It is a well-known facet of my bright and changeable charm that I love old quilts. New ones, too, but especially old ones.
At this month’s meeting of the Cheyenne Quilt Guild, Maxine Strack brought in one of her old quilts. It will be on display at the Watonga Senior Center for a bit, so if what I am about to tell you interests you, stop by and take a peek any weekday before 12:30.
This is what is called a friendship quilt. It has a simple pattern, but each block has an embroidered name on it, names from the past. We know that these ladies were members of the Enterprise Club in the 1920s and 30s.
The names included are Minnie Buchheit, Opa Adamson, Maude Whisler (twice) Hazle Galloway, Mrs. Boyd, Mrs. Mowdrey, Mary Beuchheit, Fern Pricket, Nora Whisler, Mrs. Scott, Alla Riggs, Lena Womach, Thema Whisler, Emma Adamson, Daisy Riggs, Mrs. Woolsey, Mrs. Colby, Jessie Gose, Mrs. Lake, Mrs. Neal and Alsie Fieshman.
The spellings I used are the ones they used, as best as I could make out. I found it fascinating that there are two spellings of Buchheit/Beuchheit and that so many women signed as Mrs. Thus and So. It was a more domesticated time, when women were satisfied – even proud – to be known as simply ‘Mrs. Last Name Here.’
I’m not saying that being a Mrs. is everything, or all that a woman can be, far from it. I think it does point out, though, the difference in the way we look at marriage and life and family today.
But, back to my point, the quilt.
A good bit of research has been done on the names and the club, but it is a sure bet that someone out there knows more and is familiar with the names and the families. If you do, contact Janice Hood at the senior center and let her know, or tell her when you drop by to see this piece of history.
That bit of fabric – it looks like much of it is made from feed or flour sacks, which would have been common during the time period – is searching for a new home. The quilt guild is holding a silent auction for the quilt, which has been hand quilted and is ready for use or display.
The starting bid is $500. That is a bargain for anyone who wants to preserve a piece of the past, whether it is their own or borrowed from those who have gone before.