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Quilt Queen Happy and Busy

October 16, 1934
Detroit News Quilt History Project; Michigan State University Museum; Susan Salser
Detroit, Michigan, United States
An article profiling Mrs. W. S. Steele, the Grand Prize Winner at the Detroit News Quilt Show.
Quilt Queen Happy and Busy
Mrs. W. S. Steele the Quilt Queen of the second annual exhibit of The Detroit News Quilt Club has ample reason to be happy. Winning the grand prize of $100 for her rising sun pattern quilt was a genuine thrill for this club member who lives in Pehworth, KY. While visiting her sister, Mrs. Lillian Chumley, 175303 Orleans street, she keeps busy writing the good news back home to her 16-year-old daughter, Geneva and embroidering doilies.
Quilting Queen Relaxes, Embroidering Table Cover


The Queen of Quilting was enjoying a little well-earned relaxation after the thrilling exhibit of the second annual Detroit News Quilt Club.

The queen who is Mrs. W.S. Steele was relaxing from all the fanfare that herald's royalty. She sat in the living room of her sister Mrs. Lillian Chumley, 175303 Orleans street and enjoyed the breathing spell by embroidering a table cover. All her spare moments from quilting are given over to rest spells of knitted mittens, socks, or sweaters, or crocheting lace for the lovely embroidered pillow cases she makes.

"I can't see why folks get so excited over my winning the grand prize", Mrs. Steele, who comes from Pehworth, KY, declared.
"I'm just a simple country woman and I never dreamed my winning quilt would cause so much fuss."

The unassuming little 46-year-old woman comes from a farm in the foothills of Lee County, made famous by the bloodiest of Kentucky feuds. This is her first visit to a big city, but her poise acquired during the years she has lived in a primitive region was not too shaken by the fact that more than 50,000 persons visited the Quilt Show in the Naval Armory, and stood in admiration before her rising sun pattern prize quilt.

Kept in the Background
She attended the exhibit Friday, the opening day, but did not make herself known to any one in charge sincere in her belief that she was so unimportant that no one really wanted to see or talk to her. All Saturday evening WWJ broadcasting requests for information regarding the possible whereabouts of the New Quilt Queen in Detroit. Finally, near the closing hour of Sunday, Mrs. Steele's relatives brought her over to the Detroit News corner in the Armory.

Quilting is the major work in the Steele's neat brown farm house. Steele is a thrifty farmer who deals in saddle horses, but as far as Mrs. Steele and Geneva, the 16-year-old daughter are concerned quilting comes first.

The work is done on quilt frames made nine years ago for Mrs. Steele by a 72 year-old- neighbor, and the quilts are brought to the farm house up in the hills a mile from the pike by horseback. Sometimes the neighbor's women walking walks over the Cumberland foothills meet to 'swap" pieces or hold quilting bees. Sometimes Mrs. Steele and Geneva a senior in the country school who has a ambitions to become a queen of quilters someday, work together on original patterns.

Favorite Patterns.
Her favorite pattern is the Whig Rose with the Flower Garden and the Wedding Ring close behind. She has some 25 quilts in her own home including on "nine patch" quilt made by her mother who taught her the art long years ago. There is also a quilt cut from the 'Rattlesnake" pattern she originated and which is now known to quilters as the "Baby Bunting."

The quiet, calm Kentuckian is a good cook too, according to her Detroit relatives. All the household arts that she so quietly takes for granted are achievements in themselves. For the benefit of Michigan quilters who studied an admired her rising sun prize quilt she gives her prize Kentucky corn bread recipe.

It is made with two cups of buttermilk, one teaspoon of salt, one teaspoon of soda, one egg and enough meal to make a thin batter. It is all very simple, Mrs. Steele adds. Just mix them together and pour in a pan. Place in a hot oven and you'll have a real Kentucky cornbread.

Mrs. Steele was to visit the Detroit News today to get her prize quilt. All quilts entered in the second annual Quilt Club show will be returned in The Detroit News Quilt Club room, starting this morning.

Courtesy of The Detroit News Archives.

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