Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

QUILT TOP

Date Range From

1950

Date Range To

1960

Materials

COTTON, POLYESTER

No. Pieces

1

Length

187.5

Width

147

Description

QUILT TOP WITH GRID OF 20 SQUARES; EACH SQUARE HAS A PATCHWORK FAN BLOCK MADE OF ASSORTED PATTERNED FABRICS. QUILT TOP IS HANDSTICHED WITH UNFINISHED EDGES. QUILT BACKING IS PATCHWORK WITH BLACK AND WHITE SQUARES; BACKING SQUARE IN THE SECOND COLUMN AND THE 12TH SQUARE DOWN HAS BLACK TEXT ON WHITE FABRIC, “CRANE LIMITED; AT POINT OF MAILING; VALVES, FITTINGS, PUMPS, FABRICATED PIPE, HEATING AND PLUMBING MATERIALS”. QUILT HAS MINOR STAINING ON FRONT AND ALONG TOP EGDE; EDGES ARE FRAYING; QUILT HAS RIP BELOW CENTER SQUARE; OVERALL VERY GOOD CONDITION.

Subjects

BEDDING

Historical Association

DECORATIVE ARTS

FURNISHINGS

History

ON AUGUST 2, 2017, COLLECTIONS TECHNICIAN KEVIN MACLEAN INTERVIEWED ED AND GLORIA BETTS REGARDING THEIR DONATION OF FIVE HANDMADE QUILTS. THE QUILTS WERE CREATED BY ED BETTS’S MOTHER, KATHERINA BETTS. ON THE FAN BLOCK QUILT, ED BETTS ELABORATED, “[THE QUILT BACKING IS] FLOUR SACKS…OR SUGAR SACKS, THEY ALL [CAME] IN WHITE SACKS.” GLORIA BETTS ADDED, “[SHE PROBABLY PUT A BACKING ON THIS QUILT TOP] BECAUSE USUALLY, EVEN TODAY IN QUILTING, THE FANS ARE DONE ON A BACKING BECAUSE EVERYTHING ON THE PIECES IS ON A BIAS SO IT STRETCHES. SO IT’S PUT ONTO A BACKING. BUT THE BACKING ON THAT PARTICULAR ONE BEING EITHER THE FLOUR SACKS OR THE SUGAR SACKS, TO ME, MADE IT UNIQUE.” “[FOR THE ALBERTA QUILT PROJECT WITH THE ROYAL ALBERTA MUSEUM] WE BROUGHT IN THE BLUE [APPLIQUE] ONE, THE PURPLE [DOUBLE WEDDING RING] ONE AND THE ONE [QUILT TOP], THE FAN. WE BROUGHT THOSE 3 IN AND [THE ROYAL ALBERTA MUSEUM] CHOSE THE TWO.” “I THINK THE REASON [WE CHOSE THE DOUBLE WEDDING RING] IS BECAUSE THE PURPLE DOUBLE WEDDING RING IS PROBABLY NEWER THAN WHAT THE OTHER ONES WERE. [WE CHOSE THE FAN QUILT TOP] PROBABLY BECAUSE OF THE BACKING ON IT. A LOT OF THE TIME, IN THE OLD DAYS, THAT’S WHAT THEY DID, THEY PUT [QUILT TOPS] ON A BACKING.” “ON THE FAN [QUILT], [LUCY WITH THE ROYAL ALBERTA MUSEUM] IDENTIFIED FABRICS THAT WERE BACK TO THE EARLY 1900S. ONE SHE THINKS MIGHT BE BACK INTO THE LATE 1800S WHICH WAS PROBABLY A DRESS THAT [KATHERINE] GOT SOMEWHERE. THE BLUE BACKED ONE, THEY FOUND THERE WERE STILL PINS LEFT INSIDE THE QUILT AND THEY LEFT THEM THERE BECAUSE THEY SAID TO TAKE THEM OUT WOULD DAMAGE THE FABRIC. THEY WERE IMPRESSED WITH THE WORKMANSHIP ON THAT…ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY FOUND OUT THAT IT WAS PUT TOGETHER FROM A DESIGN DRAWN ON NEWSPAPER.” ON HIS MOTHER’S HISTORY, ED BETTS RECALLED, “[MY MOM WAS FROM] CZECHOSLOVAKIA