Community of the Pratt Museum
Community Quilts of the Pratt Museum
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ocal artisans have produced handmade quilts for the Pratt Museum since 1980. For many years, this dedicated group made two quilts—one for the permanent collection and one as a fundraiser. The quilts feature historic and natural history themes of the Kachemak Bay region of Alaska. The Pratt Museum gathered stories of the quilts and their creators for a special exhibition “Celebrating Quilts and Quilters” in the fall of 2007. The exhibition and resulting book honor the community members who created this remarkable collection of stunning quilts. We are pleased to share these stories and images with you. Gale Parsons, Exhibits Director and Cultural Liaison, Pratt Museum
The Community Quilt Program
T
he Community Quilt Collection currently consists of fifteen natural history quilts that are integrated thematically with Museum exhibits. As you explore the museum, you will find them exhibited throughout the galleries with related themes of historic buildings and events, tidepool life and fish, winter birds and waterfowl, wildflowers and marine mammals, seasons and scenics, and voyages of exploration. The mission of the quilt program is to build a permanent collection of natural history theme quilts drawing on the artistic strength of local quilters, maintain a vital community tradition, reinforce the Museum as a focal point of community energy and cooperation, contribute to the programmatic diversity of exhibits, raise significant funds for Museum operations, and be downright fun! Betsy Webb, Curator of Collections, Pratt Museum 2
Front Cover Quilt | Kachemak Bay Winter Birds Quilt, 1992 Quilt Designer and Coordinator: Beth Cassidy Quilt Pattern Designer: Gary Lyon
Table of Contents
Remembering Pratt Museum Quilt Projects
Homer Heritage Quilt 1980................ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
an anyone imagine how many stitches came together to form this collection? For me the quilts are part of the fabric of my life, and certainly my Pratt Museum years are some of my best, thank you all! My work on the quilt blocks I made represents a labor of love—in hours and in moments grabbed at the end of a long day to add some more stitches or embroidery to my little quilt block. Sometimes, I ripped out and cursed at not being as skilled as I wanted to be. My colleagues set a high mark to reach—it was daunting and wonderful. And even now, when I live so very far from Homer, my stitches are there, my memories and moments of quilting are embedded in this collection, along with all of those other quilting friends! And it is wonderful to know that our efforts will stay with the museum to mark our time together in Homer, in history, celebrating Kachemak Bay and the Pratt Museum. The quilts are unique in all of the museum’s collections, for over many years they brought together a changing and growing community of museum friends who, using the simplest of tools—a needle and thread in hand, and some fabric—celebrated our natural heritage, history, and each other. And together they form a stunningly beautiful legacy of Homer’s inimitably creative and kind spirit of which I am so proud to be a part.
Tidepool Quilt 1984.. ........................ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Wildflower Quilt 1985....................... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Historic Buildings of Kachemak Bay Quilt 1986.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Marine Mammals of Alaska Quilt 1988.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Quilting Terms.. .................................. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Kachemak Bay Historic Buildings Quilt 1989.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Waterfowl of Alaska Quilt 1990........... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Steller's Voyage to the North Quilt 1991.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Steller’s Voyage to the North Raffle Quilt 1991.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 0 Kachemak Bay Winter Birds Quilt 1992.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1 25th Anniversary Museum Quilt 1993.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 2 Cook Inlet Crossroads Quilt 1994........ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 3 Kachemak Bay Fish Quilt 1995............ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Kachemak Bay Seasons Quilt 1996...... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Kachemak Bay Scenic Quilt 1998.. ....... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
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Martha Madsen
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n the early 1970s, a wave crested the thousandfoot bluff above Homer. The hippies were moving in. If you held a magnifying glass above the willowed valleys and peered through the cool depth of spruce, you would have seen a steady parade of young suburbanites with long hair and jeans straggling across the hills. We carried backpacks and our youth, with all its arrogance and promise of possibility. Soldiers of Fortune, we searched the homesteaders’ abandoned log cabins on the hilltop for a home to move into. Here lay the dreams of the last wave of young people who, with sweat, cross-cut-saw and axe, had built them and moved on. I had nothing more to prove up on than my own dreams. Peter and I were pioneers spawned in the subdivisions of California. We left behind the glare of street lamps and the tidiness of our parents’ lawns.
