QUILT INDEX RECORD

18-14-52

Description:

An example of a 1930s quilt finished in 1959. In retirement Gasperik may have finished quilt tops she made earlier. 71 when she completed this, Gasperik's thread quilting lines are, in places, more accurately placed than her own penciled quilting lines. Her needle skills always surpassed her pencil skills. The most unusual thing about the piecing on this quilt is the fifth diamond which completes the cactus flower, the green diamond nestled sideways under the petals. That this geometry works requires that the diamonds be cut somewhat fatter than the usual cactus basket diamond piecing pattern. In a clever and unusual configuration, 4 of Gasperik's diamonds sit upright (the colorful petals) and one is positioned sideways (forming the calyx). It is not known whether Gasperik found a pattern to achieve this, or if she stretched and squeezed the usual diamond shapes to make them fit together in this fashion.

Where are the records for this quilt housed?

Mary Gasperik Legacy Project

Who documented this quilt?

Mary Gasperik Private Collection

Gasperik Legacy Project Number:

055

This is a:

Finished quilt

Quilt's title:

Cactus Basket

Owner's name for quilt:

Cactus Basket

Names for quilt's pattern in common use:

Rainbow Cactus

How wide is the quilt?

45 inches

How long is the quilt?

53 inches

Shape of edge:

Straight

Shape of corners:

Straight

What color is the quilt?

Blue or Navy; Brown; Cream; Green; Lavender; Yellow

Overall color scheme:

Multicolor

Quilt's condition:

Excellent/like new

Time period:

1950-1975

When was the quilt finished?

1959

Family/owner's date for quilt:

1959

Who estimated the quilt's date?

Merikay Waldvogel

Further information concerning dates:

Gasperik made this quilt for a great-grandson born in September 1959.

Describe the quilt's layout:

Block pattern

Number of quilt blocks:

18 whole, 10 half

Arrangement of quilt blocks:

On point or rotated on 45 degrees

Spacing of quilt blocks:

Separated by plain sashing

What is the shape of the quilt blocks?

Diamonds

Number of borders:

2

Describe the borders:

Wide outer border (lavender) surrounds a narrower inner border (green) on all four sides.

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Cotton

Fabric styles used in the quilt top:

Solid/plain

Piecing techniques used to make the quilt top:

Hand Piecing

Describe any unusual techniques used to make the quilt top:

Sashing is appliqued, not pieced. Flower pots are appliqued onto whole cloth. These are virtual, not 'real', blocks. Although this quilt resembles the look of McElwain's Cactus Flower design, in fact the diamond pattern units cannot match. When 4 McElwain diamonds are joined, they form a flat-bottomed unit; when 4 Gasperik diamonds are joined they create a convex opening into which the fifth (green) diamond is fitted sideways. This is unusual 'cactus flower' piecing.

Materials used to make the back:

Cotton

Materials used in the quilt binding:

Cotton

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:

9

Number of quilting stitches per inch, place 2:

10

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

no

Quilting designs used, overall motifs:

Elbow/fan; Grid diamond; Single parallel lines

Quilting designs used, decorative motifs:

Feathering; Other

Quilting designs used, background fills:

Parallel lines

Describe the quilting designs used:

feathered hearts are embedded in the four corners of the green border frame, connected by lines of feathers which meet in the middle of each side.

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

The lavender border extension appears to have been added to a quilt top completed perhaps decades earlier; its fabric has a very different sheen than the rest of the quilt's cotton fabrics. The diamonds shapes are assembled by hand piecing, and then appliqued to a whole cloth ground. The green lattice was appliqued after the flower pots.

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:

Gasperik gave this quilt to Karen Finn, celebrating the birth of David Finn in September 1959.

Why was the quilt made?

Baby or crib

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

Commercial name of the pattern for the top:

Possibly "Rainbow Cactus" from Mary McElwain's Romance of the Village Quilts (1936); Gasperik's block is slightly different--a green diamond piece separating the cactus flowers from the pot in each block.

Exhibitions where this quilt was displayed:

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

Contests entered:

Illinois State Fair 1960, second prize

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:

Second prize ribbon from 1960 Illinois State Fair - 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 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.

Does/did the quiltmaker belong to a group? Name of the group?

Tuley Park Quilt Club; Detroit News Quilt Club Corner

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

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