QUILT INDEX RECORD

18-14-49

Essay:

The five Tree of Life (#031, #065, #044, #082, #083) quilts are based on the crewelwork design McCall Kaumagraph #1853. The first two were given away but can be documented in a 1935 family photo. Elsie Krueger helped her mother with the design transformation to appliqué. The appliqué bird in shades of orange and yellow in this quilt is a Gasperik addition to the McCall pattern. It appears on Tree of Life #044 as well. Being a crewelwork pattern, McCall Kaumagraph #1853 had nothing to say about quilting designs. As is true of other Gasperik quilts which were done in series, the quilting is slightly different on each Tree of Life quilt, as are some of the appliqué fabric selections. Gasperik quilted the date "1938" across the top of the white ground.

Where are the records for this quilt housed?

Mary Gasperik Legacy Project

Who documented this quilt?

Mary Gasperik Private Collection

Gasperik Legacy Project Number:

031

This is a:

Finished quilt

Quilt's title:

Tree of Life

Owner's name for quilt:

Tree of Life (Linda)

How wide is the quilt?

68 inches

How long is the quilt?

89 inches

Shape of edge:

Scalloped

Shape of corners:

Scalloped

What color is the quilt?

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

Overall color scheme:

Multicolor; Dark colors

Quilt's condition:

Excellent/like new

Type of inscription:

Date

What is the date inscribed on the quilt?

1938

Method used to make the inscription:

In the quilting

Describe where the inscription was found:

Visible at center top on front white ground

Time period:

1930-1949

When was the quilt finished?

1938

Family/owner's date for quilt:

1938

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

1938

Who estimated the quilt's date?

Merikay Waldvogel

Further information concerning dates:

Although the McCall pattern on which this quilt is based was published in 1931; the estimated time span for Gasperik's Tree of Life quilts is based on the 1938 date quilted on this Tree of Life quilt.

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 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

Materials used to make the back:

Cotton

What color is the back of the quilt?

Beige or Tan

Describe the back:

Solid/plain

Materials used in the quilt binding:

Cotton

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:

12

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

no

Quilting designs used, overall motifs:

Clamshell; Grid diamond; Patches outlined/in the ditch

Quilting designs used, decorative motifs:

Floral; Other

Quilting designs used, background fills:

Grid/crosshatch

Describe the quilting designs used:

Embedded in the diamond crosshatching of the center panel are at the top, two quilted leaves which duplicate the appliqued long feathered leaf at the base of the tree, and four quilted birds (spaced widely apart). Two of those birds are quilted versions of the two appliqued birds; the third and fourth birds are slightly different.

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

Of the three Tree of Life quilts examined, this is the only one with a scalloped border. The bird appliques use only solid colored fabrics. A very broad range of colors, and color gradations, is seen in all three of the surviving Tree of Life quilts.

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:

Elsie brought this quilt to Linda as a gift from Gasperik 1968-69.

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: 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 family stories it was Elsie who persuaded her mother to quilt some of the birds, rather than execute all of them in colorful applique. Elsie had a rather austere quilt aesthetic. Her mother, on the other hand, was probably well aware of the richly colorful (and crowded) Tree of Life designs being copied from museum wall hangings, designs which were winning quilters' attention (and prizes). Gasperik herself would have preferred to have more appliqued birds, not fewer.

