QUILT INDEX RECORD

18-14-58

Description:

Made with a commercial quilt kit Homeneedlecraft Creations #7069 Playtime, this is a good example of Gasperik's practice of adapting a kit. In this case, she appliquéd the name of the quilt's recipient, chose her own fabrics, and added variety and intensity to the quilting proposed by the kit manufacturer.

Essay:

Mary chose her own fabrics, and greatly increased the number of different fabrics employed. She added Susan's name, in Japanese-style applique lettering from a different source; and she added variety and intensity to the quilting proposed by the kit manufacturer. The kit design called for a rather neutral mouth, in fact a typical doll mouth. The mouth embroidered by Gasperik seemed, to Susan, to display a pout. She confesses that, as an adult with a young daughter, she altered that expression with her own inexpertly wielded needle and thread. Only recently did Susan have the chance to see an original Homeneedlecraft Playtime #7069 quilt kit, and she now wishes she had left her grandmother’s embroidery untouched.

Where are the records for this quilt housed?

Mary Gasperik Legacy Project

Who documented this quilt?

Mary Gasperik Private Collection

Gasperik Legacy Project Number:

040

This is a:

Finished quilt

Quilt's title:

Playtime

Owner's name for quilt:

Baby Doll

Names for quilt's pattern in common use:

Smiling Doll

How wide is the quilt?

48 inches

How long is the quilt?

63 inches

Shape of edge:

Straight

Shape of corners:

Straight

What color is the quilt?

Blue or Navy; Orange; White; Yellow

Overall color scheme:

Bright or primary colors

Quilt's condition:

Excellent/like new

Type of inscription:

Single

What is inscribed on the quilt?

SUSAN

Method used to make the inscription:

Other

Describe the method used to inscribe the quilt:

Single Applique Letters

Location of inscription:

other

Describe where the inscription was found:

Across top of white center panel

Time period:

1930-1949

When was the quilt finished?

1940-1945

Family/owner's date for quilt:

1940-1945

Who estimated the quilt's date?

Merikay Waldvogel

Further information concerning dates:

Made for her grand-daughter Susan Krueger, born in June 1940.

Describe the quilt's layout:

Medallion or framed center

Number of borders:

2

Describe the borders:

Two borders--Orange colored on the outside; royal blue for the inner border. These are added to the kit's border, which is simply the blank white ground between the appliqued blue ribbon encircling the quilt and the edge of the quilt.

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:

Recipient's name 'Susan' added in multicolor applique to kit

Materials used to make the back:

Cotton

What color is the back of the quilt?

Yellow

Number of pieces of fabric in the quilt back:

2

Width of pieces on the back:

16.5", 31.5"

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:

10

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:

Grid diamond; Grid square; Patches outlined/in the ditch; Single parallel lines

Quilting designs used, decorative motifs:

Feathering

Quilting designs used, background fills:

Grid/crosshatch

Describe the quilting designs used:

Quilting in orange border is horizontal parallel lines, 7/8" spacing. Quilting in blue border is a continuation of that pattern. In the area between the blue border and the blue ribbon the quilting becomes finer and more complex: parallel lines of 5/8" spacing are arranged diagonally leading inwards to a band of ~2' wide feathering nestled against the blue ribbon. Against the other side of that appliqued blue ribbon is vertical parallel line quilting, 5/8" spacing, This quilting pattern leads to 2 fragments of curved feathering "1" wide, which, in turn leads into the background quilting surrounding the doll. That background is a 1/2" diamond grid.

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:

Susan remembers using this quilt when she was about 5 (1945), but doesn't know when it was made for her.

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

Where did the maker find their pattern?

Commercial/Published source: Kit

Commercial name of the pattern for the top:

Homeneedlecraft Creations #7069 Playtime Crib Quilt.

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

Original to maker

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

Comparing Gasperik's version to the kit envelope illustration, Gasperik reversed the design. The duck moved from the left to the right; the tea pot also moved from left to right. However the printed ground fabric INSIDE the kit places the duck and teapot etc. in the same positions as the Gasperik quilt. Gasperik used neither the kit's fabrics nor its quilting design.

Exhibitions where this quilt was displayed:

Yellow paper exhibit tag, associated with Tuley Park quilt shows, reads ""baby doll" quilt for Susan "Granddaughter" "The Quilts of Mary Gasperik" Ravenswood Historic Site, Livermore, CA, March 14-15, 1992.

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:

Envelope of quilt kit Homeneedlecraft Creations #7069 Playtime Crib Quilt. Homeneedlecraft Creations #7069 (has $1.00 price printed on it). Susan Salser - private collection. Note: This envelope includes the complete contents - there is no separate instruction sheet; instead, the instructions are printed on the envelope. Although the envelope pictures a quilt with the duck and teapot at the upper left and lower right respectively, the actual ground cloth is printed (like the Gasperik quilt) with the duck and teapot in the upper right and lower left, respectively. In other words, Gasperik did not reverse the kit's layout. Rather, the kit's outside wrapper reversed the layout of the kit's contents. The kit's supplied and printed ground is off-white. This kit includes 4 solid color fabrics and 3 prints (none of which match the Gasperik quilt). Pink binding is supplied both for the edging (unfolded) and the appliqued ribbon (pre-folded).

A quilt made from Homeneedlecraft Creations kit #7069 by an unknown quilter, purchased in 2005 by ebay auction from seller in Wisconsin. Susan Salser - private collection. This quilt's design is appliqued on a pink (not off-white) ground surrounded by a pale blue border. The other solid color fabrics, as well as its three different print fabrics, match the contents of the kit mentioned above.

Yellow paper exhibit tag in private collection of Susan Salser.

Sept 1966 b/w family photograph of Playtime airing on a clothesline in the back yard of 5336 University Ave, Elsie Gasperik Krueger's residence at the time. The quilt is hanging next to one of the Indians quilts made for the Krueger sisters.

Ownership of this quilt is:

Private

Quilt owner's name:

Susan Krueger Salser

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:

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 show; 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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