Winter Window Wendy Erd
Snow Trees Carolyn Johnson
Visions of Mooseltoe Lynn Hanson
Snowflake Kat Stier
Crossman Ridge Linda Ellsworth Ron McIntry
Fireweed Mary Trimble
Rose Norma Leland
Eagle Patricia Kane
Diggin’ Clams Sid Rutzebeck
Homer Homestead Francie Roberts
Gone Fishin’ Paula Failing
Otters Marsha Rouggly
Totem Pole Vera Lonneke
King Crab Carol Griswold
The Lois Pam Young
My View Barbara Holman
Catch of the Bay Chris Laing
Mushrooms Fay Barber/Smith
Puffin Norma Dudiak
Mountains Aulikki
After a theme was chosen, the quilters and craftspeople designed each block using different methods for creating their block. Quilt Coordinator: Anne Babski
Homer Heritage Quilt 1980 1
Above the town, we were a community unto ourselves. Ski trails crisscrossed miles of ridges and valleys between cabins. I baked bread and cultured yogurt in the warming oven above our woodstove, Peter bought a 22, went rabbit hunting, made batches of home brew in a five-gallon bucket, and doubled the six-pane windows with plastic visqueen. We settled in for the winter with bulk co-op orders and sharpened axes. On fall nights my feet, like eyes, read the twomile trail home under a sky of stars. As I rounded the final bend, beyond the last row of spruce, the buttery glow of our oil lamp shone from the cabin window, a welcome home, warm as a heart in the woody dark. So when the opportunity came to create a quilt block for the Homer Heritage Quilt, I chose the oil lamp. Wendy Erd
Quilt Designer: Mary Coffey
Techniques: Machine and hand appliqué, Russian embroidery, and embroidery Fabrics and Materials: Mixed media of cotton, polyester, batik fabric, felt, satin, yarn, velvet, rhinestones, and corduroy
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did my first quilt square for the museum Tidepool Quilt in the winter of 1983. The theme was sea life and I designed whatever I wanted with appliqué and embroidery. I don’t remember how I heard about it, but I had just moved to town and thought it would be fun even though I knew nothing—and I mean really nothing—about these sewing techniques. The first square I handed in was accepted so graciously by Director of Exhibits and Programs Martha Madsen and staff; even though I later realized what a mishmash I had created on the back. The next year, the museum offered introductory sewing demonstrations to give direction to people like me. That first year, I remember sitting in the museum lower level with some volunteers quilting a blanket. They got a lot more stitches in for my one stitch, as I have a propensity to talk and find it hard to multitask! In following winters, I was able to inspire a few of my friends to join me in doing the quilt squares. Since it was always in winter, we would enjoy the chance to socialize as we did our indoor projects. One of my friends was experiencing domestic violence in her relationship. The town had just opened up South Peninsula Women’s Services in 1981, so she didn’t feel totally helpless and hopeless. It took her another year to finally be safe. During that time she signed up for a quilt square. I think it gave her something positive and normal Hermit Crabs Beth Cumming
Barnacle Ann Cleek Heimbuch
Sea Star Claudia Child
Sea Urchin Tirzah Parsons
Chiton Stacey Staley
Sea Anemone Marsha Rouggly-Moe
Irish Lord Anne Babski
Hermit Crab Paulie Dunn
This quilt depicts some of the creatures you might see while walking the beaches of Kachemak Bay at low tide or in our marine aquaria. Quilters: Barb Ault, Dean Broughton, Arva Carroll, Linda Ellsworth, Bonnie Morowitz, Trudie Ritchie, Marilyn Schoder, Barbara Seaman, Alice Taff, Lynn Warren, Lyn Young
to focus on and a feeling of accomplishment that she could finish something during this tumultuous time. She asked me to hand it in for her. Little did anyone know what it took for her to do that square. It meant very much for me to hand in her square along with mine. Other memories include enjoying working with all the different quilt coordinators each year. Molly Custer Kennedy and Toby Tyler designed the Forget-Me-Not Raffle Quilt one year. I first met Molly on the docks of Kodiak in 1971.We hung out with the same group of young people—hippies—floatin’ around the boat harbor, workin’ and playin’ mainly cribbage. We both eventually found ourselves working on the North Slope, and then coincidentally moving to Anchor Point and Homer, married to Laborers, raising kids. I look at that Forget-Me-Not Quilt with great appreciation for our long friendship. Another treasured memory is when I was partnered with Vi Chapman, who was elderly and somewhat homebound. I picked up her square, shopped for thread and fabric, and checked on her once a week. We would work on our squares, giving advice, and amongst it all we would talk about her good old homesteading days in Anchor Point with stories of her growing family. Vi lived well into her nineties. What a rich fabric she had woven into her life. Those quilt square years lasted more than ten years for me. Sometimes my square would be on the permanent collection quilt, but most times it was on the raffle quilt that may have become a family heirloom in someone’s home. It made no difference to me, as I had cast my square to the powers that be, knowing that I got a lot more out of it than I ever gave. Laurie Linden
Techniques: Hand and machine appliqué, 3D appliqué, and hand embroidery Fabrics and Materials: Cotton fabrics and threads
Tidepool Quilt 1984 2
