The Quilt Index

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Themes for Educators: Children's Literature

The Quilt Index is a growing database featuring thousands of quilts dating from the 1700s to the present. This comprehensive resource provides free access to quilt images and information for teachers, students, researchers, and the general public. The Quilt Index can be used in educational many settings -- from elementary school math to university level history classes, bringing subjects such as American history, women’s history, and American folk art traditions alive for students by putting thousands of historic quilts at their fingertips.

The Quilt Index staff has developed several thematic areas by which you can now browse Quilt Index content. Many of these themes feature pictorial quilts, such as quilts depicting animals, foods, holidays, music, outer space, trees, or U.S. history.

Documentation Project
Michigan Quilt Project
Michigan State University

Michigan Quilt Project

Michigan State University

East Lansing; Michigan; United States

The Michigan Quilt Project (MQP) was established in 1984 to document, preserve, and present Michigan's quilting history. There are over 10,000 quilts documented through this continuing project.

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12-51-1
Documentation Project
Wyoming Quilt Project, Inc.

Wyoming Quilt Project, Inc.

Wyoming; United States

The Wyoming Quilt Project (WQP) was established in 1994 and recorded 2800 quilts by December 2009. There was one team of 8-10 people each time who documented quilts in the summers, mostly in the south, east and middle of the state, until 2002. From 2002 forward quilts were documented only in Laramie, WY.

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27-88-1
Museum
Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum

Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum

Golden; Colorado; United States

The Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum in Golden, Colorado, is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and promoting the art and history of American quilts and quiltmaking, by providing outstanding exhibits and educational resources to the public.

museums

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24-79-1
Documentation Project
American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Library of Congress

American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Library of Congress

United States

The American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress has been a valuable consultant throughout the development of the Quilt Index. Quilts from the AFC's online project Quilts and Quiltmaking in America, 1978-1996 are now indexed on this site.

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14-74-1
Museum
Illinois State Museum
Illinois State Museum

Illinois State Museum

Illinois State Museum

Illinois; United States

The Illinois State Museum's collection of 388 quilts are entered into the Quilt Index. These quilts were documented by the Illinois Quilt Research Project - IQRP.

museums

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5-61-1
Documentation Project
Louisiana Quilt Documentation Project
Louisiana Regional Folklife Program

Louisiana Quilt Documentation Project

Louisiana Regional Folklife Program

Baton Rouge; Louisiana; United States

The Louisiana Quilt Documentation Project features over 2500 quilts made in Louisiana from early 1800s to the present.

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9-66-1
Documentation Project
North Carolina Quilt Project
North Carolina Museum of History

North Carolina Quilt Project

North Carolina Museum of History

Raleigh; North Carolina; United States

The North Carolina Museum of History houses the archives of the North Carolina Quilt Project (NCQP). Concentrating on quilts made before 1976, the NCQP documented more than 10,000 quilts in 76 documentation days in 1985 and 1986.

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21-75-1
Museum
Michigan State University Museum
Michigan Quilt Project

Michigan State University Museum

Michigan Quilt Project

East Lansing; Michigan; United States

The Michigan State University Museum has a collection of over 1000 quilts.

museums

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12-51-2
Ephemera
Womenfolk 64. The History of Children'...

Breneman, Judy Anne

Womenfolk 64. The History of Children's Quilts

Breneman, Judy Anne

2005

This article from the website, Womenfolk.com is part of the Quilts to Warm Each Sleeping Baby and Child: History & Patterns essays. Quilts are a traditional gift that are cherished for years and often kep as heirlooms. Handmade Baby quilts from history add a special loving touch.

Ephemera

51-149-61

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51-149-61

publications
1983
Jack's Beanstalk
Mosey, Caron Lee

Date Made: 1983

Jack's Beanstalk

Creator: Mosey, Caron Lee

Location Made: Flushing, Michigan (MI)

Contruction: Hand Applique, Embroidery

Quilting Techniques: Hand quilting

Fabrics: Cotton

Project: Michigan Quilt Project

Caron had an exhibit of her quilts at the Citizens Bank Gallery, Flint, MI; February 16-March 13, 1987. Author of Contemporary Quilts from Traditional Designs, copyright 1987, P.F. Dutton. Presented with the Third Orrin Hart Award for Historical Preservation by the Flushing Area Historical Society, ...

KID: 12-8-640

12-8-640
1957
Red & White Embro...
Jelaco, Doris

Date Made: 1957

Red & White Embroidered Nursey Rhymes

Creator: Jelaco, Doris

Location Made: Laramie, Wyoming (WY) United States

Contruction: Machine Piecing, Embroidery

Quilt Size: 35 - 35.5 inches x 71.25 - 71.75 inches

Quilting Techniques: Machine quilting

Fabrics: Cotton, Muslin, Solid/plain

Project: Wyoming Quilt Project, Inc.

Enjoys art and sculpture, sewing, needlework, yardwork, reading. Belongs to Sweetwater Piece Makers

KID: 27-23-136

27-23-136
c1930
Peter Rabbit Crib...

