QUILT INDEX RECORD

18-14-97

Description:

Gasperik made four Indiana Wreath quilts. She may have used McCall's #524 Indiana Wreath pattern, or obtained her pattern directly from Cecilia Knapp, the Monroe, Michigan quilt businesswoman who was the probable source of McCall pattern #524 and was a prominent member of The Detroit News Quilt Club Corner (where Mary probably met her, at one of the annual quilt shows in Detroit). The McCall pattern was offered in 1937-38. If Gasperik got her pattern directly from Knapp, she might have gotten it earlier than that. Indiana Wreath quilts, including those made by master quilters Rose Kretsinger and Charlotte Jane Whitehill, are based on the 1850s Indiana Wreath appliqué quilt which appeared in color in Quilts: Their Story and How to Make Them by Marie Webster. The trio of bluebirds were added by Gasperik from another source.

Where are the records for this quilt housed?

Mary Gasperik Legacy Project

Who documented this quilt?

Mary Gasperik Private Collection

Gasperik Legacy Project Number:

063

This is a:

Finished quilt

Quilt's title:

Indiana Wreath

Owner's name for quilt:

Indiana Wreath (Karen)

Brackman # or other source & #:

80.22, 80.23

How wide is the quilt?

80 inches

How long is the quilt?

101 inches

Shape of edge:

Straight

Shape of corners:

Straight

What color is the quilt?

Green; Red; White

Overall color scheme:

Bright or primary colors

Quilt's condition:

Excellent/like new

Describe the type of inscription:

cloth label sewn to back lower left

What is inscribed on the quilt?

MARY GASPERIK
1411 W 174 STREET
EAST HAZELCREST
ILLINOIS

Method used to make the inscription:

Attached label

Location of inscription:

on back

Time period:

1930-1949

When was the quilt started?

Not known

When was the quilt finished?

1940s

Family/owner's date for quilt:

Circa 1940; Possibly 1950s

Date estimated by an antique dealer, quilt historian or appraiser:

The Indiana Wreath pattern #524 was offered in McCall's Needlework Magazine, Winter 1937-1938, pp 26-27. Mary Gasperik probably consulted this pattern when she designed her Indiana Wreath quilts. QuiltING pattern from Woman's Day, May 1943 , seen on this quilt indicates it was probably completed in or after 1943.

Who estimated the quilt's date?

Merikay Waldvogel

Further information concerning dates:

Of the four Gasperik Indiana Wreath quilts, only this one has a distinctive lime green backing, which might date it to the early 1950s rather than the 1940s.

Describe the quilt's layout:

Medallion or framed center

Subject of the quilt:

The quilt called Indiana Wreath made by Elizabeth Hart and dated 1858, made famous by Marie D. Webster.

Number of borders:

One

Describe the borders:

Outer edges on all four sides have an applique floral and leaf vine that frame 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; Other embellishment technique

Describe any unusual techniques used to make the quilt top:

extra layer of batting pads the applique grapes

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

no

Describe embellishment materials or techniques:

embroidered wheat in vase and in birds' beaks

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

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

Thread type used for the quilting:

cotton

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:

Double parallel lines; In-the-ditch; Single parallel lines

Quilting designs used, decorative motifs:

Feathering; Floral; Wreaths; Other

Quilting designs used, background fills:

Grid/crosshatch; Parallel lines

Describe the quilting designs used:

Floral border quilted around 4 sides, including corners. 4 Double feathered circular wreaths. 2 large feathered hearts and 2 smaller feathered hearts filled with diamond quilting. 2 large cornucopias spilling flowers and fruit. Portions of 2 Rose Kretsinger quilting designs: grape clusters and feather medallion.

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

The four Gasperik Indiana Wreath quilts can be divided into two sets of two. Each pair uses the same set of fabrics. Quilts #011 and #043 use a set of polka dots prints of different colors. These two quilts also have wheat stalks embroidered under the vase. Quilts #032 and #063 employ a wider range of fabrics: the wreath's flowers are executed in floral prints. The grapes are made from a print of white stars on dark purple, cut such that the effect is of water glistening on a rounded surface. The other 3 Gasperik versions of Indiana Wreath are backed with a pale creamy yellow fabric. This one (#063) is backed with a bright lime green fabric.

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?

Inheritance

Tell the story of how the quilt was obtained:

The is one of the quilts from Elsie's collection divided up by her daughters Karen, Linda and Susan. Susan originally picked it, and later traded it to sister Karen.

Why was the quilt made?

Art or personal expression

Details about why the quilt was made:

Mary Gasperik made at least 4 Indiana Wreath quilts. It would seem that she picked this complicated and famous patterns precisely to demonstrate what a master quilter she was.

