Spinning Stars

Miniature Stripes

Buckeye Beauty (left) 
Appliquéd Star (below)

                       Broken Star

 
Carpenter's Wheel

"Museum-quality quilts, ethnic food represent rural values" reads a headline to an article on the Rocky Mountain sale un in a local newspaper, the Ag Journal.  In the opening paragraph, regional correspondent Candace Krebs, writes:  "In the wisened hands of lifelong quilters, a bedspread becomes a canvas for demonstrating grand designs, profusions of color and the painstaking intricacy of delicate stitching."  It is not uncommon to use quilts to market relief sales--on posters, sale guides, shop windows, newspapers.  It is also not uncommon to see quilting idealized or romanticized---"wisened hands," "grand designs," "painstaking intricacy," "rural values."  As scholars, we continue to investigate how sale quilters themselves speak about their experience, their motivations for donating quilts, their relationship with fabric.

Friday, on our way to the sale in Rocky Ford,  we stopped  at the home of quilter Eva Klink in Johnstown, CO.  Eva, born a General Conference Mennonite in Newport, WA, does not have a lot of memories of her mother quilting but says she learned to appreciate the beauty of the quilt from her .  Eva started quilting in the '80s (her mother died in 1979) and had her first taste of quilting for the Colorado sale fifteen years ago. While in pastoral training at the Boulder Mennonite Church, Eva joined the church women in working on a quilt  for the sale.  After three years as a pastor, Eve returned to quilting, making an "Amish Bar" quilt and a "Tranquility Mandela" -- a round hand-quilted wall-hanging--for later sales.  During the '80s, Eva began machine quilting on a Gamill free-arm.  Her first big sale quilt was a "Split Rail" that was machine-quilted and sold for $475 in 2003. Eva sees "so much potential in fabric" and "want[s] Mennonite women to get more creative" with color and design.  At the same time, Eva is disappointed that antique quilts do not bring what they are worth at relief sales.  In the photo taken in her attic, Eva shows us a "Grandmother's Garden," one of two tops she has bought at the Colorado sale.

After leaving Eva's, we met with  Barb Swartzentruber in Aurora and followed her to Linda Diener Martin's in Greenwood Village, CO.  Linda and Barb began quilting together in 1988.  "Spinning Stars," a quilt they made together for the 1992 sale, brought $1000.  The next year, it was resold for $2000--purchased by Russ and Judy Conrad for their B & B.  In 1997 the Conrads donated the quilt to Peace Mennonite Community in Aurora, on the occasion of the church's dedication. The  quilt hangs in the lobby of the Peace Mennonite today (photo on left).

"Spinning Stars" was the last quilt Barb and Linda did together as Linda's health did not permit her to stitch by hand.  Nonetheless, she and Barb started a quilting group three years ago at Peace Mennonite.  In the photo  Barb (left) and Linda hold up a bed quilt their group donated this year.  It sold for $425.

By the time we arrived at the sale late Friday afternoon, the quilt committee, chaired by Esther Nafziger and Carolyn Stutzman, was busy receiving and putting on display seventy-seven quilts, comforters and wall-hangings.  Near the quilt table, we were introduced to Eunice Brennaman (Glennon Heights) and soon Linda Wyse (First Mennonite, Denver), both who work with their church groups to create quilts for the sale.

The quilt auction raised $32,903 by our calculation.  Twenty-nine wall quilts (38%) brought $6,650; twenty-three bed-sized quilts (30%) brought $19,215; eleven crib quilts (14%) brought $2,745; eight comforters (10%) brought $3,535; and other quilted items (8%) brought $760. 

Eight bed quilts topped the $1,000 mark.  "Miniature Stripes" made by Emma Stoltfus, member of the Old Order Amish in Pennsylvania and donated  by another garnered the top price of $2,300.  "Buckeye Beauty" pieced and quilted at MCC Material Resources in Ephrata, PA, sold for $2,050.  An "Appliquéd Star," appliquéd and quilted by Hmong women in Arvada, CO was anonymously donated and went for $1,550.  Miriam Witmer of Pennsylvania purchased and donated a "Broken Star" that sold for $1,400.  "Carpenter's Wheel "pieced and quilted by Beth-El Mennonite Church Quilters brought $1,300.  "Colonial Star," another quilt from Ephrata brought $1,225,.  Denver First Mennonite's Al MCGraw's quilt "Blooming Rose" brought $1,050.  Esther Nafziger, La Junta, and the Emmanuel Ecumenical Quilters pieced "Heart Blossom " which sold for $1,000.  This list shows a diverse group of quilters and several methods for getting quilts to the relief sale.  Local quilts came from Colorado, New Mexico, Texas and Kansas, while ten were sent from Minnesota.

Was there another "Hired Man's" at this sale?  Yes, indeed.  It sold for $800, and Marilyn is convinced this edition is the one that sports a row she stitched while we were interviewing the MCC Center in Ephrata last summer!

Ongoing research questions for consideration:

1) Do you think the public discourse on quilts romanticizes quilting in ways that the quilters themselves do not?  Is it possible that associating Mennonite and Amish or even Pennsylvania with a quilt conjures up quaint images, pastoral scenes, or nostalgia for simpler times?  Does the public idealize these quilts for more than quality and design?  What would constitute an "added value"? 

2) In what ways are the quilters investment in the quilt similar and different from the buyer or the general public?

To discuss these questions, join the discussion found under the Participation menu or get there from the QUICK MENU on the home page.