Pages from 'Quilting News', March 1977

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.)