Heirloom Quilts F2019

Sarah Anderson

My quilt was given to me for my graduation by my mom. She was working on a quilt previously, but found the pattern for the one that she gave me. It is an American themed quilt because I love studying U.S. history. It also has people of different cultures and ethnicities because I value diversity and believe in standing up for the rights of those around me. My mom took all of these thoughts into consideration and that is why she changed the pattern that she was working on. 

The quilt means a lot to me because of the time and effort that she put into 

making it. She doesn't like to do blocks with triangles in it and it has a lot of triangles that she put a lot of time into. I hope to hold onto the quilt and present it in my home in the future and pass it onto my children when the time comes along. This quilt means a lot and I want to set a tradition of passing down quilts in my family. 

Brontae Carlson

"Mission Memories"

The name of the quilt is mission memories, it was made by my mother for my fathers’ parents. My grandparents served 4 missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- Day Saints in Nauvoo Illinois. My mother made this lap sized quilt for my grandparents to remind them of all the fun memories they had in Nauvoo. The little white square are signed by people they served with, and members and non-member of their church. This quilt reminds my grandparents of all the memories they had while on their mission weather that be when they were on the stage performing or out helping others with service. 

Abagail Colby

Samantha Davies

I like to call this quilt “Summer Stars”. The quilt is full of stars that are made from colors that are found in the main fabric. The fabric is 100% cotton and the batting is fluffy polyester. The size is a 53-inch by 42-inch quilt. The quilt is a pieced quilt and is tied together with yarn. 

This quilt was made back in the summer of 2014. This was a project that my grandma made for me and with me. My grandma taught all of my other girl cousins to sew, making a rag quilt with each of us. She saw that I took a great interest in sewing and quiltmaking, so she decided that she wanted to teach me how to piece a quilt. She wanted to teach me how to make stars on this particular quilt because she wanted me to learn how to sew points. The colors of this quilt were some of my favorite colors back in 2014, which is why they were chosen. 

This quilt is important to me because it started my love of quilt making and is special to me because I made it together with my grandma. Each summer since my grandma and I have dedicated Tuesday afternoons to sew and quilt with each other for a few hours each week. We have made different projects such as quilts, wall hangings, table runners, and more. My grandma has been a quilter for her whole life after being taught by her mother. She is usually working on at least 2 or 3 quilts and other projects at a time. Many of the quilts that she is making are for me and my cousin’s future wedding gifts. Once we are planning to get married she will let us choose whichever quilt we want. She really values quiltmaking and says that it is becoming a lost art, which is why she wanted to teach me. 

Emily Draper

The Green Quilt, affectionately known as “Greenie” was made by my great grandmother, Phyllis Pettit Whitchurch. She was a home economics teacher for most of her life and made numerous quilts. She graduated from the University of California Los Angelos (UCLA) and then fell in love with her husband, Walter Almon Whitchurch, with whom she had nine children. My grandfather is their oldest.

 As she got older my great grandmother decided that she would like to get rid of some of her stuff before she passed as she had so much and her husband had already died previously. At a family party once with my grandparents, she would often come so that she could see us as she did not live very far away, she filled a table with all of the things that she wanted to get rid of at this point. On this table lay the green quilt. My little sister, Victoria, who at the time was maybe five or six decided that she loved the quilt and wanted to take it home. My parents were okay with this and from then on, Greenie was her quilt. 

Victoria’s favorite color has always been green and I think that day when she chose the quilt, it chose her too. She is now seventeen and cherishes this quilt. The Green Quilt remains a reminder how much we loved Great-Grandma and that she is always with us.

Oakley Dunn

The Crazy Quilt

I had a lot of fun learning about the different quilts that are in my family. I went to my

Grandma’s house and told her the assignment and she showed me a cedar chest that is full of

quilts and baby clothing that has been passed down in my family. I didn’t even know that we had

that many things being passed down in my family. When my grandma started pulling things out

of the cedar chest she told me different stories that go with each item. I learned a lot about my

ancestors and a lot of stories about them. It was really interesting because I didn’t know anything

about them before but when I left I had a better understanding of them and stories that put a face

to the names. I really enjoyed it.

Now about the quilt itself. It was made by my great great grandma, and her name is

Josephine. She made it for her daughter and it has been passed down the line. My grandma

currently has it and she is planning on cutting it into pieces so that she can pass it onto more

than one person. My grandma wrote a poem called “The Quilt” for this quilt though.

I stayed home from work today

“There’s something sitting on my chest” I told them

“What’s wrong?” They asked

“I don’t know!” I answered

I went to my room and opened my cedar chest, 

and there among the treasures of old a quilt, 

entrusted to me by my mother, because she knew I would hold it dear. 

I pulled it out and wrapped it around myself, 

a crazy quilt made by a grandmother I never knew. 

I wanted it to warm me and comfort me. 

I sobbed, there wrapped in the quilt, why? 

For all the sorrows of yesterday and tomorrow, 

for the loneliness of all those who feel it.