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remember that Museum Director Betsy Pitzman had this idea of a quilt project, and since we’d been involved in the Bering Sea Beaked Whale articulation and the Marine Mammal Response Team of volunteers was starting to grow, this seemed like a wonderful and timely idea. Projects in those early years often had a bit of serendipity—my chance finding of the beaked whale for the new Marine Gallery and the museum’s first big whale articulation spawned many ideas. Like all the fabric scraps and pieces being stitched together into the appliqué quilts, the community and museum programs became stitched together so that the quilt itself was a stunning example of this growing museum family of friends, staff, and volunteers. At first we let people design their own blocks and didn’t set many design constraints other than we wanted handwork and quality work. As I recall the Wildflower Quilt was the first that had a set design like herbarium sheets, and honoring the beautiful garden taking shape in front of the museum. While we were growing our annual quilt project, Homer’s quilters were getting themselves educated and were very serious about their craft meeting the highest and most fantastic levels of creativity and work. So we were fortunate that a core group of women stood by our project for many years, mentoring our fantasies in fabric and coaxing us toward well-designed quilts that honored America’s quilting traditions. It was comforting and encouraging, for dilettantes in quilting like me, that we had expertise so freely shared by
Wildflower Quilt 1985 3
Iceland Poppies Martha Madsen
Blue Geranium Ann Heimbuch
Nootka Lupine Anne Babski
Shooting Star Suzanne Tasker
Wild Rose Vi Chapman
Monkey Flowers Melody Chesley
Violets Marsha Rouggly-Moe
Arctic Cotton Grass Ruth Gnad
Quilters: Anne Babski, Arva Carroll, Vi Chapman, Melody Chesley, Agnes Emergy, Edna Fisk, Ruth Gnad, Harold Gnad, Ann Heimbuch, Diane Kimker, Laurie Linden, Martha Madsen, Marilyn Schoder, Hilda Stoltzfus, Barbara Wyatt
dedicated seamstresses like Beth Schroer, Hilda Stoltzfus and her daughter Melody Chesley and so many others. I have to say that when I think back on the hours and hours spent in the gallery quilting with ladies like Opal Hallstead, Ruth Gnad, Rita Weber and Vi Chapman, some of Homer’s real pioneers, it was just great storytelling time. We learned all kinds of things about each other and about Homer’s early years. These stories held the quilts and us together. Just imagine if those quilts could talk— what they could tell! Choosing what blocks would go on which of our two annual quilts, the raffle quilt or museum collection quilt, was always very exciting when we first saw the fruits of several months’ labors by nearly thirty people. We’d spread the raw-edged blocks out on tables in the lower level, and our group of most dedicated and experienced quilters would find the perfect harmony. Later, when we began working with a designer and knew which quilt would stay in the museum collection, the process changed somewhat. But still, it was fantastically exciting. For me, each quilt is a masterpiece and has its own special feeling. The incredible ingenuity of the Steller’s Voyage To The North Pacific Quilt with it’s tea-dyed, antiqued fabric simply amazed me at the attention to historical detail and craftsmanship. This quilt combined the knowledge and research by Curator Janet Klein and Quilter Melody Chesley and quilt friends’ vision in stunning success. Martha Madsen
Quilt Coordinator: Anne Babski Techniques: Embroidery, machine and hand appliqué Fabrics and Materials: Primarily cotton fabrics
On looking back and trying to remember, I think our projects at that time were more a dynamic synergy of our curatorial and female energies combined with organizational needs and available resources. Betsy Pitzman, former Pratt Museum Director
Putnam-Hewlett House Quilter Unknown
Kirkpatrick House Marsha Rouggly
Homer Cash Store Rose Stegall
First Anchor Point School Vi Chapman
Title Square
Hansen House Marilyn Schoder
Pratt Museum Stella Bryson
Kavanaugh Cabin Kathy Smith
Wagon Wheel Quilter Unknown
Pratt House Francie Roberts
Saltry Laurie Linden
Railroad General Store Stella Bryson
Monroe Homestead Martha Schaas
First Homer Library Anne Marie Holen
Hahn/Jewell House Arva Carroll
Quilters: Anne Babski, Stella Bryson, Arva Carroll, Vi Chapman, Marsha Rouggly, Martha Schaas, Marilyn Schoder, Joan Williams, Rose Stegall, Anne Marie Holen, Kathy Smith, Laurie Linden, Cheryl Vitale, Francie Roberts
Techniques: AppliquĂŠ, embroidery, and pleating Fabrics and Materials: Cotton, corduroy, wool, polyester, cotton flannel, and ribbon
Historic Buildings of Kachemak Bay Quilt ď‚Ş 1986 4
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n 1988, Director of Exhibits and Programs Martha Madsen called me to ask if I would be willing to coordinate a quilting project at the Pratt Museum. She and Museum Director Pitzman had an idea about making two Marine Mammals of Alaska Quilts, one to raffle and one to stay in the museum’s permanent collection. I had never made a quilt before, but I had done a lot of sewing when I was younger, came from a family with a strong quilting background, and loved a new challenge. I accepted her offer. We asked an artist, Anne Marie Holen, to make drawings of the marine mammals found in Alaska. We put the word out in the community that we needed people to make quilt squares and we quickly had women volunteering to make squares. Some women were beginners at appliqué, embroidery, and like me, at the quilt-making process. We held work sessions at the museum for anyone who needed help or just wanted the chance to get together and work on their square with a group of women. I was amazed at how much effort was put into researching their mammal, deciding on colors, and doing the best quality work. Sue Dusenberry was new to quilting and needlework, but it was obvious almost right away that she had discovered a new passion. She came to a quilt work session with purple and lime green fabKiller Whale Linda Arther
