Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

PATCHWORK QUILT

Date Range From

1900

Date Range To

1910

Materials

COTTON

No. Pieces

1

Length

204.0

Width

162.0

Description

QUILT MADE UP OF 42 SQUARES, EACH SQUARE MADE UP OF 9 SQUARES OF RANDOM DESIGN. WELL USED, FRAYED EDGES & SQUARES. GENERALLY STAINED AND AGING. SEE CONSERVATION REPORT.

Subjects

BEDDING

Historical Association

DOMESTIC

LEISURE

History

HANDMADE BY MARIAH TILLEY WHO HOMESTEADED IN SOUTHERN ALBERTA IN VERY EARLY 1900'S. UPDATE 16 JUNE 2014: ON 4-5 JUNE 2014, ROYAL ALBERTA MUSEUM (RAM) CURATOR LUCIE HEINS VISITED THE GALT AS PART OF THE RAM’S INITIATIVE TO DOCUMENT QUILTS IN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE COLLECTIONS IN ALBERTA. THE DOCUMENTATION WORK IS KNOWN AS THE ALBERTA QUILT PROJECT. IN ADDITION TO HEINS’ PROGRAM, THE DATA IS ALSO SUPPOSED TO BE SUBMITTED AS PART OF THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL CONTRIBUTION TO THE NORTH AMERICAN QUILT INDEX. THIS QUILT HAS BEEN ASSIGNED NO. “AQP 2-0280” BY THE ALBERTA QUILT PROJECT. *UPDATE* IN 2016 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT RUTHANN LABLANCE CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF CLOTHING ARTICLES, INCLUDING FRED ELFORD’S WEDDING COAT (P19870048006). THE FOLLOWING BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION COMES FROM THE “BURDETT PRAIRIE TRAILES: A HISTORY OF BURDETT AND AREA” PUBLISHED IN 1981 BY THE BURDETT HISTORY BOOK COMMITTEE. MARIA ELFORD (NEE TILLEY) WAS MARRIED TO JONATHAN ELFORD AND WAS THE MOTHER OF FRED R. ELFORD. SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR PHOTOCOPIES FROM THE BURDETT HISTORY BOOK. *UPDATE* IN 2018, GALT COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT ELISE PUNDYK CONDUCTED A RELEVANCY AUDIT OF THE MUSEUM’S BOXED TEXTILE COLLECTION WHICH INCLUDED THE EXAMINATION OF A RECORD FOR A WEDDING GOWN DONATED BY ELAINE MARTIN IN 1994. PUNDYK RE-CONNECTED WITH MARTIN ON APRIL 18TH 2018 TO SOLICIT NEW COMMENTS ON THE GOWN AS WELL AS NEW INFO ON OTHER EXISTING DONATIONS. WHEN ASKED ABOUT THE ARTIFACT, ELAINE MARTIN SAID” MARIAH TILLEY WAS, LET ME THINK. I THINK - I WAS GOING TO SAY THAT WAS GRANDMA ALFRED’S MOTHER BUT HER MAIDEN NAME WAS KALICH. MAYBE MARIAH TILLEY IS THE WRONG NAME. YES, BECAUSE THEY CAME WITH GRANDMA WHEN THEY MOVED TO HERE. … THEY WERE TOO FRAGILE TO BE USED EVEN WHEN I WAS LITTLE, SO THEY WERE STORED IN A TRUNK IN THE ATTIC. NO THEY REALLY DIDN’T MEAN ANYTHING TO OUR FAMILY BECAUSE OF THEM ALWAYS BEING OUT OF SIGHT. I THINK THE REASON I DONATED THEM TO THE MUSEUM IS BECAUSE ALL IT WAS ALL HAND DONE. IT WAS THE FABRIC OF THE ERA, THE BATTING OF THE ERA AND FRAGILE WEAR OF, FROM OLD - ALSO SO IT WAS HISTORICAL VALUE THAT AGAIN - BUT MAYBE THEY AREN’T ANYMORE. I DON’T KNOW. I WOULD IMAGINE THAT GRANDMA [QUILTED] OUT OF NECESSITY BUT I DON’T - THERE WERE QUILTING RACKS, YOU KNOW THAT FRAME, WITH CLAMPS IN THE ATTIC, SO YES I’M SURE GRANDMA DID.” ON HER DECISION TO DONATE THE ARTIFACTS, “WHEN MY MOTHER DIED WE CLEANED OUT HER HOUSE. IN HER HOUSE WAS ALL HER STUFF PLUS SEVERAL GRANDMOTHER’S STUFF AND WE JUST TRIED TO FIND A PLACE WHERE IT WOULD BE BEST UTILIZED AND WE COULDN’T THROW IT OUT. …IT IS CERTAINLY NOTHING SENTIMENTAL. IT’S JUST PURELY PRACTICAL REPRESENTATIONS OF THE ERA BECAUSE TIMES HAVE CHANGED SO MUCH SO RAPIDLY, THAT I THINK WE NEED TO REMEMBER HOW THINGS WERE. WE’RE GOING TO HAVE A THOUSAND KIDS IN MAY AND JUNE COME THROUGH THE MUSEUM WITH THE TRACTOR CLUB IN PICTURE BUTTE ON FIELD TRIPS AND THEY DO NOT BELIEVE THAT PEOPLE USED TO LIVE IN TWO ROOM HOUSES WITH SEVERAL CHILDREN. THEY DO NOT BELIEVE THAT SCHOOLS USED TO HAVE A WATER PAIL AND A DIPPER, AND EVERYBODY DRANK OUT OF THE SAME DIPPER, SO KIDS NEED TO KNOW THAT THEY HAVE IT PRETTY DARN LUCKY.” FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, INCLUDING INTERVIEW AND INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT PLEASE SEE PERMANENT FILE.

Catalogue Number

P19870048002

Acquisition Date

1987-11

Collection

Museum

Less detail