I began to look at the pieces of the quilt, 

some of them brightly colored silk, 

some rich brocade, oriental pattern, velvets, 

some of the pieces so worn they were hanging bits of thread,

the stitches that held them, put there with love years before. 

The comfort came from the quilt and in this writing.

Our lives are as the quilt, stitched together in crazy patterns, 

some of the pieces worn and ragged, some neat, some crooked. 

I know not where the pattern of my life may lead me. 

I hope the threads will hold.

I feel the love of the one who fashioned the quilt. 

A physical warmth and a spiritual touch. 

From this day forward my daughter I bequeath you the essence if the quilt. 

If you wrap yourself in the quilt you will feel the warmth and the healing power of the quilt, 

from the ones who fashioned its uniqueness and from me! 

You will feel my love, my deep and eternal love for you 

and you will feel the tears I have shed today 

as they are now a part of the quilt as tears are a part of life, 

the blood of the soul. 

Let your tears fall on the quilt and we will be joined in spirit 

as we are in love remembering all the joy we have shared in this life.

When she shared that poem she wrapped herself in the quilt and shared it with a lot of

emotion and passion. That was how I decided which quilt I wanted to share with the class.

The quilt doesn’t have much balance. It has many different colored fabrics as well as

types of fabric. There is even hand stitching with different colored threads and different types of

stitching so that it looks more unique and more individualized.

I really enjoyed this assignment because I learned so much. I never would have learned

so much about the heirloom items that are in my family if it weren’t for this assignment. Now I

know what they are and some stories behind them. Also my grandma loved sharing all of it with

me. She actually told me that I was one of the first people that she has shared those stories with.

Which made me feel even more special.

Madalyn Geldmacher

When this assignment was given to our class, I immediately thought of this specific piece. Since I was little, I had heard bits and pieces of stories about this special piece. I knew that it came from my great-grandma but not much else about it. As I grew older, I learned that there were a few other similar pieces that we given to my aunt and uncles when my great-grandma passed away. I have never seen the other pieces but would one day, like to see them. This quilt piece means very much to my family and displays proper use of scaling, variation of color, and using the things you have.

            My favorite thing about this piece is where it came from. I knew before this project was assigned that it was from my grandma but I didn’t know which grandma specifically. When I dug into some research, I found out that two of my grandmas actually made it together. Their children would later get married. Since finding this information, I have felt closer to my grandmas. I know that they made this piece with love and tender care. The piece probably took a good amount of time that not many mothers have raising kids. This piece has brought so many new things about my ancestors that I didn’t know before.  I enjoyed researching facts about the piece and learning more about my heritage.

Christine Hanks

The Wedding Blanket

This quilt was original designed and made in 1965 for my mother’s wedding. Her grandmother, Mary Biddle, born July 12, 1894, made this for her. She was the only one to receive a quilt from her. It was designed using the lone star pattern which arrived in the America’s in the mid-to-late 1800’s.

All of the star squares are 15” and use various colors from leftover cotton fabrics. The batting that was used is cotton and is soft. The lone star was the only pattern used. My great grandmother pieced the quilt and then took it to her relief society where they hand quilted it together. It was bound with the fold over technique. The size of the quilt is a full/queen.

My great grandmother was a homemaker and raised my grandmother after her mother died. This is the only quilt that was made that we have access to. It is the only heirloom quilt we have. No one has sewn since her, until me. We are so grateful to have it.

Heirloom Quilt 

By: Bailey Jorgensen 

My heirloom quilt was made by my great grandmother. Her name was Luella Swensen Walker and called Lindon, Utah home. She became a widow at a young age after the sudden death of  her husband. Left with five boys to raise on her own, Luella had to work with what she had to provide for her children. The quilts brick pattern is made of scraps and all hand pieced together. She most likely made several of these quilts to keep her family warm because her house only had a fire wood stove as a  heat source. When my grandpa Sterling Walker, married my grandma AnnaLee in 1955, his mother Luella gave him this quilt. This quilt has been used for many camping trips, and long horse trail rides.

"Utility Quilt"

Karissa LeFors

From many quilts to do my project on, I chose the one that is perhaps the most loved and the largest quilt in the house measuring 72 by 80 centimeters. I knew it was made by my great grandparents on my mother’s side of the family but didn’t know more than that. I called my Grandpa to learn more about the quilt and why it was made.

            The first thing I learned about the quilt was its name. Before I made the call, I had no idea the quilt even had a name. It is called a Utility Quilt. The makers of the quilt were my great grandparents Ora and Vivian Nielson. My great grandpa, Ora, did all the sewing and tied the quilt due to great grandma’s poor vision. My great grandma, Vivian, chose the fabrics and arranged the blocks the way they appear on the quilt. The batting used in the quilt is cotton, and most of the fabric is cotton as well. There might be some flannel included in the blocks because some of the fabric came from clothes that my grandpa had worn years ago. The quilt was pieced with the Four Patch block, one of the first blocks to be used in quilting and one of the easiest blocks to make. My great grandma arranged the blocks so that the blocks would not be the same. Each block is the opposite of the other identical block found in the same row.  

