QUILT INDEX RECORD

18-14-51

Essay:

This is the most elaborate of the five Tree of Life (#065, >#031, #044, #082, #083) quilts, showing the greatest degree of transformation of the McCall pattern and including elements from outside sources. She may have returned to this quilt pattern when a Tree of Life quilt won the grand prize at the 1940 Detroit News quilt show. The year "1942" is quilted on the front of the quilt. Gasperik won a second prize at that same 1940 Detroit quilt show. A paper exhibit tag reading "Tree of Life First Prize (most artistic) in Springfield in 1942 Second Prize in Detroit in 1940 Mrs. Mary Gasparik" [sic] suggests that it is possible that the Gasperik 1938 Tree of Life could have been the runner-up to Mrs. Voelker's Tree of Life!

Where are the records for this quilt housed?

Mary Gasperik Legacy Project

Who documented this quilt?

Mary Gasperik Private Collection

Gasperik Legacy Project Number:

065

This is a:

Finished quilt

Quilt's title:

Tree of Life

Owner's name for quilt:

Tree of Life (Karen)

How wide is the quilt?

81 inches

How long is the quilt?

90 inches

Shape of edge:

Scalloped

Shape of corners:

Rounded

What color is the quilt?

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

Overall color scheme:

Multicolor; Dark colors

Quilt's condition:

Excellent/like new

Type of inscription:

Date

What is inscribed on the quilt?

1942

What is the date inscribed on the quilt?

1942

Method used to make the inscription:

In the quilting

Describe where the inscription was found:

On the front in the upper part of the center panel, running parallel to the curved stem ending in the small blue flower.

Time period:

1930-1949

When was the quilt finished?

1942

Family/owner's date for quilt:

1942

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 it continued to be offered at least until 1934. The earliest Gasperik Tree of Life quilts appear in a family photograph dated 1935.

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

Describe embellishment materials or techniques:

The blue birds now wear embroidered crowns.

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

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:

Feathering; Other

Quilting designs used, background fills:

Grid/crosshatch

Describe the quilting designs used:

A wide feather band frames the sides of the center panel. Embedded in the interior cross-hatched diamond background are a squirrel and 3 more birds.

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

Two of the oak leaves on the lower branch appear to be left-overs from Gasperik's 1939 quilt Road to Recovery (#066).

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 Karen in 1968-69 as a gift from Gasperik.

Why was the quilt made?

Art or personal expression

The quilt was made to be used for:

Artwork/wall hanging

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.

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

Feather band on right and left side - See #C5576 in 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:

Gasperik not only added more applique pattern elements to the McCall suggestions, she also made her designs more complicated by subdividing suggested pattern elements. This subdividing allowed her to greatly expand her palette of fabrics, especially noticeable on the two birds. The purple print with white stars found in the upper left flower of this Tree of Life quilt, also appears in two of the Gasperik Indiana Wreath quilts, perhaps helping to date them.

An unusually large array of different print fabrics are found on quilt #034, making it an ideal choice to compare with fabrics found in other Gasperik quilts, particularly the Tree of Life quilts (#031, #044 and #065) and Hungarian Girls (#014).

Exhibitions where this quilt was displayed:

It is likely this quilt was sent to an Illinois State Fair, Springfield.

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.

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 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 Kaumagraph #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).

Complete Catalogue of McCall Designs, Dec. 1931 (private collection of Susan Salser)

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." (private collection – Susan Salser)

The Detroit News, May 25, 1940 p.4 "Quilt Beautiful as a Painting Wins Its Skilled Maker $50" by Garnet Warfel, features the grand-prize-winning Tree of Life made by Mrs. Charles Voelker and also mentions Mary Gasperik took second prize at the show. Unfortunately the article does not name or describe the prize-winning Gasperik quilt. The family has Gasperik’s own newspaper clipping.

McCall Needlework Magazine, "Prize-Winning Quilt" Spring & Summer 1950 also features the Voelker Tree of Life.

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:

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 (#065, #044, #031, #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?

Chicago, IL; Detroit, MI

What are the main activities of the group?

Group showings of quilts and quilting demonstrations (Tuley Park); national quilt contest (Detroit)

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

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