LOOKING BACK – Around The Frame

Happy New Year!

As we begin 2016, I thought I’d cover some loose ends from late 2014 and 2015 while giving you a taste of things to come in 2016 too.

My last article of 2014 was about a pre-Civil War peony quilt in green and red that looked like wreaths. The quilt had a piece of paper sewn to its back indicating the maker and the dates of her birth, wedding and death. This quilt was acquired by the Fort Wayne Museum of Art! At the FWMoA it will receive the care it needs and will be enjoyed by thousands of people for years to come. I can’t imagine a better home for it.

The Bible Quilt Mystery: Thanks to Tim Nagel who brought the Ruby Short McKim Bible quilt top to Born Again Quilts, we now know who won the News-Sentinel contest. At the Allen County Public Library, Tim did some digging and found the results in the April 20, 1928 issue. Miss Crissie E. Mott, home economics teacher at Southside High School and Miss Maple M. Byers, sewing instructor at Central High School judged the quilts and determined the winners.

Click to advertise on this website

Fort Wayne girl winners age 13-16 were Bertha Hessert, aged 13, $5, Mary Catherine Schnurr, aged 13, $2.50 and Hazel Morris, aged 14, $1.

Fort Wayne girls age 8-12 were Margaret Hensch, aged 12, $5, Mary Jane Zlink, aged 11, $2.50 and Ruth Hessert, aged 12, $1.

The winners outside of Fort Wayne included girls from Wolcottville, Butler, Portland, Oregon, Leo, Grabill and Churubusco.

Imagine! If contestants weren’t able to pick up their quilts in person, they could mail the Quilt Contest Editor eight cents in stamps and the quilt would be returned by mail.

Tim not only sent me the results he also provided me with the News Sentinel weekly quilt block pages not only of the Bible Quilt contest but the Colonial History (1926) and Peter Pan (1925) quilt contests too! Still unknown is who donated the Bible quilt to last year’s Lutheran Life Villages rummage sale.

Fort Wayne LeftFest was another success. This year $652 was raised to give a helping southpaw to the animals at the Allen County SPCA. The trivia contest was conducted differently in order so people could participate in it throughout the day. 25 photos of celebrity writers, actors, athletes, singers, etc. were hung on the wall. People needed to identify the five people who are not left-handed. Eileen Claypool a.k.a. Mrs. Banks from the Civic Theater’s Mary Poppins correctly identified three of the non-lefties. The five ringers were: Groucho Marx, Katy Perry, Demi Moore, H.P. Lovercraft and Jimmy Stewart. Interestingly: She correctly identified all the men. For her effort Eileen won a 2016 Lefthander’s Calendar full of lefty legends and lore that she shares with her southpaw daughter Catherine.

Now that 2016 is underway there is much in the quilt world to look forward to in the next Around the Frame.

Lois Levihn is the owner of Born Again Quilts, a restoration studio that carries reproduction and vintage fabrics and vintage sewing accessories. Located at 4005 South Wayne Avenue, the studio is open 5:30-7p.m. on Wednesdays, Saturdays 9-2 p.m. and by appointment.