April 14, 1937

Detroit News Quilt History Project; Michigan State University Museum; Susan Salser

Detroit, Michigan, United States

A portion of a Quilt Club Corner Column including the image and description of children who have made quilts to enter in the 1937 Detroit News Quilt Show.

Young Club Members Prepare Entry for Quilt Exhibition
Even the children are working to make the fourth annual quilt show of The Detroit News, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the biggest one every held. Here are the members of the Degree of Honor, juvenile club of Redford Township, showing the quilt they are entering in the show. Left to right are Edna Hobbel, secretary; Betty Selleck, color bearer; Jean Robinson; president; Mrs. Kathleen Dittman, juvenile director, Ann Marie Ramsey, past president; Marian Anderson, usher; Madeline Orr, part of escort staff. The children range from 8 to 12 years.

Biggest Quilt Exhibition Being Assembled by News
Latest news from the headquarters of the fourth annual quilt show of The Detroit News indicates that the biggest quilt exhibition in Detroit history will open in the Naval Armory at 2 p.m. Friday.
Already the receipts have topped the 1,700 mark. Last minute entries will be received up to 5 p.m. Wednesday. After that it will be impossible to receive any more quilt for this mammoth show.

Quilts have poured in by mail, express, and special messenger from every county in Michigan and from Texas, Alaska, Ohio, New York, and a half dozen other states.

Some have been made by blind women whose sensitive fingers have traced the tiny hems along the edges of their intricate patches and who have had to remember the whereabouts of their various colored patches in order to create their color harmonies.

Enliven Silent Hours
Deaf workers have enlivened the silent hours by patching as they visited, stealing flashing moments from their work to follow the moving lips of their friends.

Even men, shut in by illness or crippled bodies have responded to the fascination of organizing elaborate pattern with geometric precision and have joined their wives in designing, cutting, and even sewing the hundreds of small pieces which go to make up a fascinating play of color and patterns. Little girls have begged for patches and made their own small editions of mothers big quilts, and small boys have joined the fun and cut patches with pencil and rule, watching the geometric patterns grow while they learned how to handle a needle against the hazards of bachelorhood.
Never before has there been so great a variety of quilts entered in this show.

Needlework Technic
Scores of interesting needlework technics have been used, from the fine old handwoven coverlets of great grandmother's day the silk crazy quilts with their array of fancy stitches which join the silk and velvet patches their embroidered blocks to air a touch of elegance, to the sturdy piece quilts of cotton cloth made for practical use.
Flower patterns are more numerous than ever. Mother Goose has brought her family of story book people to delight the children, each picture in thread and fabric on blocks for children's quilts.
Many of the traditional old geometric designs which delighted the past generation and an equal number of the modern applique patterns are entered.

Admission to the Detroit News Quilt Show is free, but no one may be admitted to the Naval Armory before 2 p.m. Friday.
The quilt show will be open from 2 to 10 p.m. and from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

Courtesy of The Detroit News Archives.