ORIGINALLY…SHE GOT ON THE TRAIN IN NOVA SCOTIA AND [CAME] WEST [IN 1930]. SHE HAD A BROTHER IN WETASKIWIN. SHE DIDN’T SPEAK ENGLISH AND WHEN SHE GOT ON THE CPR SHE THOUGHT SHE WAS GOING TO WETASKIWIN. SHE ENDED UP ON THE DOCK IN COUTTS. SHE DIDN’T KNOW ANYBODY…THE OSTBY FAMILY TOOK HER HOME AND THERE SHE WORKED FOR HER [ROOM AND BOARD]. FROM THERE SHE WENT TO OUR NEIGHBORS, DICK WOLLERSHEIM. HE WAS A NEIGHBOR TO DAD. SHE BROKE HER LEG, SHE GOT THROWN OFF A HORSE AND SHE HAD NO PLACE TO GO AND I THINK DAD TOOK HER HOME…[MOM] AND DAD WERE MARRIED IN ’32.” “DAD HOMESTEADED IN 1908…DOWN ON THE MILK RIVER…THREE MILES SOUTH OF [THE FARM].” “[MOM CAME TO CANADA] FOR A NEW LIFE. SHE THOUGHT SHE WAS GOING TO HER BROTHER’S PLACE.” ON HIS MOTHER’S QUILTING AND SEWING, ED BETTS ELABORATED, “I THINK [HER SKILL AND KNOWLEDGE OF SEWING CAME] FROM THE OLD COUNTRY BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT WOMEN DID –COOK, AND SEW.” “[MOM WAS SEWING] EVERYTHING. THAT’S THE WHOLE THING. SHE JUST HAD TO HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH HER HANDS…IT WOULD TAKE ONE HELL OF A MAN TO KEEP UP WITH HER…[THE UNFINISHED QUILT TOPS WERE] JUST SOMETHING TO DO.” GLORIA BETTS NOTED, “I THINK THE THING WAS, EVERY LITTLE SCRAP OF MATERIAL HAD TO GO SOMEPLACE. SHE DIDN’T WASTE ANYTHING. SOMEWHERE DOWN STAIRS…THERE’S A BOX THAT HAS OLD BABY BONUS CHEQUES THAT WERE NEVER CASHED. THERE’S RECEIPTS FOR A HUNDRED POUNDS OF FLOUR FOR TEN CENTS. SHE KEPT EVERYTHING. SHE WAS SO AFRAID THAT SHE WOULD DO WITHOUT AGAIN.” “I KNOW WHEN I FIRST MET HER, SHE WOULD SEE A PICTURE IN A NEWSPAPER OR IN THIS OLD CATALOGUE WHICH USED TO COME ALONG. YOU COULD MAIL AWAY IF YOU SENT TEN CENTS BUT SHE WOULDN’T SPEND TEN CENTS. SHE WOULD LOOK AT THE PICTURES AND THEN SHE WOULD DRAW IT ON NEWSPAPER AND THAT’S HOW SHE MADE THE QUILTS. IT’S AMAZING, THE WAY THAT THEY’RE PUT TOGETHER BECAUSE THEY FIT…THERE’S ONE QUILT THERE THAT’S MIS-MATCHED BUT THE REST OF THEM ARE JUST PERFECTLY PUT TOGETHER.” “THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN CALLED A CRAZY QUILT BACK IN THE DAY. YOU CAN SEE IN [ONE OF THE QUILTS] HOW THE PIECES DON’T MATCH COMING TOGETHER. YET YOU CAN TURN AROUND AND THERE’S ANOTHER QUILT…SHE’S PERFECTED [IT] ALMOST DOWN TO AN EXACT MATCH. IT’S AMAZING THAT SHE GOT THEM FROM A PICTURE, THAT SHE’S GOT THEM TOGETHER THE WAY THEY ARE.” “PROBABLY MATERIAL THAT SHE GOT [FOR THE QUILTS WAS FROM] HER CLOTHES. SHE WOULD PROBABLY CUT THEM UP AND MAKE THEM INTO SOMETHING.” ED BETTS RECALLED, “SHE HAD AN ANEURISM AND HAD TO GO TO CALGARY FOR A MONTH [IN THE ‘70S] AND AFTER THAT I DON’T THINK SHE DID MUCH SEWING ANY MORE…IN THE ‘80S SHE WENT