QUILT INDEX RECORD
18-14-56
Description:
In this crib quilt, she placed appliquéd bows on each border to create strong diagonals. For a similar arrangement, see Mom’s Quilt (#068). The pattern or kit source for the quilt is not known.
Where are the records for this quilt housed?
Mary Gasperik Legacy Project
Who documented this quilt?
Mary Gasperik Private Collection
Gasperik Legacy Project Number:
008
This is a:
Finished quilt
Quilt's title:
Sugar and Spice
Owner's name for quilt:
Sugar and Spice
How wide is the quilt?
38 inches
How long is the quilt?
46 inches
Shape of edge:
Straight
Shape of corners:
Straight
What color is the quilt?
Blue or Navy; Pink; White
Overall color scheme:
Light or pastel colors; Bright or primary colors
Quilt's condition:
Excellent/like new
Type of inscription:
Message; Other
Describe the type of inscription:
inked address label "MARY GASPERIK 1411 W 171st ST. EAST HAZELCREST""
What is inscribed on the quilt?
What are little girls made of?
Method used to make the inscription:
Attached label; Embroidery; Ink
Location of inscription:
multiple locations
Describe where the inscription was found:
At center of quilt front, on back
Time period:
1930-1949
When was the quilt finished?
1940-1954
Family/owner's date for quilt:
1940-1954
Date estimated by an antique dealer, quilt historian or appraiser:
Late 1930s-1940s
Who estimated the quilt's date?
Merikay Waldvogel
Further information concerning dates:
Estimated date based on quilt kit layouts of late 1930s and 40s.
Describe the quilt's layout:
Medallion or framed center
Subject of the quilt:
Popular nursery rhyme poem
Number of borders:
3
Describe the borders:
Three wide quilted borders scalloped with plump applique ribbons at the corner of each border-- 12 in all.
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:
Attachments (beading, charms, buttons, etc); Embroidery
Embellishments used:
Buttons attached
Materials used to make the back:
Cotton
What color is the back of the quilt?
Blue or Navy
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
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:
Single parallel lines
Quilting designs used, decorative motifs:
Feathering; Other
Describe the quilting designs used:
Feathered heart in four corners; 4 separate undulating feather borders used to outline multiple border seams.
Features or notes about the quilt's appearance, materials, or construction:
It appears to Salser that her grandmother transformed a block-size pattern into a child's bed-sized quilt by adding the multiple broad borders.
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
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 find their pattern?
Unknown
Where did the quiltmaker find the pattern for the quilting design on the quilt?
Commercial pattern
What is the commercial name of the quilting design used for this quilt?
Feathered heart - Probably from "Original Master Quilting Patterns No. 37" p 4 published by Needleart Guild (Grand Rapids, MI).
Describe anything about the design of the quilt that wasn't already recorded in a previous field:
This quilt is one of four Gasperik quilts made from an as yet unidentified pattern source. There were likely two patterns in the set illustrating the popular nursery rhyme poem for children What Are Little Boys Made Of? - one illustrating the little boy (with his frog, his snail, and puppy dog tails/hot dog sausages) and one illustrating the little girl (with her tins of sugar and spice). Gasperik used both of these block-size patterns to make a pair of doll quilts for grand-daughters Karen and Linda Krueger ~1940 (quilts #054 and #075). That same little girl pattern is re-used here, with multiple borders added to turn the doll quilt into a child’s quilt for granddaughter Kathy Gasperik. Still later, in 1957, she reused the pattern of the little boy to form the centerpiece of a child's quilt celebrating the birth of her first great-grandson (quilt #058).
Exhibitions where this quilt was displayed:
This quilt bears a cloth address label like those affixed to quilts sent to Illinois State Fairs.
The Quilts of Mary Gasperik, Ravenswood Historic Site, Livermore, CA, March 14-15, 1992.
Contests entered:
Probably sent to an Illinois State Fair.
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.
Ownership of this quilt is:
Private
Quilt owner's name:
Elmer Gasperik heirs - Kathy Jacob contact
Quilt owner's country:
United States
Person filling out this form is:
Relative of quiltmaker
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:
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 and Detroit News Quilt Club
Does/did the quiltmaker belong to a group?
Chicago, IL 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. Sugar and Spice. 1940-1954. From Mary Gasperik Legacy Project, Mary Gasperik Private Collection. Published in The Quilt Index, https://quiltindex.org/view/?type=fullrec&kid=18-14-56. Accessed: 01/22/25
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Gallery
Gasperik 05: Gifts for Children
Waldvogel, Merikay
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Gasperik, Mary Quiltmaker
Mary Gasperik Legacy Project
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1957
What Are Little B... Gasperik, Mary
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1940
What Are Little B... Gasperik, Mary
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1940
What Are Little G... Gasperik, Mary
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1940
What Are Little G... Gasperik, Mary
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1957
What Are Little B... Gasperik, Mary