Minke Whale Kathy Hinkle
Ringed Seal Hilda Stoltzfus
Spotted Seal Lanh Nysewander
Sea Otter Melody Chesley
Sei Whale Wendy Noomah
Right Whale Mary Coffey
Humpback Whale Wilma Lane
Stegneger’s Beaked Whale Betzy Pitzman
Sperm Whale Sue Dusenbury
Harbor Seals Cindy Ellis
Ribbon Seal Janet Klein
Bowhead Whale Marsha Rouggly-Moe
Beluga Whale Barbara Scalzi
Narwhal Diane Kimker
Quilters: Arva Carroll, Kathy Hinkle, Anne Babski, Diane Kimker, Melody Chesley, Lanh Nysewander, Hilda Stoltzfus, Sue Dusenbury, Marilyn Schoder
Marine Mammals of Alaska Quilt 1988 5
rics to use in the background of her sperm whale square. She was worried they might be too bright. We assured her they were perfect. She came to the next session with beads to use as bubbles. This time she knew they were the right addition to her square. Soon after she started working on the museum quilt project, she started other quilting projects at home and was well on her way to becoming a quilter. She enthusiastically volunteered to help put the quilts together and was there to help with the hand quilting. The quilts were hand quilted on frames that were set up in the lower level gallery of the museum. Visitors to the museum loved to stop and watch us quilt and ask questions. This was also a great time to sell raffle tickets. I was at the museum one day, quilting with Sue. A woman stopped to look at the quilt and ask some questions about our project. Sue explained our project, and confidently told the woman about her sperm whale square. In the course of the conversation, Sue asked the woman where she was from. The woman answered that she was from Washington State. Sue exclaimed, “Oh, you have such good quilters there. People like Nancy Martin!” The woman smiled and said, “I am Nancy Martin.” Nancy Martin is one of the founders of Martingale & Company, which has published hundreds of (continued on next page)
Quilt Coordinator: Melody Chesley Quilt Block Designer: Anne Marie Holen
Techniques: Hand embroidery, hand appliqué, and cotton sashing and borders Fabrics and Materials: Mixed media of primarily cotton, velvet, and bead embellishments
quilting books under the name of That Patchwork Place. During construction of the Marine Mammal quilts, I relied heavily on other experienced quilters to help. Mary Coffey introduced me to the world of rotary cutters, ¼” seam allowances, and sashes and bindings. Once all the quilt squares had been turned in and we had properly “ohhed” and “ahhed” over each one, we laid them out to decide which square would go into which quilt—the raffle quilt or the museum quilt. This process, which could have been so difficult and which was difficult on subsequent quilts, was easy for the Marine Mammal Quilt. Fifteen squares clearly belonged together because they shared a blue, purple, and pink color scheme—used in the permanent collection quilt. The other fifteen—used in the raffle quilt—also looked great together and needed some small red and yellow sashings to accent those colors in many of the squares. We did not stipulate the use of new cotton fabric for these first quilts. So one of the small strips of sashing for the raffle quilt came from some fabric someone at the museum found in a box in one of the back rooms. It looked great in the quilt. The day that we put the last hand-quilted stitch in this raffle quilt was a day for celebration. Sue Dusenberry was there with me that day also. We wanted
to remove the quilting lines right away so that we could see how this quilt would look finished. We had used some new blue marking pens for the quilting lines, which were supposed to be removable with a little water. Sue and I took some damp cloths and started to wipe out the blue lines. To our horror, the red fabric in the narrow little sashing started to bleed red dye out into the white border. Visitors were watching us through this whole incident, so we had to remain somewhat calm and hide the inner panic. Sue ran for a blow dryer to stop the spread of water and dye. Later, we appliquéd another narrow, yellow border to the quilt to hide where the red dye had bled onto the white cloth. With all subsequent quilts, we asked that the quilters use 100% cotton, prewashed new fabrics. I cannot think about the Pratt Museum’s quilt projects without thinking about Vi Chapman. Vi worked as a gallery monitor at the Museum and, when there was a quilt on the frame, she was placed in the lower level gallery so that she could spend the day quilting. I am sure that Vi has more stitches in the Pratt Museum quilts than anyone else. She had many stories to tell about the early days of Homer and Anchor Point, and visitors often stopped to talk and watch her quilt. She almost always got them to buy a raffle ticket. Melody Chesley
Quilting Terms Appliqué
Refers to the process of attaching individual pieces of fabric to a background to form a design. These pieces usually have edges that are turned under.