TO LIVE WITH MY SISTER.” “[THE QUILT INTERIORS ARE] ALL NATURAL WOOL. I CAN REMEMBER HER SITTING FOR HOURS RE-CARDING ALL THIS STUFF TO PUT IN HER QUILT.” ON KATHERINE BETTS' QUILTS, GLORIA BETTS ELABORATED, “SHE CERTAINLY WASN’T ONE TO SHOW OFF WHAT SHE WAS DOING EITHER. SHE WAS JUST A VERY PRIVATE WOMAN, VERY HUMBLE WOMAN.” “I THINK SOME [OF THE QUILTS] WENT TO BC WHEN SHE WENT TO LIVE WITH MARGE IN BC. I KNOW THAT HER TREADLE SEWING MACHINE WE HAD AT THE HOUSE UNTIL SHE PASSED AWAY AND THEN MARGE TOOK THE TREADLE SEWING MACHINE.” “I’M THINKING THE PURPLE [DOUBLE WEDDING RINGS QUILT] ONE IS THE MOST RECENT, ALTHOUGH I CAN’T REALLY SAY ABOUT THE TOPS…[THE ROYAL] ALBERTA MUSEUM TOLD ME NOT TO FINISH [THE QUILT TOPS], TO LEAVE THEM AS THEY WERE.” “NOBODY SEWED [IN THE FAMILY EXCEPT KATHERINA]. MARGE CROCHETED.” GLORIA BETTS NOTED THEIR MOTIVATION FOR DONATING THE QUILTS, STATING, “WE’RE DOWNSIZING BECAUSE OF AGE AND MOVING. [THE QUILTS] HAVE TO GO SOMEPLACE WHERE THEY ARE GOING TO BE LOOKED AFTER.” THE BLUE APPLIQUE QUILT WAS DISPLAYED AS PART OF THE ROYAL ALBERTA MUSEUM'S "ALBERTA QUILT PROJECT" WITH THE NUMBER "AQP 2-0286." THE ALBERTA QUILT PROJECT DOCUMENTED QUILTS REFLECTING QUILTING TRENDS OF THE 20TH CENTURY IN ALBERTA, ACCORDING TO A CALL FOR QUILTS PUBLISHED BY LUCCIE HEINS, CURATOR FOR THE ROYAL ALBERTA MUSEUM MANAGING THE PROJECT. THE ALBERTA QUILT PROJECT'S SECOND PHASE BEGAN IN 2014 TO EXAMINE QUILTS IN PUBLIC COLLECTIONS, WITH THE EARLIER FIRST PHASE EXAMINING QUILTS PRIVATELY OWNED. KATHERINA BETTS WAS BORN KATHERINA KOVACIKOVA IN 1903 AND IMMIGRATED TO CANADA FROM CZECHOSLOVAKIA IN 1930. A GRAVE RECORD ON FINDAGRAVE.COM LISTS KATHERINA KOVACIKOVA BETTS AS THE WIFE OF CLARENCE BETTS OF COUTTS, ALBERTA. ACCORDING TO 1930 PASSENGER LISTS FOR THE HMS MONTCLARE [ACCESSED THROUGH THE LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES OF CANADA DIGITIZED MICROFILM RECORDS], KATHARINA [KATHERINA] KOVACIKOVA ARRIVED IN ST. JOHN’S, NEW BRUNSWICK ON MARCH 30, 1930 FROM HAMBURG, GERMANY. KATHERINA WAS LISTED ON THE PASSENGER LISTS AS 26 YEARS OF AGE, SINGLE, BORN IN RADOSINA, CZECHOSLOVAKIA AND ARRIVING IN CANADA TO PURSUE A “DOMESTIC” TRADE. KATHERINA BETTS PASSED AWAY IN VERNON, B.C. ON MAY 20, 1985, ACCORDING TO LETHBRIDGE HERALD ARTICLES. KATHERINA’S HUSBAND, CLARENCE, PASSED AWAY ON DECEMBER 4, 1969 IN COUTTS, ALBERTA. FOR MORE INFORMATION INCLUDING THE FULL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTION, LETHBRIDGE HERALD ARTICLES, AND COPIES OF THE GRAVE AND PASSENGER RECORDS, PLEASE SEE THE PERMANENT FILE P20170026001-GA.

Catalogue Number

P20170026004

Acquisition Date

2017-08

Collection

Museum

Less detail