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

Describe the sources of the quilt's materials:

Gasperik's own choice of fabrics

Where did the maker find their pattern?

Commercial/Published source: Book; Commercial/Published source: Pattern

Describe the source of the pattern:

Inspiration for the Indiana Wreath quilt made famous by Marie Webster who used a 19th century quilt in this pattern as the frontispiece of her quilt book. McCalls marketed a commercial pattern, which was probably designed by Cecilia Knapp, of Monroe, Michigan. Other designers including Rose Kretsinger made their own.

Commercial name of the pattern for the top:

Probably McCall's #524 Indiana Wreath, published in 1937. The pattern for the three hovering blue birds may be borrowed from a quiltING pattern called Bird Bath offered in a Nancy Page Quilting Club Column in the newspaper.

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

Published material

Describe where the quilting design pattern was found:

Rose Kretsinger quilting illustrations (Plates IV and V, pages 275 and 276 of Romance of the Patchwork Quilt in America are probable design source for grapes and feather medallion. Woman’s Day Magazine (May 1943, p.42) offered a quilting pattern called "Coat of Arms", similar to the Kretsinger feather medallion, which Gasperik probably quilted into three of her four Indiana Wreath quilts (the one owned by granddaughter Linda lacks this element, possibly dating its completion as pre-1943).

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

Floral Border C7 and double feather circular wreath pattern A from Grandmother's Perforated Quilting Patterns, WLM Clark, St. Louis, 1934 (also offered in Needleart Guild's Original Master Quilting Patterns).

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

The interesting thing about the four Indiana Wreath quilts is that they show more experimentation with quilting design than experimentation with applique pattern. It is the selection of fabrics, and the quiltING patterns which distinguish these four quilts which look, at first glance, to be the 'same' quilt. Although the range of experimentation is narrow here, Mary did not duplicate her Indiana Wreath quilts. A quiltING pattern seen on this quilt appears to match the "Coat of Arms" pattern offered by Women's Day in May, 1943. The Woman's Day pattern is credited to Miss Emma Gerken of Kansas City, Missouri, who was one of the competitors in the magazine's national Needlework Competition in 1942. This would mean that this quilt was finished no earlier than 1943.

Exhibitions where this quilt was displayed:

A color family photograph (circa 1960-1965) shows this quilt with an Illinois State Fair blue ribbon pinned to it. It is not known what became of this ribbon.

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:

Illinois State Fair, year unknown

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:

Family photos showing Mary Gasperik standing next to this quilt (with attached blue ribbon) circa 1965.

Mary's own copy of Quilts: Their Story and How to Make Them by Marie D. Webster (inscribed "Property of Mary Gasperik" in Elsie's handwriting) Tudor Publishing Co., New York, 1943. This book is unmarked (unlike her copy of Ruth E. Finley's Old Patchwork Quilts). Mary must have owned or had access to an earlier printing of the Webster book in order to make her patterns for 'Double Feather Star' dated 1935, 'Double Feather Star' (undated) and 'Indian Feather Star' (undated).

Quilts: Their Story and How to Make Them, Marie D. Webster, Doubleday, Doran & Company Inc., 1928, frontispiece is a hand-tinted photograph of the 1858 quilt made by Elizabeth J. Hart. Also see text about 'Indiana Wreath' on pages 84-86. McCall Indiana Wreath pattern envelope and instruction sheet; Winter 1937-38 McCall magazine with Indiana Wreath pattern featured.

"Coat of Arms" quilting pattern pictured in Woman's Day Magazine, May, 1943, p.42, Susan Salser private collection. Business card which belonged to Mary Gasperik, which reads "Cecilia Knapp, Quilts and Patchwares by The Woman Who Makes Them, 712 S. Monroe St., Monroe, Mich. PATTERNS SND STAMPINGS". Mary Gasperik archive, care of Karen Finn.

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

Source of the information on this quilt:

Sister of quilt owner

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. The four Indiana Wreath quilts (#011, #032, #043 and #063) were made to demonstrate the quilter's mastery of her art at a time when she was doing her best work. One alone would make a powerful statement. Four of them constitute a tour de force.

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

Artist statement or biography of quiltmaker or quilt group:

The series of four Indiana Wreath quilts may have been completed after Mary moved, in 1948-1949, from the grocery store and apartment at 9314 S. Cottage Grove Ave. on Chicago's south side to East Hazelcrest, a suburb where she (finally!) had space and sunshine and time to garden. Salser believes her East Hazelcrest garden, and the pleasure she and her husband took in outdoor gardening, is reflected in her Indiana Wreath quilts.

Who photographed this quilt?

Don Gonzalez

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

Copyright holder:

Hank Finn

Details

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