Backing
The back fabric of a quilt in the three layers: top, batting, backing.
Basting
Long stitches used to hold fabric layers or seams in place temporarily and usually removed after final sewing. A quilt is often basted in the sandwich stage before final quilting.
Batik
A method of dyeing fabric where some areas are covered with wax or pastes made of glues or starches to make designs by keeping dyes from penetrating in pattern areas. Multicolored and blended effects are obtained by repeating the dyeing process several times, with the initial pattern of wax boiled off and another design applied before dyeing again in a new color. Indonesia is famous for its batiks.
Block
A basic unit of quilt construction, usually in the form of a square.
Cross-Hatching
A filling pattern made of equidistant parallel quilting lines that run in two directions, forming either a grid of squares or of diamonds.
Embroidery
The craft of using needlework to make decorative designs.
Pattern
Refers generally to the elements repeated in the design of a quilt, and a particular quilt pattern typically has one or more names.
Quilt
A textile bedcover typically formed of three layers: a decorated top, a plain backing, and a fluffy filling between them. The layers of a quilt are usually sewn together with stitches through all the layers; alternatively, they may be tied or “tacked” together with yarn knots.
Quilting
Specifically, a needlework process in which layers of a quilt are attached to each other with continuous stitches, either by hand or with a sewing machine. More generally, the term refers to the entire process of making a quilt.
Sashing
Refers to the fabric that separates the blocks, framing them and making the quilt larger. 6
Land’s End Resort Marilyn Schoder
Miller Cabin Helen Meeker
Harrington Cabin Marilyn Schoder
Homer Volunteer Fire Department Lois Schneyer
Alaska Wild Berry Products Stella Bryson
Heady Hotel Lanh Nysewander Marilyn Schoder
Label: Ellen Halseth
Kachemak Bay Historic Buildings Quilt 1989 7
Quilters: Ramona Bracht, Alice Dubber, Barb Hrenchir, Beth Schroer, Karen Nussbaum, Marilyn Schoder, Ruth and Harold Gnad, Jeanne Carroll
Russian Orthodox Church Marilyn Schoder
Salty Dawg Saloon Vi Chapman Techniques: Appliqué and embroidery, pieced flying geese sashing Fabrics and Materials: Mixed media of cotton, corduroy, wool, polyester, and lining fabric
W
hen I participated in the first Pratt Museum quilt, it was the first time I had tried the craft of appliqué. Though I had embroidered and quilted, I had to teach myself to do this craft. I had so much fun making my first square that I contributed to several more quilts. The first few quilts, each person designed and crafted their own squares. Only later did the Pratt include an artist who designed the patches for the crafters. I lived way at the end of Ohlson Mountain Road in those days and I remember that getting the correct fabrics to craft the patches for the quilts took a little innovation and trading. I remember being excited to contribute to the Waterfowl of Alaska Quilt because I always enjoyed birdwatching on the Homer Spit and Beluga Lake in the spring as the ducks returned to the area. Francie Roberts Lesser Scaup Hilda Stoltzfus
Barrow's Goldeneye Francie Roberts
Mallard Lanh Nysewander
Spectacled Eider Kathryn Hatch
Greater White-fronted Goose Ruth Gnad
Harlequin Duck Susan Dusenbury
Hooded Merganser Diane Kimker
Northern Pintail Mary Feagan
Common Merganser Jimmy Day
American Wigeon Dave Nysewander
Redhead Rita Weber
Gadwall Trina Fellows
Bufflehead Aleta Gibson
Trumpeter Swan Dru Langley
Steller's Eider Molly Custer
Quilters: Vi Chapman, Melody Chesley, Mary Coffey, Molly Custer, Alice Dubber, Sue Dusenbury, Harold Gnad, Ruth Gnad, Kathy Hinkle, Barb Hrenchir, Diane Kimker, Martha Madsen, Faith Santa, Marilyn Schoder, Beth Schroer, Hilda Stoltzfus, Patty Taylor Quilt Coordinator: Barb Hrenchir
Quilt Block Designer: Anne Marie Holen Techniques: Appliqué, embellished with embroidery and cattail quilted border Fabrics and Materials: Cotton, with satin and polyester
Waterfowl of Alaska Quilt 1990 8
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Steller’s Voyage to the North Quilt 1991 9
Chocolate Lily Siri Kirn Khalsa
Greenling Donna Hinkle
Salmonberry Rita Weber
Scurvy Grass Lanh Nysewander
Steller's Jay Diane Kimker
Northern Fur Seal Jimmy Day
Starry Flounder Hilda Stoltzfus
Steller's Sea-Eagle Dru Langley-McNair
Steller's Eider Mary Marshburn
Chickweed Barb Scalzi
Steller's Sea Lion Molly Custer
Spectacled Cormorant Laurie Linden
Steller's Sea Cow Kathy Hinkle
St. Peter Marsha Rouggly-Moe
