QUILT INDEX RECORD
33-29-24
Description of quilt:
Appliqué Quilt in Anne Orr design that won Fourth Prize in National Round.
Essay:
The 1933 Sears National Quilt Contest was announced in January 1933 with a deadline of May 15, 1933. Over 24,000 quilts were entered at local Sears stores or sent to one of 10 regional mail order houses. Quilts were judged at each site with the top three winners moving onto the next round. Finally just 30 quilts reached the final judging held at the Sears Pavilion on the 1933 Chicago World's Fair site. This quilt by Mary Hilliker of Missouri won Honorable Mention (the equivalent of Fourth Prize) at the national judging. It was photographed by Sears in 1934 when the quilt was included in the smaller exhibit of regional winners at the Sears Pavilion. Waldvogel and Brackman tried diligently to locate the quilt for inclusion in the Patchwork Souvenirs book and exhibit, but were unsuccessful. Later, a quilt dealer purchased the quilt from the quilter's descendants and has since allowed it to be photographed and exhibited in Nashville. Interestingly, this Autumn Leaves pattern was designed by Anne Orr, who was one of the final round judges. Another quilt in the same pattern reached the final round, too. See #157.
This is a:
Finished quilt
Quilt's title:
Autumn Leaves
What color is the quilt?
Pink
Overall color scheme:
Light or pastel colors
Describe the quilt's layout:
Medallion or framed center
Fiber types used to make the quilt top:
Cotton
Fabric styles used in the quilt top:
Floral; Geometric; Solid/plain
Piecing techniques used to make the quilt top:
Hand Piecing
Applique techniques used to make the quilt top:
Hand Applique
How are the layers held together?
Hand quilting
Quilting designs used, overall motifs:
Grid diamond
Quilting designs used, decorative motifs:
Cables
Quilting designs used, background fills:
Grid/crosshatch
Features or notes about the quilt's appearance, materials, or construction:
Prairie Points are added to the edges.
When was the quilt started?
1933
When was the quilt finished?
1933
Why was the quilt made?
Challenge or Contest entry
Quilt is presently used as:
Investment
Where the quilt was made, city:
Carl Junction
Where the quilt was made, state:
Missouri (MO)
Where the quilt was made, country:
United States
Where did the maker get their materials?
Purchased new
Where did the maker find their pattern?
Commercial/Published source: Pattern; Commercial/Published source: Kit
Commercial name of the pattern for the top:
Autumn Leaves by Anne Orr Studios. The design was offered as a pattern and a kit.
Contests entered:
Kansas City regional contest and the national round judging of the Sears National Quilt Contest, 1933 Chicago World's Fair.
Publications (including web sites) where this quilt or maker was featured:
Merikay Waldvogel and Barbara Brackman. Patchwork Souvenirs of the 1933 World's Fair (Nashville, TN: Rutledge Hill Press, 1993), pg 44 and 108.
Related items such as diaries, obituaries, wills, household inventories, or pictures of the quiltmaker:
B/W photo of the quilt is included in Patchwork Souvenirs, pg 44 (Permission Provided by Sears Archives). Sears Catalog page listing Regional Prize Winners - see pg 108 Patchwork Souvenirs.
Quilt top made by:
Hilliker, Mary
Quilted by:
Hilliker, Mary
Quiltmaker's city:
Carl Junction
Quiltmaker's state:
Missouri (MO)
Quiltmaker's country:
United States
Quiltmaker's maiden name:
Hilliker
In which kind of environment did the quiltmaker live?
Rural
How was this quilt acquired?
Purchase
Ownership of this quilt is:
Private
Quilt owner's country:
United States
Access and copyright information:
Restricted
Copyright holder:
Merikay Waldvogel
Who photographed this quilt?
Gary Heatherly
Where are the records for this quilt housed?
Merikay Waldvogel Legacy Project
Who documented this quilt?
Merikay Waldvogel Legacy Project; Sears Quilt Contest 1933 Chicago World's Fair
Merikay Waldvogel Legacy Project Number:
022
Quiltmaker's gender:
Female
Cite this Quilt
Hilliker, Mar. Autumn Leaves. 1933. From Merikay Waldvogel Legacy Project, Merikay Waldvogel Legacy Project; Sears Quilt Contest 1933 Chicago World's Fair. Published in The Quilt Index, https://quiltindex.org/view/?type=fullrec&kid=33-29-24. Accessed: 12/06/24
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