Date Made: c1930

Peter Rabbit Crib Quilt

Location Made: Wyoming (WY) United States

Contruction: Hand Applique, Embroidery

Quilt Size: 36" x 52"

Quilting Techniques: Hand quilting

Fabrics: Cotton

Project: Michigan Quilt Project

KID: 12-8-170

12-8-170
1989
Little Bo Peep Cr...
Mitchell, Eugenia

Date Made: 1989

Little Bo Peep Crib Quilt

Creator: Mitchell, Eugenia

Location Made: Golden, Colorado (CO) United States

Contruction: Hand Piecing, Embroidery

Quilt Size: 33.000 inches x 36.500 inches

Quilting Techniques: Hand quilting

Fabrics: Cotton, Solid/plain

Project: Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum Collection

This sweet crib quilt is from the collection of Eugenia Mitchell, although it was not one of the original 101 quilts that she donated to start the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum. The quilt depicts Little Bo Peep and some of her sheep. The nursery rhyme designs are embroidered on a white background. The...

KID: 24-20-347

24-20-347
1923
Mary, Mary, Quite...

Date Made: 1923

Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary

Location Made: Colorado (CO) United States

Contruction: Machine Piecing, Embroidery

Quilting Techniques: Hand quilting

Fabrics: Cotton

Project: Michigan Quilt Project; Michigan State University Museum Collection

KID: 12-8-1074

12-8-1074
1950
Mary Quite Contra...
Quiltmaker, Unknown...

Date Made: 1950

Mary Quite Contrary

Creator: Quiltmaker, Unknown

Location Made: Colorado (CO) United States

Contruction: Other Piecing, Hand Applique, Embroidery

Quilt Size: 35.000 inches x 58.000 inches

Fabrics: Cotton, Linen, Muslin, Solid/plain, Checked, Other, Printed panel

Project: Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum Collection

This crib quilt combines the words from a nursery rhyme with a picture of Mary Quite Contrary in her garden. Construction is hand embroidery, hand applique and embellishment. HowAcquired: Purchased by the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum from Sue Pratt of Boulder, CO. Ownership/History: Maker unk...

KID: 24-20-354

24-20-354
1923
Little Miss Muffe...

Date Made: 1923

Little Miss Muffet

Location Made: Colorado (CO) United States

Contruction: Embroidery

Quilt Size: 77 3/4" x 75 3/4"

Quilting Techniques: Hand quilting

Fabrics: Cotton

Project: Michigan Quilt Project; Michigan State University Museum Collection

KID: 12-8-1073

12-8-1073
1936
Little Boy Blue
Johnson, Pauline

Date Made: 1936

Little Boy Blue

Creator: Johnson, Pauline

Location Made: Colorado (CO) United States

Contruction: Hand Applique, Embroidery

Quilt Size: 31 1/2" x 43"

Fabrics: Cotton

Project: Michigan Quilt Project

KID: 12-8-2461

12-8-2461
9/1982
The Seven Ravens
Kowaleski, Ann

Date Made: 9/1982

The Seven Ravens

Creator: Kowaleski, Ann

Location Made: Mt. Pleasant, Michigan (MI)

Contruction: Applique

Quilt Size: 36" x 32"

Quilting Techniques: Hand quilting

Fabrics: Chintz

Project: Michigan Quilt Project

The design is based on the Brothers Grimm Fairy Tale, Seven Ravens. My grandmother a quilter, Elizabeth McNeilly used to tell me the story Seven Ravens when I was a child. The story is about a sister who inadvertantly causes her seven brothers to be turned into ravens. The adventures as she goes thr...

KID: 12-8-4787

12-8-4787
Spring, 1994
The Samovar Warms...
Gant, Alice

Date Made: Spring, 1994

The Samovar Warms the Heart as it Heats the Tea

Creator: Gant, Alice

Location Made: Anchorage, Alaska (AK) United States

Contruction: Machine Piecing, Reverse Applique, Hand Applique

Quilt Size: 60 inches x 60 inches

Quilting Techniques: Not quilted

Fabrics: Other synthetic, Wool

Project: Lands' End All-American Quilt Collection

KID: 14-10-128

14-10-128
1943
Fairy Tales
Trueblood, Louise

Date Made: 1943

Fairy Tales

Creator: Trueblood, Louise

Location Made: Freeport, Illinois (IL)

Contruction: Hand Applique, Embroidery

Quilt Size: 43 1/4" x 61"

Quilting Techniques: Hand quilting

Fabrics: Cotton

Project: Michigan Quilt Project

KID: 12-8-8531

12-8-8531
1930-1949
Little Red Riding...

Date Made: 1930-1949

Little Red Riding Hood

Location Made: Athens, Illinois (IL) United States

Contruction: Hand Applique, Embroidery, Outline and daisy stitches.