 There are seventeen more that were made for each grandchild of my great grandparents. Each quilt is similar but unique, and each one is called a Utility Quilt.  My family’s Utility Quilt was the last one my great grandparents made. It was made for my mother to use for whenever she needed it for any reason. She could use it for picnics, keeping warm, protection against rain, etc. It was most likely made around 1980 and kept for safe keeping until my parent’s wedding. The quilt means a lot to my mother because it is one of the only things she has from her grandparents on her father’s side. 

Abby Lisonbee

"The Mother-In-Law" Quilt

This is what my grandma called the “Mother-in-law” quilt. The origin of the design is from pioneer times. In fact, it goes far beyond pioneer times back to 1718 and is called the LeMoyne star after the brothers who founded New Orleans. Usually this design is just made of 8 solid pieces that are turned at a 45 degree angle. But as you can see this quilt is not made of just 8 solid blocks.

The rhythm of this quilt is tied into the balance. Both are very constant and symmetric. My grandmother told me that she thinks this was just made out of scraps but I think that it was very planned. As you can see there is even a pattern to the fabric that was pieced together to make the star. I don’t know that there is any particular emphasis on this quilt but if I were to pick one I would say the star. Just because the rest of the quilt that does not make up the star is one solid color. I really like the proportion on this quilt. I like how the star almost reaches the edges but no quite, it creates a good balance. When it comes to gradation this was a very expensive quilt mostly because of all of the different colors and patterns. But they all come together to make a very pretty, bright quilt. This quilt doesn’t have a lot of harmony, it is very bright and all over the place. Doesn’t have any gradual changes but it does have harmony in the shapes. Each block has more blocks in it and together they all form the center star. This quilt does have a lot of diversity though. None of the pattern really match each other and they are all different colors and this leads into the movement of the quilt which is very circular. The movement of circles stands out because of the diversity of the fabric. It makes your eyes either move or jump out from circle to circle.

The lines, shape, and form for this quilt all go together. They are sharp and contrasting with each other. The value of this quilt is bright fun colors although it has faded through use. 

Content of the whole entire quilt and batting is all cotton fabric. The size is 72’’ by 71’’. This quilt was pieced and hand stitched together. It was made in 1918. And this entire quilt was hand stitched by my great grandmother Aline Stark and my great great grandmother Sarah Ann Kay. This quilt was made for Aline Stark after she got married. This was made to help mother-in-law and daughter-in-law bond together. My grandmother told me this was the only quilt that Aline kept because it reminded her of her relationship with her mother-in-law.

Both Sarah and Aline were in Goshen Utah at this time so they didn’t have much to do with the “roarin’ 20s”. Aline had this quilt on her bed until her daughter was born 4 years later. After that, they used as a decoration even though it was tattered. About the quilt itself, it is 101 years old.

Brynnlee Norris

Heirloom Quilt

The quilt I’ve chosen for my heirloom quilt presentation is a quilt made by my great

grandma, Velma Rasmussen, and finished by my mother. Grandma Velma pieced the blocks

together but with her decreasing health she passed it onto my mother to put the whole thing

together. This quilt is named sunlight and shadow because of the light and dark coloring.

Grandma Velma was born in 1915 and passed away in 2002. Her mother was very into things

like quilting, crocheting, and bottling which influenced Velma to also really love it. She was

always doing these things, and she would even quilt and crochet for hire. Velma would always

make quilts for her grandchildren and she found great joy in doing so. For this quilt, as with all

of her others, she used scrap fabric and refused to buy any fabric unless it was for the back. For

her patterns she would cut out cereal boxes to the shapes she wanted and traced them. She was

also very particular about the way her quilts were tied. She insisted that they were tied in square

knots so they’d stick up not lie flat and she made sure to place the ties every 3-4 inches so the

batting inside wouldn’t bunch and get ruined.

Robyn Reese

The Christmas Scrapbook Quilt

This quilt was made by my Mother for my Grandmother for Christmas in 2001. My 

Grandma loved to sew. One of her favorite things to sew was clothes for me and my siblings. She would sew all kinds of outfits for us. Every holiday, for our birthdays, and just for fun. My mom would always document the outfits and make scrapbooks with the pictures for her for Christmas every year. This quilt was made at the beginning of that tradition. My Mom decided instead of a paper scrapbook, she would make a quilt. She got the pictures printed on fabric, and then she took the scraps of fabric that my Grandma would send with the clothes and used that for 

the piecing and the edge. 

When she was making The quilt, I was about 18 months old. She had the quilt set up on a quilting frame, and I was just chilling on the floor while she was quilting it. She left for just one second and came back to me in the middle of the quilt up on the frame. She said that the quilting frame looked like it was about to pop all the pins out. She quickly got me off. 

This quilt is a wonderful memory of the clothes my Grandma used to make for us. It’s really awesome to see the fabrics that were on the outfits surrounded the outfits she made us. I’m glad we have this quilt!

Christmas Cactus

Cassandra Schiess