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Sugar Sacks Were Inspiration for This Quilt

April 25, 1935
Detroit News Quilt History Project; Michigan State University Museum; Susan Salser; Lynne Charlet; Harriet Clarke
Detroit, Michigan, United States
A Quilt Club Corner column including letters from Quilt Club members and a list of new members.
Sugar Sacks Were Inspiration for This QuiltThe gay little animals which are pictures on this quilt are in all colors and patterns of calico, appliqued on sugar sacks and blanket stitched and embroidery floss in a contrasting color.
Little More Than $1.50 Spent for All Materials


By Edith B. Crumb

To some homemakers, the sight of 100 pounds of sugar would simply be an inspiration to the creating of bigger and better cakes, cookies and just the best desserts one could imagine; but to Mrs. W.J. Merdian, 446 Chalmers avenue, Detroit, they meant the planning of a quilt.

And such a quilt! It is just covered with the most fascinating picture of animals that to a child would remain a fascination for years.

Mrs. Merdian has a brother who has a family of nine children and it was for these she planned to make the quilt. She cut pictures of the animals out of the paper, being careful to get them nearly the same size as possible and the only ones she did not find in the paper were the elephant (which is pink by the way) and a camel. She transferred these pictures with carbon paper on to squares of material made from the flour sacks and then appliqued materials to cover the outlines.

Each animal is made of a different kind of calico and buttonholed around the edge with embroidery floss of a contrasting color.

The bands connecting the blocks are of green ground percale and a child might almost imagine himself in a zoo with the percale representing paths and each block a cage. The bands are tied with green silk as well as quilted.

The back is of unbleached broadcloth and the interlining is sheet wadding.

Mrs. Merdian said that she spent approximately $1.50 on this quilt and so delighted are her little nieces and nephews with it that had it cost many times that amount it would have been inexpensive.

The quilt was given to all of the children and it must be difficult to decide who gets to use it. Perhaps there is an alphabetical system to simplify this to perhaps the child who has been the best all day may have it for the night. It would be very easy to be a good child if you knew that you could sleep under this fascinating quilt. Don't you think so?

On Tuesday, April 23, the East Side Circle of Zion English Lutheran Church held a quilt show and tea. Mrs. Al Fry was the chairman and under her supervision approximately 75 quilts were entered for display.

Considering that this church does not have a quilting club, this seems like a fine record.

There were three classifications of quilts, one section for finished quilts, one for tops only and another for antiques.

Mrs. Florence Meandler won the prize in the first classification for her star pattern quilt. In the second classification, Mrs. J. E. Gray won the prize for a Grandmother's Flower Garden and Mrs. Fred Platt entered an antique quilt which won the prize in the third section. This quilt was called Burgoyne's Surrender and was made of charming old-time prints.

The quilts were well displayed and judging from the pleasure with which they were viewed there could be no doubt that the exhibit was a success.

Change in Broadcast.
Beginning next Monday, April 22, the Quilt Club Corner of the air will be broadcast over WWK from 9:45 to 10:00 a.m. weekly.

Please write your letters right now for this broadcast. If you do not wish to write a letter, just jot a little note on a card and slip it in the letter box.

And be sure to have your pencils and note pads ready so that you may put down the names of those who wish to exchange patches.

Letter from Florida.
Dear Miss Crumb: I am way down here in the sunny south but I am still quilt-minded so am sending for some patterns. For six months this winter I have been here and how glad I was when I saw a car with a Michigan tag on it and the people in it were just as glad to find a northerner.

I have my pretty quilts on the beds, some of them made from News patterns and received many compliments on them.

I also had curtains at the windows with some of the Flower Garden designs worked on them and the pillow slips were all hand embroidered, some with News designs.

I had some nice visits with the ladies, some of them being Quilt Club Corner and Experience fans, so you see the Corner goes a long way from home.
Mrs. M. E. Allen
Route No 3,
Pensacola, Florida

Perhaps some of you would like to drop Mrs. Allen a line. Just think how glad she would be to see a letter from some of her old Cornerite friends and acquaintances. That is a good change to exchange patches with someone from Florida.

A Joyful Quilt Maker.
Dear Miss Crumb: Do you believe in fairies? I do and anyhow so would you if you received so many beautiful, friendly, helpful letters and boxes full of pretty prints and patches as I have. No wonder the sick gets well! You know I almost wish I could be sick or shut-in; and I would not even mind being lonely for the lovely fine friends and happiness through the Corner. There is no time to be lonely any more.

I like the idea of printing the names of new and old members and am cutting them out for my scrap book.
Mrs. Margaret Blasko
Detroit, Mich.

I did not have your address copies from your letter and so looking in the membership file for it and nowhere could I find you r names. It may be mystified, of course, but just to be on the safe side will you please send in another membership coupon so that we may get this straightened out.

The file serves as an address list for me and those who have not entered their names as members make it difficult sometimes to trace them. It is very possible that you have sent your name in Mrs. Blasko and if I had your address I would just slip it on a card and say nothing about it, but I can't do that for I am not sure where you live.

That was such a nice letter. Don't wish yourself sick a shut-in or a lonely person. That will never do. Keep well and happy and write often to us.

Make leftover rice into cakes, fry then in bacon fat and serve with maple syrup. They are delicious.

Eleven More Members for Your Scrap Book
Here is another list containing six old and five new members in the Quilt Club Corner. This is certainly no Detroit day for only four members out of the 11 live in this city.
Mrs. W.L Andrews
3452 Twenty-first St.
Wyandotte, Mich.

Mrs. A. Anger
1625 Twenty-second St.
Detroit, Mich.

Mrs. Herbert Angus,
R.F. D. No. 1
Ortonvill, Mich.

Mrs. W.D. Annis
4385 Lakeview Ave.,
Detroit, Mich.

Kathlyn Ansbro
254 Eighty-fifth St.,
Brooklyn, N.Y.

Mrs. Carrie M. Anthony
16713 Sunderland Ave.,
Detroit, Mich.

Mrs. M DeAngelo
2344 E Davidson Ave.,
Detroit, Mich,

Mrs. Doretta Hydown
2005 Seventh St.,
Bay City, Mich.

Mrs. Helen Martin
4116 Garrison Rd.,
Toledo, Ohio

Mrs. Maude Shaffer
Route No. 3 Birmingham, Mich.

Mrs. Dora Smith,
507 North St.,
Holly, Mich.

Beauty in the Home Editor:
Please enter my name as a member of the Beauty in the Home Quilt Club.

Name………………
Street and number……………
City………………………State…………………

​Courtesy of The Detroit News Archives.
6119.43.21, 6268.2.7

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