have enjoyed being included in the annual creation of a quilt for the Pratt Museum that is raffled to raise funds for the museum. For many years our group made two quilts each year, one for the raffle and one to remain in the museum. Each year, a new and different theme was chosen to depict the natural history of Homer and the region. My first participation was in 1991 for the Steller's Voyage to the North Quilt. Thankfully, I was given a picture of a kelp greenling. The process of construction was interesting, as I was on vacation with my husband Ken in Mexico. Since we were traveling, I had limited fabric from which to choose. For the greenling, I chose a light paisley print. Then I dyed it brownish, to give it an antique look, by soaking the fabric in hot coffee. Since then, I have had fun making blocks for quilts with different themes such as wildflowers of Alaska, Native ceremonial dress, Alaskan outhouses, and more. I enjoy this small contribution of my time to help create these beautiful quilts to help raise funds for the Pratt Museum. Donna Hinkle
This quilt commemorates the 250th anniversary of Danish explorer Vitus Bering’s voyage to Alaska. Onboard Bering’s vessel was naturalist Georg Wilhelm Steller, who observed and described many species of plants, birds and mammals new to scientists. To honor Steller’s contributions, quilters assembled the plants and animals Steller noted on the voyage. To create the quilt's antique look, the colors had to be faded and subdued. This was achieved by tucking wet tea bags between folds of the quilt and baking it in the oven for twenty minutes.
Quilt Research: Janet Klein
Quilt Design: Lee Post and Gary Lyon
Fabrics and Materials: Cotton fabrics and fabric marker for calligraphy
Quilt Coordinator: Melody Stoltzfus Chesley
Calligraphy: Bonnie Boisvert Assisted By: Vi Chapman, Alice Dubber, Barb Hrenchir, Marilyn Schoder Techniques: Tea-dyed fabric, appliqué, embroidery, pleated halibut figures, blocks appliquéd to background with piping edging
Steller's Sea-Eagle Siri Krin Khalsa
Truncated Soft Shell Clam Barb Scalzi
Baidarka and Sea Otter Molly Custer
Aleut Hunter's Hat Melody Stoltzfus Chesley
Steller's Sea Lion Sue Matthews
Salmonberry Marilyn Schoder
Greenling Martha Madsen
Steller's Jay Vi Chapman
Spectacled Cormorant Lanh Nysewander
Scurvy Grass Rita Weber
Steller's Sea Cow Diane Kimker
This quilt was gifted to the Pratt Museum by the raffle winners. It commemorates the 250th anniversary of Danish explorer Vitus Bering’s voyage to Alaska. Onboard Bering’s vessel was naturalist Georg Wilhelm Steller, who observed and described many species of plants, birds and mammals new to scientists. To honor Steller’s contributions, quilters assembled the plants and animals Steller noted on the voyage. Quilt Design: Lee Post and Gary Lyon
Quilt Coordinator: Melody Stoltzfus Chesley Assisted By: Alice Dubber, Hilda Stoltzfus, Ruby Nofziger Techniques: Appliqué and embroidery Fabrics and Materials: Mixed media of cotton, polyester fabric used on scurvy grass, feathers, and beads
Steller's Voyage to the North Raffle Quilt 1991 10
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articipating in the Pratt Museum's quilt projects—Kachemak Bay Winter Birds and then Wildflowers—was, for me, warm comfy get-togethers of women, some familiar and some new friends of all ages. Picking a square, and narrowing down the design sent imaginations into overdrive. In those days, Beth Schroer’s fabric store, Sew and Reap, was located where Timeless Toys now does business. For a town our size, or any, it was a true treasure trove. Beth had everything. I remember her patiently helping narrow down my choices, keeping my design 'fabulations' in check. The construction and finishing of the squares were huge challenges for me, and quite humbling. Once the squares were pieced together, I was able to spend some hours in the museum lower level visiting, stitching, and concentrating with whomever else might show up on any given day. Sometimes, we'd quietly shift into that creative sweet spot, when time falls away, needles and thread and hands ticking along down through the layers and back up with measured little stitches, the snow piling up outside. I am thankful for the opportunity the Pratt provided—a chance to help create beautiful quilts for our fine little town. Black-billed Magpie Rita Weber
Pine Siskins Barbara Wyatt
Golden-crowned Kinglets Melody Stoltzfus Chesley
Snow Buntings Vi Chapman
Bohemian Waxwings Lanh Nysewander
Spruce Grouse Jimmy Day
Pine Grosbeaks Hilda Stoltzfus
Snowy Owl Barbara Scalzi
Downy Woodpecker Laurie Linden
Boreal Chickadees Martha Madsen
Common Redpolls Vi Chapman
Common Raven Dru McNair
Black-capped Chickadees Marsha Rouggly-Moe Quilt Designer and Coordinator: Beth Cassidy
Kachemak Bay Winter Birds Quilt 1992 11
Quilt Pattern Designer: Gary Lyon
Barbara Wyatt
Archaeology Dig Kathy Smith
Aquarium Katie Karwowski
Beaked Whale Skull Marilyn Kirkham
Salmon Sculpture Molly Custer
Touch Tank Laurie Linden
Coal Car Dru McNair
Homestead Tools Linda Ellsworth
Sperm Whale Retrieval Marsha Rouggly
Pictograph Barbara Wyatt Garden Bonnie Boisvert
Oil Spill Annie Wiard
This quilt commemorates a quarter century of Pratt Museum history. Quilters: Dorie Johnson, Marcy Rahner, Harold Gnad, Ruth Gnad, Mary Marshburn, Molly Custer, Hilda Stoltzfus, Rita Weber, Susan Tarbet, Martha Madsen, Bonnie Loshbaugh, Taber Webb, Beth Schroer, Vi Chapman, Marsha Rouggly, Carolyn Ross, Betsy Webb, Shelley Rainwater, Melody Chesley Quilt Designer: Martha Madsen
