QUILT INDEX RECORD

18-14-63

Description:

This quilt is one of a pair of youth-sized quilts made for Gasperik’s grand-daughters Karen and Linda using Paragon #01013 Farm Design (also see quilt #029). To each, she added the child’s name and a boy on a horse to represent their father University of Chicago economics instructor, Maynard C. Krueger, as a Missouri farm boy. The Japanese-style letters and the little boy astride the horse are from outside sources. In 2003 Gasperik granddaughter Joanne Gasperik, a prize-winning quilter in her own right, copied Karen's quilt to make a gift for the third Krueger sister, Susan. It is not known if Mary Gasperik won any ribbons for the two 'Farmer in the Dell' quilts she made for Karen and Linda; but her granddaughter Joanne won one for the quilt she made for her cousin Susan! That quilt was a semi-finalist in the 19th annual American Quilter's Society Quilt Show & Contest in Paducah, Kentucky in 2003.

Where are the records for this quilt housed?

Mary Gasperik Legacy Project

Who documented this quilt?

Mary Gasperik Private Collection

Gasperik Legacy Project Number:

059

This is a:

Finished quilt

Quilt's title:

Farm Design

Owner's name for quilt:

Farmer in the Dell (Karen)

Names for quilt's pattern in common use:

The Farm

How wide is the quilt?

50 inches

How long is the quilt?

68 inches

Shape of edge:

Straight

Shape of corners:

Straight

What color is the quilt?

Blue or Navy; Brown; Gold; Green; Orange; Red; Rust; White

Overall color scheme:

Multicolor; Bright or primary colors

Quilt's condition:

Very good/almost new

Type of inscription:

Initials

What is inscribed on the quilt?

KAREN

Method used to make the inscription:

Other

Describe the method used to inscribe the quilt:

Appliqued Letters

Location of inscription:

other

Describe where the inscription was found:

On front

Time period:

1930-1949

When was the quilt finished?

1941

Family/owner's date for quilt:

1941

Who estimated the quilt's date?

Merikay Waldvogel

Further information concerning dates:

The Paragon pattern copyright date is 1937. Linda was born in 1938. Family photo dated 1941 shows Karen and Linda in bed under their Farmer quilts.

Describe the quilt's layout:

Medallion or framed center

Subject of the quilt:

Farm

Number of borders:

1

Describe the borders:

Green border on four sides designed with a scalloped inner seam.

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Cotton

Fabric styles used in the quilt top:

Dotted; Print; Solid/plain

Describe the fibers or fabrics in the quilt top:

cotton felt-like beard on farmer

Applique techniques used to make the quilt top:

Hand Applique

Embellishment techniques used to make the quilt top:

Embroidery; Other embellishment technique

Can you feel or see paper on the quilt that was used as a construction aid?

no

Embellishments used:

Buttons attached

Describe embellishment materials or techniques:

Applique boy on pony, recipient's name appliqued in Japanese style lettering are added from non-kit source; real pockets on polka dot apron and real buttons on dress; fourth airplane added.

Materials used to make the back:

Cotton

What color is the back of the quilt?

Green

Describe the back:

Solid/plain

Materials used in the quilt binding:

Cotton

Fabric structure of the binding:

Plain weave

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

Quilting designs used, decorative motifs:

Feathering; Floral

Quilting designs used, background fills:

Grid/crosshatch; Parallel lines

Describe the quilting designs used:

Green border is quilted in parallel straight horizontal lines. Nestled against the inner scalloped edge of this border is a line of feathering studded with some flowers. Interior quilting is a mixture of fine diamond hatching, parallel lines tilted in various directions, and a square grid.

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

Quilting designs follow the Paragon kit pattern in some areas, but not in others. The horse and rider in upper right quadrant is Gasperik's addition.

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 made this quilt for granddaughter Karen Krueger, who was allowed to use it on special occasions.

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

Describe the source of the pattern:

Source of applique letters in Japanese style: see Wonder Package-Modern Hand Embroidery Patterns, (Donald F. Duncan Inc., Chicago) 1933.

Commercial name of the pattern for the top:

Farm Design

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

Gasperik appears to have largely followed the original kit design. But she added her own unique touches. These include the grand-daughter's name in applique letters (from her Wonder Package box of transfer patterns) and the boy on the horse (borrowed from a different Paragon kit, #1005, called Noah's Ark). She substituted a polka dot apron with real pockets for the kit's plain white flat apron and she added a fourth blue airplane. The farmer's fuzzy beard was supplied in the Paragon kit.

Exhibitions where this quilt was displayed:

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:

The Wonder Package: Modern Hand Embroidery Patterns. (Chicago: Donald Duncan, Inc., 1933) Collection of Susan Salser.

In June 2006 Salser purchased a partially completed Farm quilt in an ebay auction. She has the original envelope, with a price tag of $1.95 from Marshall Field & Company, as well as the original instruction sheet, which bears a 1937 copyright date. Susan decided to complete the quilt for her own grandchild, born in 2007. The partially completed quilt came from the estate of a 95 year old woman in Portland, Oregon.

In July 2003 Susan Salser purchased, from a seller in Pennsylvania, a completed Paragon The Farm quilt. It is in good condition, reasonably well made, and offers a good comparison of a well-made kit quilt with the Gasperik version of that same kit.

Family photograph of Karen and Linda Krueger, in bed under their two Farmer quilts was pasted into a family album sent to Germany in 1947 (Erika Gasperik - private collection). This album includes photos of two other Gasperik quilts: (#026 and #014).

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:

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?

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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