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Flower Garden Quilt

Flower Garden Quilt - Quilt
Accession #: 4426.1
Title: Flower Garden Quilt
Object Type: Quilt
Participants:
Physical Description: Twenty-eight embroidered and appliqued blocks alternate with blocks quilted with five interlocking rings (traced around canning lids). Some seeds appear in the batting, which appears to be loose cotton that was spread evenly. "Extra Fine" is printed in one of the blocks. The embroidered and appliqued designs are floral. The water lily block is not completely quilted. There is deterioration along some of the binding
Description: Pearl Agnes Chinn Christiansen (1892-1980), along with her husband and five daughters, moved to the Spokane area from Lead, South Dakota, in 1929. Pearl's husband, Peter Siegfried Christiansen, found work at the Washington Brick, Lime and Sewer Pipe company and the family settled in Clayton, where Pearl embroidered and appliqued this quilt about 1937. The words "Extra Fine" can still be seen on one of the blocks, indicating the use of recycled sacks that originally contained flour or sugar. Pearl used a frame that was raised and lowered from the ceiling with ropes to quilt this piece, with the help of neighbor ladies. Pearl's daughter, Mabel Christiansen Baker Hooper (1925-2019), started to quilt one of the blocks, but went "into town" with her sister before completing it. The quilting on that block remains unfinished. The "Flower Garden" patterns were first published in 1930 by Ruby McKim (1891-1976), an influential American designer whose embroidery and quilt patterns were published in national newspapers from 1916 through the 1930s.
Category: Textiles
Subjects/Topics/Concepts:
Bedding (Furnishing)
Geographical Reference: Spokane (Washington->Spokane County)
Dimensions:
Object L x W 74 x 68 1/2"
Materials/Techniques:
cotton (textile) (Material)
embroidery (Technique)
applique (Technique)
Related Exhibits:
Credit Line: Gift of Nancy and James Vocature in memory of Mabel Christiansen Baker, 2019

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