Steller's Sea Cow Katie Karwowski Quilt Blocks Drawn by: George C. West Quilt Construction and Binding: Harold and Ruth Gnad Techniques: Hand and machine appliqué, 3D appliqué, reverse appliqué, and embellished with embroidery Fabrics and Materials: Mixed media of cotton fabric, fringe, beads, and lace
25th Anniversary Museum Quilt 1993 12
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he Cook Inlet Crossroads Quilt came to my house as eleven blocks and yards of background. My job was to complete the top. Its design did not lend itself to putting blocks together with strips and triangles, as is usual. Consequently, my job was to set the pieces into the background. I worked very carefully and rather slowly, knowing that a miscalculation would cause unsightly piecing in the background. As I recall, it came out just fine.
My fondest memories of the Pratt Museum quilts were when the ladies would bring them into Sew & Reap in pieces to choose sashing and border fabrics. Rita Weber and I owned the store through November 1993, so we helped in that way with many of the quilts. I feel good about enjoying that process since I really didn’t think I should volunteer to make blocks, due to lack of time. Hand quilting them was a good social time. It brought together experienced and learning quilters. Beth Schroer
Remembering Hilda
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ilda Stoltzfus comes from a background of quilters. Her sisters would get together and quilt, as did their mother before them and her nieces today. The family made all of their clothes. Hilda remembered that, when she was young, her mother had a whole stack of fabric in a cupboard and she and her sisters designed not only dresses for their dolls but also for themselves. She even made a coat for herself. Hilda began quilting in the seventies after her children were older. She took classes to strengthen her skills, including a class on color taught by Gale Parsons. Hilda had a real sense of color and design. It was not only reflected in her quilts, but in the clothes that she wore and in her home.
One of the most treasured squares of all the museum quilts is the beaded Dena'ina slippers by Hilda on the Cook Inlet Crossroads Quilt. Visitors stop, admire, and delicately touch the soft fur lining on the slippers. The lining had to be reattached and reinforced by her to accommodate this! Betsy Webb, Curator of Collections
Cook Inlet Crossroads Quilt 1994 13
Summer Visitors Jenny Carroll
Russian Eagle Martha Madsen
Koniag Hat Rita Weber
Resolution Ruth Gnad
Barefooters Laurie Linden
Russian Church Molly Custer
Herring Barrel Marie Walli
Gold Panning Judy Winn
Dena'ina Slippers Hilda Stoltzfus
Marine Resources Use Melody Stoltzfus Chesley
Cook Inlet Map Bonnie Boisvert
Title Vi Chapman
This quilt is a celebration of the diverse cultures that have shaped the Cook Inlet region.
Hilda made a number of blocks for the museum quilts and participated in the hand quilting sessions at the museum. Sometimes she brought her daughter from Oklahoma and her grandchildren, Lenae and Cinda, to help as well. Melody, her youngest daughter, often designed and managed the quilting project for the museum and Hilda helped in the process. Even her son Karl participated in the quilting sessions at the Museum. Quilting was one way she demonstrated her artistic abilities and skills. by daughter Ruby Nofziger
Quilters: Vi Chapman, Roberta Copeland Paulino, Molly Custer, Mary Lou Holthaus, Melody Stoltzfus Chesley, Ruby Nofziger, Karl Stoltzfus, Beth Schroer, Ruth Gnad, Martha Madsen, Hilda Stoltzfus, Lenae Nofziger, Ellen West, Harold Gnad, Julia Clymer Quilt Coordinator: Melody Stoltzfus Chesley Quilt Designer: Kathy Smith Techniques: Appliqué and embroidery quilted marine mammal images framing and cross-hatch pattern quilting, intricate watercolor wash technique for Cook Inlet Map whereby tiny quilt squares are pieced together to produce subtle color gradations of land and sea forms Fabrics and Materials: Mixed media of cording, yarn, buttons, beads, rabbit fur, and porcupine quills
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his quilt design is an exercise in color theory. Notice the overlapping and intermediate colors of the halibut and salmon shapes. To achieve the exacting design of this quilt, artist Brad Hughes taught an intensive color theory workshop for quilters over a period of many weeks. The learning went both ways—quilters brought a high level of expertise and worked really hard to understand how to develop color schemes in fabric while Brad learned how to work within the limits of a finite color palette in cloth. Brad likens teaching color theory to teaching music theory—it’s not some magical power. A quilter and a musician can come to a conceptual understanding of art and theory only through lots of practice. Working together on this project was a real eye opener for all, and demonstrated the value of blending multiple artistic viewpoints into producing such an exceptional quilt.
