State Birds & Flowers Embroidery

 

Quail and Poppies For California from

Aunt Martha

Karl is holding up Roseanne Smith's State Birds & Flowers embroidered quilt at the Kaw Valley Quilt Guild meeting in February. It's heavy. She used a sheet for the backing many years ago.

During the Bicentennial Celebration of 1976 the blocks were embroidered by her mother Lucy Smith

who was born in Australia and came to the U.S. after marrying a soldier in World War II.

A lot of embroidery stitches in the backgrounds

Roseanne who'd made two quilts back then volunteered to put it together. A group in their hometown Phillipsburg, Kansas quilted it and didn't complain about hand quilting through the sheet.

I volunteered to find the pattern source. Is there an index to embroidered state birds, flowers, etc.?

There is now. My best reference was Rose Marie Werner's article in AQSG's Blanket Statements newsletter #95.

See a PDF here:

https://kora.quiltindex.org/files/35-90-478/095_2009_Spring.pdf

The INDEX

ALICE BROOKS: (1970s) For the Bicentennial anniversary in the mid 1970s

birds & flowers in a curved ribbon.

ANNE CABOT: (After 1959) New states Alaska & Hawaii in border

AUNT MARTHA/Colonial Patterns: (1930s) Scroll behind flowers and birds.

CAPPER'S/ KATE MARCHBANKS : (1970s) From this Topeka, Kansas source---rectangular blocks with much information and a U.S. map along with other patterns for birds and flowers. The 50-State

Educational Quilt seems to be where Lucy Smith found her patterns. 

Roseanne's mother lived a couple of hundred miles northwest of Topeka where she would have had access to the Capper's needlework designs either with her own subscriptions to their publications or she may have received clippings from her many nursing patients.

LAURA WHEELER (Old Chelsea Station): (1960s)

Shield with flowers and the state name

Do note different florals at the top of the shield---some 3; some 1.

MCKIM: Ruby McKim's designs are easily recognized

 by stylized initials for the state name.

RAINBOW: Both Flowers & Birds with 

old state abbreviations of 4 letters.

VER MEHREN: Hubert Ver Mehren's flower design with his 

signature innovative modern border

Rose Marie wondered if this bird series is also from his Des Moines studio.

VOGART: Rose Marie did not include information

about this company that went bankrupt in 1990.

Florals & Birds captioned with the state's full name in capitals.

WORKBASKET: This spinoff from Aunt Martha/Colonial Patterns labeled the blocks with a rather elaborate floral scroll.

UNKNOWN: Did not find a source for this state flowers design with a crinkly ribbon. Must be after 1959 as Hawaii is included.

From the Arizona Project

Back to the Capper's/Kate Marchbanks pattern that included the date and order of the state's entry into the Union. They also published the "50-State Educational Quilt" with hexagonal blocks. Again the overall set was rather vague, which encouraged some creativity.

Indiana Project & the Quilt Index

By Vera VanHorn Castor

Oregon Project & The Quilt Index

Westside Community Club