Quilt Size: 45 x 64

Quilting Techniques: Hand quilting

Fabrics: Cotton, Solid/plain

Project: Illinois Quilt Research Project; Illinois State Museum Collection

Found in her home and believed to have been made by her.

KID: 5-2-52

5-2-52
2003
Hansel and Grete...
Magnus, Rebecca

Date Made: 2003

Hansel and Gretel

Creator: Magnus, Rebecca

Location Made: Bloomfield Hills, Michigan (MI)

Contruction: Machine Piecing, Hand Applique

Quilt Size: 59" x 59"

Quilting Techniques: Hand quilting

Fabrics: Cotton

Project: Michigan Quilt Project

Patterns for story book quilts were designed in the 1940s by Marion Newton. At an exhibition at the New England Quilt Museum in 1997, I purchased the pattern. A lot was missing in the pattern, I realized after reading the original Grimm's Fairy Tale. My friend, Ann Kelly drew the large gingerbre...

KID: 12-8-3664

12-8-3664
Storybook Quilt
Young, Mrs. Jackson...

Storybook Quilt

Creator: Young, Mrs. Jackson

Location Made: Michigan (MI) United States

Contruction: Applique, Wholecloth

Quilt Size: 70.5 x 79

Fabrics: Cotton

Project: Louisiana Quilt Documentation Project

KID: 9-6-847

9-6-847
Fall 2000
Well Red Storyboo...
Sveadas, Ardie

Date Made: Fall 2000

Well Red Storybook Children

Creator: Sveadas, Ardie

Location Made: Sparta, Michigan (MI)

Contruction: Hand Applique, Embroidery

Quilt Size: 40 1/2" x 45 1/4"

Quilting Techniques: Hand quilting

Fabrics: Cotton

Project: Michigan Quilt Project

KID: 12-8-1651

12-8-1651
1901-1929
Storybook Time
; Jackson, Mary

Date Made: 1901-1929

Storybook Time

Creator: ; Jackson, Mary

Location Made: Michigan (MI) United States

Contruction: Machine Piecing, Embroidery

Quilt Size: 40" x 55 1/2"

Quilting Techniques: Hand quilting

Fabrics: Cotton, Solid/plain

Project: Michigan Quilt Project; Wyandotte Historical Museum Collection

KID: 12-8-9862

12-8-9862
1930
Cinderella

Date Made: 1930

Cinderella

Location Made: Michigan (MI) United States

Contruction: Hand Applique, Embroidery

Quilt Size: 39" x 56 1/2"

Quilting Techniques: Hand quilting

Fabrics: Cotton

Project: Michigan Quilt Project

KID: 12-8-9162

12-8-9162
Jack and Jill
Jacobs, Ethel Regin...

Jack and Jill

Creator: Jacobs, Ethel Regina London

Location Made: Michigan (MI) United States

Contruction: Applique, Embroidery, Wholecloth

Quilt Size: 53 x 72

Fabrics: Cotton, Solid/plain, Print

Project: Louisiana Quilt Documentation Project

KID: 9-6-1919

9-6-1919
1991
Winnie the Pooh
Kelso, Amy

Date Made: 1991

Winnie the Pooh

Creator: Kelso, Amy

Location Made: Dafter, Michigan (MI)

Contruction: Machine Applique

Quilt Size: 35" x 45 1/2"

Quilting Techniques: Machine quilting

Fabrics: Cotton

Project: Michigan Quilt Project

KID: 12-8-3441

12-8-3441
Winnie the Pooh B...
Willis, Diane

Winnie the Pooh Baby Blanket

Creator: Willis, Diane

Location Made: Michigan (MI) United States

Contruction: Machine Applique, Pieced

Quilt Size: 51 x 57

Quilting Techniques: Machine quilting

Fabrics: Cotton, Print

Project: Louisiana Quilt Documentation Project; The Black Diaspora Quilt History Project

Learned to quilt from: Diane Willis learned quiltmaking from her mother Camilla Woodfork, her grandmother Carrie Jefferson, and her Aunt Laura Low called Aunt Coot.

KID: 9-6-1615

9-6-1615
same year
Disney's Alice in...
Schaffran, Geneva

Date Made: same year

Disney's Alice in Wonderland

Creator: Schaffran, Geneva

Location Made: Detroit, Michigan (MI)

Contruction: Hand Piecing, Hand Applique, Embroidery

Quilt Size: 73 3/4" x 83 1/2"

Quilting Techniques: Hand quilting

Fabrics: Cotton

Project: Michigan Quilt Project

KID: 12-8-4169

12-8-4169
1930-1949
Snow White and th...
Hyde, Frankie

Date Made: 1930-1949

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Creator: Hyde, Frankie

Location Made: Canton, North Carolina (NC) United States

Contruction: Embroidery

Quilt Size: 32" x 42.5"

Quilting Techniques: Hand quilting

Fabrics: Cotton, Print, Solid/plain

Project: North Carolina Quilt Project

Bought, Made other quilts, Canton, NC; Children: Richard, Michael

KID: 21-17-2825

21-17-2825