Quilters: Carol Banzhaf, Vi Chapman, Melody Stoltzfus Chesley, Julia Clymer, Molly Custer, Alice Dubber, Kathy Hinkle, Barb Hrenchir, Diane Kimker, Gina Malecek, Arlene Ronda, Hilda Stoltzfus, Karl Stoltzfus, Marie Walli, Rita Weber, Annie Wiard
Quilt Design: W. B. (Brad) Hughes Quilt Coordinator: Melody Stoltzfus Chesley Techniques: Hand appliqué and quilting Fabrics and Materials: Cotton fabric and polyester batting
Kachemak Bay Fish Quilt 1995 14
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read about the Pratt’s quilt project requesting individuals in the community to commit to creating one block. The theme that year was wildflowers and I signed up to work on Allium, or wild chives. I was introduced to a new group of women from Homer who, in the intervening years, became my core group of friends. The Pratt Museum quilt project, in a fortuitous way, begat the Kachemak Quilt group. I worked on the quilt blocks for the Steller's Voyage to the North Quilt, the Brad Hughes Kachemak Bay Fish Quilt, and the Beth Cassidy Kachemak Bay Winter Birds Quilt. Working with artist Judy Winn, we designed the circular Kachemak Bay Seasons Quilt, and the accompanying raffle quilt of ForgetMe-Nots with a design by me and Toby Tyler. The Forget-Me-Not Quilt was my favorite. It was one of
the largest hand-quilted quilts to be raffled off. The design blocks of leaves and flowers were worked on base blocks of triangles and incorporated by arranging the triangles in different directions. My experience working on the Pratt Museum quilt projects united me with the community of Homer. It was through this that I met a grand network of individuals. My time at the present is involved with my career and retirement goals, and my craftsmanship and sewing skills are not currently in use. I have great memories of some dear departed souls I met—Hilda Stoltzfus, Vi Chapman and the immensely talented Beth Cassidy. They are with me forever. Molly Custer Kennedy
Spring Diane Kimker
Winter Kathy Smith
Sun & Moon Center Barb Hrenchir Fall Molly Custer
This quilt’s playful circular quarters depict Kachemak Bay wildlife and the four seasons. The design surrounds images of the sun and moon.
Kachemak Bay Seasons Quilt 1996 15
Quilt Designers: Judy Winn and Molly Custer
Summer Annie Wiard
This quilt depicts the classic scenic overlook of Homer and Kachemak Bay from atop the Homer bluff. The fall fireweed is in full color — a profusion of magenta.
Quilt Designer: Ree Nancarrow
Quilters: Melody Stoltzfus Chesley, Julia Clymer, Alice Dubber, Ree Nancarrow, Susan Gertler, Beverly Guyton, Tamara Hagerty, Donna Rae Faulkner, Nancy Porter, Arlene Ronda, Beth Schroer, Betsy Webb
Fabrics and Materials: Cotton fabrics, polyester batting
Techniques: String or paper piecing
Kachemak Bay Scenic Quilt ď‚Ş 1998 16
Funded by a generous donation from Patrons of the Pratt Society Introductory Text by Gale Parsons, Exhibits Director and Cultural Liaison, and Betsy Webb, Curator of Collections Quilt Stories by Melody Chesley Wendy Erd Donna Hinkle Molly Custer Kennedy Laurie Linden Martha Madsen, former Director of Exhibits and Programs Ruby Nofziger Betsy Pitzman, former Museum Director Francie Roberts Beth Schroer Barbara Wyatt Edited by Betsy Webb, Curator of Collections Quilt Photographs Š Scott Dickerson Graphic Design by Debi Bodett, 33 Image Design
Quilt Detail | Steller's Voyage to the North Raffle Quilt, 1991 Quilt Block: Greenling by Martha Madsen
Š 2009 Pratt Museum Pratt Museum 3779 Bartlett Street Homer, Alaska 99603 USA (907) 235-8635 info@prattmuseum.org www.prattmuseum.org