Quilt Stories DUVCW 1861-1865: The Quilts The Makers The Story Tellers

These are stories about our quilts. Some of the quilts were made by us, some by our Mothers, Grandmothers or Great Grandmothers. All the quilts are treasures. We tell our stories so they will not be forgotten. We share our stories in hopes you will write the stories of your quilts.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sharon Blaine
• Release date: May 2, 2023
• ISBN: 9798218181406

Book preview

The Storytellers

The Editors

Sharon Blaine              Shelley Jansen              Connie Studyvin

In Memoriam

Martha Scott, 1946-2022

      Keeping her memory green.

Cover photograph

Connie Studyvin    Friends of Missouri Town 1855

                            English paper pieces

Published by    Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War 1861-1865

  Louisa Volker Macklind

    Missouri Tent 24

May  2023

Introduction

The Sisters of the Daughters of Union Veterans 1861-1865, Louisa Volker Macklind, Tent #24 would like to share our quilt stories with others.  In the spirit of our founders and women of the Civil War era we are keeping the memory green by giving you a look into our past through our quilts.

Historian Virginia Gunn estimates more than 250,000 quilts were made for soldiers’ aid. Soldiers’ quilts were used in the field, in hospitals or to raise funds to meet soldiers’ needs.  These quilts all have stories about soldiers, their mothers, wives or sweethearts.  Like these quilts our quilts have stories.  Simply, quilts are three layers of fabric stitched together.  Beyond that, quilts keep us warm, make great gifts, exhibit the creativity of their makers, bring communities together and let others know we care.  They serve as a look through history and tradition.  Quilts help us have a lens into relevant topics such as politics, race, community and economics. 

Quilters have studied Civil War quilts and have a desire to reproduce them.  These quilts were not fancy but utilitarian using simple patterns.  They were made quickly and meant to give comfort to the recipient with many of them having inscriptions of the maker, a Bible verse, poem or quote.  The blocks are usually simple and we encourage you to try your hand at making your own quilt using a sampler of blocks you find throughout the book.  Our hope is that reading the stories of our quilts will give you a perspective of life during the time of their making.

Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world. ~ Harriet Tubman

Connie Studyvin

Some of our quilts are from the 19th century, dating back into the Civil War days and some were created during the pandemic of 2020-2022 and all the quilts tell a story.  The quilt keepers also have stories.  We remember our grandmothers and great-grandmothers and some know the stories of great-great-grandmothers.  We have fond memories of family and how a quilt was passed down.  We even know gentlemen quilters, aunts, cousins and friends who stitched together works of art. It is through the sharing of the quilts, the double wedding rings, star patterns, the nine patch and the Sunflower Sues that we have built relationships.  These comforters did what they were intended to do; they brought comfort and companionship.

Each time I read one of the quilt stories I can hear the voice of the storyteller.  Through simple speak I am reminded how fortunate I am to be blessed to be among strong, passionate women who treasure family.  Some of us are family historians and caretakers of photographs and family artifacts.  Some of us are fiber artists, quilters, knitters, crocheters, seamstresses, spinners or weavers.  Some of us are writers, gardeners, grandmothers and great-grandmothers.  All of us honor those who came before us.  We honor each other.  We honor the stories. 

Sharon Blaine

We have learned so much about each other while compiling this book.  We know more about each other as friends and sisters.  The common thread that binds us through all these quilts is our love for history and family.  We hope you enjoy our stories. 

Shelley Jansen

Table of Contents

Gail Anderson                                                          1 - 26

Lavone Anglen  27

Sharon Heiman Blaine                                              28- 34

Mary Celeste 35

Patty Eggers 36-40

Cheryl Farris 41

Marty Flanagan 42-43   

Eadie Flickinger 44

Ann Kleinkauf Gunnin 45-55

Karen Hillson 56-57

Kathy Hutchinson 58-59

Shelley Jansen 60-65

Judy Kane 66-68

Beverly Karim 69-76

Ann Mallinson 77-79

Karen Meredith 80-81

Martha Noland 82-83

Connie Studyvin 84-92

Julie Thomas 93-95

Linda Widau 96-97

Rosanne Wilson 98-102

Clara Van Draska 103-104

Dee Wolfe 105-109

Beth Uhl Wood 110-113

Quilt of Valor 114

DUVCW Tent 24 Banner 115

Quilt Trails 116

Tent 24 Quilters 117-119 

Gail Miller Anderson

Family Quilt Stories

Picture Quilt, made in 2013

It is said that in 1929 my father’s great-uncle, William Isaac Miller, was one of the very first to participate in the new sport of pulling in Pike County, Illinois.  In those days it was not called tractor pulling because the weight was pulled by horses!  When my father, John Ed Miller, began tractor pulling the technique was much the same as in the earlier days of horse pulling.  Men would line up and down the track and would jump on the sled as the tractor pulled it by.  The tractor that could pull the most weight in men would win.  In the seventies, the bigger pulls started using a weight transfer machine instead of that dangerous practice.

Dad’s first pull was with a John Deere A in the 1950’s but his career began in earnest in 1961 when he started pulling throughout Illinois and Missouri with a John Deere 2010. Dad was a member of a well-known tractor pulling family.  My great-uncles Barney, Herbert, Donald and Benny McKinnon and my dad competed all over the Midwest.  There was always an excited following to watch the McKinnon brothers and their nephew, Ed Miller pull throughout the late sixties and early seventies.  The pinnacle of my father’s career was the National Tractor Pulling Championship in Louisville, Kentucky in 1972.  Although in a previous heat his tractor reared up and he fell off and broke his collar bone, he went on to win first place in the 9,000 lb stock class.  I would say that took determination and grit!  I made