILT INDEX RECORD

18-14-45

Description:

For this quilt made in 1956 for grand-daughter Karen's wedding, Gasperik transformed a 1930s Detroit News quilting pattern of calla lilies into an appliqué motif she used on all the wedding quilts she made (see #'s 012, 013, 068, and 074). The 16 appliqué bouquets are from The Detroit News Bridal Bouquet Quilt Pattern Block Design 1761-ID50, creatively rearranged by Gasperik.

Gasperik also used the Tulip Bouquet quilting motif (source unknown) to create an appliqued vest made for her daughter-in-law Doris.

Where are the records for this quilt housed?

Mary Gasperik Legacy Project

Who documented this quilt?

Mary Gasperik Private Collection

Gasperik Legacy Project Number:

064

This is a:

Finished quilt

Quilt's title:

Bridal Bouquet

Owner's name for quilt:

Bridal Bouquet (Karen & Hank Finn)

How wide is the quilt?

77 inches

How long is the quilt?

92 inches

Shape of edge:

Straight

Shape of corners:

Straight

What color is the quilt?

Green; Pink; White; Yellow

Overall color scheme:

Multicolor; Light or pastel colors; Bright or primary colors

Quilt's condition:

Excellent/like new

Time period:

1950-1975

When was the quilt finished?

1956

Family/owner's date for quilt:

1956

Who estimated the quilt's date?

Merikay Waldvogel

Further information concerning dates:

Quilt was made for a 1956 wedding. She used a 1930s pattern.

Describe the quilt's layout:

Medallion or framed center

Number of borders:

1

Describe the borders:

Pink gingham border on four sides surrounds a white notched ground, which in turn surrounds a scalloped pink gingham center medallion. With the exception of the calla lilies in the very center, the entire quilt is composed of a series of nested borders.

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Cotton

Fabric styles used in the quilt top:

Checked; Solid/plain

Applique techniques used to make the quilt top:

Hand Applique

Embellishment techniques used to make the quilt top:

Embroidery

Describe embellishment materials or techniques:

Quilted tulip triplet found in the center bottom of the white ground is a distinctive pattern from an as-yet unidentified outside source.

Materials used to make the back:

Cotton

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; Grid square; In-the-ditch; Single parallel lines

Quilting designs used, decorative motifs:

Feathering; Floral; Other

Quilting designs used, background fills:

Grid/crosshatch; Parallel lines

Describe the quilting designs used:

Wedding bells, double roses, fern leaves both as separate triplets and spilling from small cornucopias, tulip triplet, large complex feathers extend from a pineapple pattern centered at the bottom of the pink gingham medallion. Gasperik quilted the cross-checks of the entire pink gingham background.

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

Pink gingham was the personal fabric choice of the quilt's recipient, bride Karen Finn, and not of the quilt's maker. Gasperik urged Karen to consider other options. In retrospect, Karen wishes she had listened more closely.

Quilt top made by:

Gasperik, Mary

Quilted by:

Gasperik, Mary

Where the quilt was made, city:

East Hazelcrest

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:

Gasperik gave it to her grand daughter (Karen Krueger) on the occasion of her marriage to Hank Finn.

Why was the quilt made?

Gift or presentation

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: Newspaper

Commercial name of the pattern for the top:

Detroit News (Leaflet 1761-ID50) " Bridal Bouquet Quilt Pattern Block Design". And for the center White Lily motif, Detroit News (Leaflet #1743-ID48) "Lily Bouquet Quilting Pattern."

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

Published material

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

Large feather border corner quiltING design pattern C5580 and triple fern leaf pattern #C5573 from "Aunt Martha's Answer to 'How Shall I Quilt It?". Double rose quilted into corners is taken from Block 532-Q in "Colonial Quilts" by H. Ver Mehren.

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

This quilt made for a 1956 wedding is a highly transformed 1930s Detroit News pattern. The arrangement of the applique bouquets and the quilting are different from the News pattern.

The pattern was announced January 3, 1937 on page 13 of The Detroit News. Gasperik probably brought the pattern home with her when she attended the Detroit News Quilt Show in April 1937. Karen Finn selected (in 1956) the pink gingham fabric used as the applique background. Gasperik probably reached into her treasured stash of 1930s Detroit News quilt patterns when she needed to produce a quilt for the occasion of the first wedding of a grandchild. Although the pattern was collected in 1937, Gasperik didn't execute it until 1956. It is interesting that decades after her success at Detroit quilt shows (which ended in 1940), Gasperik selected an old Detroit quilt pattern to honor this special occasion. In 1956 her quilting skills were still expert.

Exhibitions where this quilt was displayed:

"The Quilts of Mary Gasperik", Ravenswood Historic Site, Livermore, CA, March 14-15, 1992.
Illinois State Fair, 1957

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.

Contests entered:

Illinois State Fair, 1957

First prize, 1957 Illinois State Fair, Most Artistic Quilt. This ribbon was acquired by the Gasperik Collection in 2021.

Mary Gasperik stands in front of her prize winning quilt at the 1957 Illinois State Fair.

Visitors to the 1957 Illinois State Fair admire the Bridal Bouquet quilt.

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:

Detroit News Leaflet #1761-ID50 "Bridal Bouquet Quilt Pattern Block Design" (Collection of Michigan State University Museum).

Family photograph of Mary Gasperik at the Fair, standing next to this quilt with its attached blue ribbon (Karen Finn, private collection).

Ownership of this quilt is:

Private

Quilt owner's name:

Karen Krueger Finn

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:

East Hazelcrest

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. This is one of the latter, made especially for grand-daughter Karen's 1956 wedding. Karen was allowed the choose the background fabric, which is pink gingham. Upon completion, this quilt was entered in the Illinos State Fair, where it was awarded a blue ribbon. The applique bouquets were made using a Detroit News pattern Gasperik collected early on in her quilting career, but they are arranged so differently that it is not immediately apparent that Gasperik used the old pattern. Making this quilt was a creative challenge for Gasperik as well as a spectacular wedding gift.

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:

Susan Salser

Details