Sunday, November 3, 2013

Michigan 101 Part III: Greenfield Village Quilts

Growing up in Michigan means school visits to Greenfield Village in Dearborn, MI.  Henry Ford collected historical buildings from all over America, including the Wright Brother's bicycle repair shop and Edison's laboratory. He also collected American artifacts of all types, from train engines and Presidential cars to woven coverlets and quilts. It is a beautiful place to visit. One visit I photographed the quilts I saw in the houses there.

A simple cabin represented an African American home during the depression. The quilts were made of salvaged cotton from clothing perhaps, but surely not just meant for warmth. They add beauty and color to the newspaper wallpapered walls.






A 19th c house had a whole cloth whitework quilt and a Candlewicking quilt on display.


I am sorry I did not change how I saved my photos so I know which houses the quilts were displayed in. Here are some more.




This rug photo I labeled as being from the Noah Webster House. It is amazing!






There are some great quilts in the Henry Ford Museum that are not on display. You can learn about them at Quilting Genuis, a virtual tour of the collection http://www.thehenryford.org/exhibits/quiltinggenius/default.asp

The museum has a collection of quilts by Susan McCord. Most quilters would recognize her Trailing Vine quilt.You can find her quilts at the Quilt Index:
 http://www.quiltindex.org/search_results.php?keywords=Susan+McCord&search=go.
 Barbara Brackman, Shauna Christensen and Deb Rowden 's book Susan McCord: The Unforgettable mastery of an Indiana Quilter can be found at:
https://www.pickledishstore.com/productDetail.php?PID=1040

Fons and Porter published Quilts from the Henry Ford, which includes patterns to make 24 quilts.
Quilts From The Henry Ford presented by Fons & Porter
http://www.edisonfordwinterestates.org/store/Quilts-From-The-Henry-Ford.html

Other links for more information about the Henry Ford Museum quilts include
http://barbarabrackman.blogspot.com/2012/06/newly-discovered-susan-mccord-quilt.html

http://blog.thehenryford.org/2012/02/cozying-up-to-a-new-acquisition-susan-mccord-triple-irish-chain-quilt-circa-1900/

1 comment:

  1. Thanks for the wonderful tour, and all the links. I'm a big fan of the McCord quilts, and would love to visit the Ford Museum some day. Love the crazy quilt with the ties and the newspaper walls.

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