Century of Progress in Quilt Making and Contest Controversy

Century of Progress in Quilt Making

Wow…a World’s Fair held in Chicago during the Great Depression. Can you imagine people’s excitement at the prospect of visiting such a place.

The theme was Century of Progress with multi-colored buildings that would create a “Rainbow City” in stark contrast to the “White City” of the World’s Columbian Exposition that was held in 1893.

century of progress in quilt making pattern booklet

I acquired this booklet several years ago and there are many lovely patterns in it.  During the fair Sears, Roebuck and Co. ran a National Quilting Contest. There were over 25,000 entries, many more than Sears ever expected.

The Unknown Star

Entrants were encouraged to use the theme of the fair to design their quilts, but the Grand Prize Winner used a common Feathered Star template.

Feathered Star Quilt

The winning quilt’s name is Unknown Star. Margaret Rogers Caden of Lexington, Kentucky entered the quilt.  It’s alleged seamstresses who sewed for hire did much of the work on her quilt. This was a violation of contest rules.

Ida Mae Stow

One woman, Ida Mae Stow, who had made a fair themed quilt, received an Honorable Mention. She protested the judging with a letter to Sears stating, none of the commemorative quilts received a major prize.

You can read her story and see her quilt entry here on the International Quilt Museum website.

Another beautiful quilt inspired by the fair but not entered, was the Star Arcturus designed and sewn by Mary Gasperik. The quilts she made during this period were some of her first.

Even though she was an excellent seamstress, she had not discovered the art of quilt making until this time.  She made several quilts while the Chicago World’s Fair was going on.

Patchwork Souvenirs of the 1933 World’s Fair Book

Over several years of research, authors Merikay Waldvogel and Barbara Brackman wrote a book, Patchwork Souvenirs of the 1933 World’s Fair. It includes the story behind the contest with full color illustrations of the quilts.

It gives a great picture into quilt making in the early twentieth century. Plus goes into what happened when the art of quilt making collided with commercial opportunism.

All and all a very interesting time in quilting history.

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Enjoy!

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