Some time ago, my sister-in-law, Annette, gave me a stack of old quilting magazines that she had found at one of the local secondhand stores. I have enjoyed looking through them, finding unique patterns, looking at beautiful quilts, and especially reading the articles and stories.
Here is an article
and accompanying photos from the Quilter's
Newsletter Magazine of March, 1977, about Grace Snyder, 'The Quilting Lady'
from North Platte, Nebraska. The technique she has used to make her
Flower Basket quilt is similar to the technique I will use for the Light of
Peace quilt I plan to make after I finish the mug rugs.
Flower Basket Petit Point Quilt by
Grace Snyder, North Platte, Nebraska. In the last issue we introduced you to
Mrs. Snyder and told you a little bit about her life in a soddy house on the
Nebraska Plains, where she made most of her fabulous quilts. She completed the
Flower Basket in 1943. Although it contains 87,789 patches, it took her only 16
months to make. As far as QN has been able to determine, this quilt contains
more pieces than any other ever made. Mrs. Snyder made her own pattern for this
quilt after seeing a china plate painted in a similar design which was
manufactured by Salem China Company of Ohio. A detail from this photo reveals
that each patch is a tiny triangle. The overall size of this quilt is 91” x
93”. Mrs. Snyder, now 95 and retired from needlework, enjoyed making appliquéd
quilts as much as pieced ones. She is shown in front of her Basket of Grapes
which she designed and made in 1947-48. She has made 24 show quilts (not
counting the ones she made for everyday use in her home), and there are 13 left
in her collection. The remainder she has given to her children and
grandchildren. (Photos from the Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer, Grand
Island, Nebraska.)
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