(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . DK Quilt Guild: Mystery Solved [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags'] Date: 2023-02-19 This shows only about 2/3 of the quilt top. On December 27, 2020 I published a diary for the DK Quilt Guild titled: Mystery Quilt Top. The quilt top was sent to me by one of my brothers, in 2019. He found it in an attic, and asked if I wanted it. I said “Yes!” I knew neither he nor his wife would have the time nor inclination to try to track down the makers of this lovely friendship quilt top. When it arrived, I carefully washed it and then put it away with intentions of doing some research at some point, as there where well over 54 signatures on the quilt top! (My notes for this were lost when we moved last fall -- there may have been closer to 65 signatures). It was is huge, laid flat it covered the top of our king size bed. Any other bed there would be plenty to drape down the sides. I published the diary about the top in 2020, and again set the project aside. In 2022 I contacted the Kathy who is the curator of collections at the Ottertail County Minnesota Historical Society. After a phone conversation, I sent her some photos of the quilt top. She was happy to do the research to find out if there were ties to the county. All of the signatures on the quilt were people who were living in Eau Galle township Wisc. according to the 1940 census. One of the names on the quilt did match with the last name of a couple who moved from Wisconsin to Minnesota in 1963 (Russel, and Darlene), I suspect they are the ones who carried the quilt top to Ottertail County. I thought that the quilt top probably had originally belonged to a female relative, since Russel was born in 1933. Not the typical age to have gotten the quilt top as a gift in 1940. Perhaps it was given to his mother or an aunt. Russel died in 2014 and Darlene died in 2017, both were buried in Eau Galle Township, back in Wisconsin. The relative of the couple who had the quilt top in Minnesota. Kathy said she was sad that it didn’t have more connections to her area as it is such an interesting piece. She felt that the best home for it would be back in Wisconsin. She gave me Sofi’s name she is the curator, of the historical society of Dunn County Wisconsin, Eau Galle Township. I contacted her by email and then by phone. She was very excited when she saw the photos I sent, noting that many of the last names on the quilt top are families still in the area. I asked for the address of the Dunn County Historical Society, packaged the quilt top carefully and sent it on its way. When it arrived in Wisconsin, Sofi contacted me to let me know she was so pleased about this wonderful addition to their collection. I myself was very happy that the mystery was solved. I had no connection to any of the people on the quilt top. It was right that it be sent to the place where those connections still exist. Why it was never completed as a quilt is a mystery that can never be solved. However, a lot of love went into making that quilt top; it deserved the home it has now, where it is properly displayed and will be enjoyed for years to come. I love to see what other folks are doing with their sewing. So please do share! [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/2/19/2152752/-DK-Quilt-Guild-Mystery-Solved Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/