There is also a different perspective from which to view Gasperik’s quilted birds. Gasperik’s granddaughter Susan Salser, who began researching her grandmother’s quilts in 1992, discovered that Mary Gasperik was an enthusiastic and devoted participant in the annual quilt shows and contests held in Detroit Michigan sponsored by The Detroit News. Gasperik first discovered the Detroit quilt phenomenon in the fall of 1935, picking up a discarded Detroit News at a World Series baseball game at Wrigley Field. Mary, who had probably been engaged in quilt-making for only 2 years at that point, immediately sent some of her quilts to Detroit, to enter into the show. Several weeks later she got on the bus and went to see her first Detroit News quilt show and contest. This particular show featured three quilts sent by an Angola, Indiana quilter named Ada Chilton, quilts that were eagerly anticipated and admired by the crowds attending this 3rd such Detroit News national quilt show. Mrs. Chilton had contributed a quilt to the previous year’s show (1934), an appliqué quilt, called “the birds quilt” by the Detroit News quilt club and shows editor, Edith B. Crumb. Club members had found that quilt so remarkable that they asked Mrs. Chilton to send it to the next show, 1935. So, in 1935 (the year year Mary Gasperik first went to a Detroit News quilt show) Ada Chilton not only exhibited “the birds quilt” again, she also sent her latest two quilts, one of which featured flowers and accurately rendered butterflies, and the other of which featured fish and sailboats. Chilton was an enthusiastic bird and butterfly watcher. She was an outdoorswoman. She loved to fish. She loved reading books by Indiana’s popular writer and amateur naturalist Gene Stratton-Porter. Those three quilts were unique expressions of Mrs. Chilton‘s passions; they were creatively original and extremely expertly made. The crowd admired them greatly. Gasperik was in that crowd. In her quilt column of October 24, 1935, soon after that 1935 Detroit quilt show and contest, Edith Crumb presented, in her Detroit News column, a black and white photograph of Chilton’s fishes quilt along with a rhapsodic description of it. This description includes the following: “The border of this quilt is formed of sail boats; and between each group of fish there is a small sailboat created by quilting rather than piecework or appliqué.” Gasperik, who was beginning a life-time of quilt-making and was eager to learn what was admired, eager to gather ideas for her own use, must have spent some time in that crowd admiring Chilton’s quilts, listening to the comments and observing details of those quilts. Her decision to quilt rather than appliqué some of the birds onto her Tree of Life quilts may have been influenced by this experience at her first Detroit quilt show. She attended all subsequent shows, corresponded with Detroit News Quilt Club Corner members and its editor, Edith Crumb up until the club and shows ceased, in January 1942. As late as 1957, when she made a quilt for her first great-grandchild, Andy Finn (the family called this quilt What Are Little Boys Made Of? #058) she was careful to quilt, rather than appliqué or embroider, the fish in the water in her design. This is a wonderful example of how family stories can mesh with quilt research – how they can reinforce each other.

Exhibitions where this quilt was displayed:

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

It is likely this quilt was sent both to Detroit and to Springfield.

Contests entered:

A handwritten yellow paper exhibit tag (most likely from a Tuley Park quilt show) reads: "Tree of Life First Prize (most artistic) in Springfield in 1942 Second Prize in Detroit in 1940 Mrs. Mary Gasperik" an added note in Elsie's handwriting reads "to ECK to Linda". This would mean that a Gasperik Tree of Life won second prize to the grand-prize-winning quilt in Detroit that year which was also a Tree of Life design (made by Mrs. Charles Voelker).

A second yellow paper tag reads "Tree of Life First Prize - Most Artistic 1942 Springfield Made by Mrs. Gasparik" [sic]. An annotation in Elsie's handwriting reads "To ECK to Karen". A Detroit News article from the May 25, 1940, p. 4, quilt show confirms that Gasperik won a second prize, but does not describe or name that winning 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:

Pattern envelope (including contents with yarn color chart) McCall #1853 Crewel Tree of Life - Susan Salser private collection.

The family has Gasperik's own copy of the McCall Kaumagraph #1853 pattern (printed in black and white).

Letter from Gasperik's niece Vilma McClure to Susan Salser, dated Jan. 9, 1994 refers to the Gasperik Tree of Life quilts (she calls the design "the family tree quilt"): "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."

Ownership of this quilt is:

Private

Quilt owner's name:

Linda Krueger MacLachlan

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:

To make her Tree of Life quilts (#031, #044, #065, #082 and #083) Gasperik transformed a McCall Kaumagraph #1853 crewel work pattern into an applique quilt pattern. This required considerable skill, judgment, and allowed the maker full choice of fabrics and colors. Like the Indiana Wreath quilts (#011, #032, #043, #063), the Tree of Life quilts constitute a series of quilt studies based on a very specific design. Mary 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

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