Quilt District Goes "Under the Quilt" with Merikay Waldvogel - recorded November 6, 2021

In this very special chat with Merikay Waldvogel, we do a deep dive on the two 1933 Sears Century of Progress contest quilts included in the exhibition Fabric of a Nation at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (mfa.org).
The quilts are the Rowley "Century of Progress" quilt and the Edith Matthews "Spectrum" quilt.
You'll also want to check out my On the Road episode Part 1 of Fabric of a Nation, where I speak with curator Jennifer Swope in the gallery with these two quilts. You can find that here: • Quilt District On the ...
Merikay Waldvogel is a nationally known quilt historian with more than 40 years of research culminating in numerous published articles, books, and exhibits. It all began in Chicago, Illinois where she bought her first quilt in 1974. After moving to Tennessee, she co-directed the Quilts of Tennessee quilt survey. In 1990, she wrote Soft Covers for Hard Times: Quiltmaking and the Great Depression. In 1993, Merikay and Barbara Brackman co-wrote Patchwork Souvenirs of the 1933 Chicago World's Fair, a highlight of both their careers. Merikay was inducted into the Quilters Hall of Fame in 2009. quiltershallof...
You can find her books at many booksellers, as well as on Amazon: www.amazon.com...

[@maudegone1]

Very interesting talk

[@bcircleb]

Thank you for the deep dive into two exceptional quilts.

[@lance3665]

Thank you for a wonderfully story.

[@kristinquilts]

Wow! I never noticed the large image of the spectrum was mirror imaged in the book!! Lovely discussion, Tara.

[@cindy6479]

There had to be influence from the art nouveau style by craftsmen that was popular at this time. Also, the Adler planetarium just opened. Mr. Adler was involved with Sears. And the planetarium had information on comets, and celestial influences are seen in these quilts. I really enjoyed this interview.