Monday, December 14, 2020

Chapter 3: Who's Who on the Autograph Quilt

 Well, now you might be wondering just
how many autographs have we included 
on our quilt.

We actually have 259 signatures.

How many letters did we send out?
Well, at least double that, 500+


It wasn't too long after we started
that we realized we might have a problem
identifying some of the signatures that were returned.

?????

I tried to figure it out by the process of elimination
and thought I had it,  
until recently, when I actually looked online at
their signature and realized I was wrong.

So I'll do more sloughing through our
records to see if I can eventually figure it out.
(All 3 fabrics were signed the same)

In order not to have this happen again,
we began putting a small number on
the return envelope to correspond to our lists.
It came in handy several times.


David Copperfield,  Magician


We received many encouraging and lovely
note from signers.  I really appreciated
how these individuals honored our request
and took the time to include a personal  note.
Some letters were lengthy, others
 just a note on a post it, and others were humorous. 



American Actress, Comedian




Pete Seeger, 
American folk singers, political activists






Ice Cream Founders


The last block we had returned 
had been sent out over three years prior 
and over a year since we had sent out anymore.  

Where had that letter and fabric swatches sat for 3 years
is a mystery .
 

Mary Travers, Paul Stookey,  Peter Yarrow
American folk group


Who were some of my favorites
other than some I have shared already.


George Burns
American entertainer


Bob Hope
American Entertainer, 


Child Actress, Ambassador to Ghana



Luciano Pavarotti, Italian Operatic Tenor


Dr. Benjamin Spock
American Pediatrcian 



Jane Goodall
Known for her study of Chimpanzees, Conservation
and Animal Welfare



Ken Burns
American Filmmaker


Dick Clark
Host of American Band Stand 
1956-1989


Fred Rogers
Host of a Children's TV series

Chuck Yeager, American Test Pilot, 
who broke the sound barrier. 
He passed this last week, age 97



John Travolta,
 American Actor, Singer and Dancer


Ruth Handler
Do you know who she is?

Ruth Handler was an American businesswoman and inventor.  She served as the 
president of the toy manufacturer Mattel Inc.  In 1959 she invented the Barbie doll, which
sold over a billion copies world wide.

I could go on and on with names

Bill Gates
Martha Stewart
Susan Love
Jackie Joyner Kersee
Madeline Albright
Robin Williams
Jerry Lewis
Diane Sawyer
Bob Woodward
Mike Wallace
Ann Landers
Woody Allen
Carrie Fisher 
 Dick Van Dyke 
Milton Berle
and Angela Langsbury

Every time I look at
the quilt top, I'm in awe all over again.

****
I hope you'll stay tuned for Chapter 4.

"It's a quilt top, now what?"

Until Next Time-
Kyle

20 comments:

  1. I am just fascinated and amazed at this signature quilt. What are you plans for it?
    Smithsonian? This is an American Treasure.
    I can't wait for the next installment.

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  2. I can't wait to see what they become! You have some amazing singatures!

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  3. Simply amazing. That is all I can think of to say. I'm with Barb, this needs to be preserved in an institution. I'm afraid it might get buried in one as large as the Smithsonian. Maybe the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum? I'm amazed at who you captured that weren't even famous yet but that are now "stars", like Ken Burns. And Ruth Handler, wow! I did actually know who she was because my mother had a pattern business where she designed period costumes for Barbie and Ken. Wacky world! Can't wait for the next chapter.

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  4. So many wonderful signatures! Yes, what will you eventually do with the quilt? Donate or keep? Let us know your plans.

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  5. Wow that is certainly a treasure trove of signatures! I hope you are able to figure out the mystery signature. I am glad you figured out to do a number system early on. I do look forward to seeing the next installment.

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  6. I found this article interesting. I was just looking to see if something similar had been done, and I found this one. It is about trying to value a signature quilt. https://live.autographmagazine.com/profiles/blogs/autographed-quilt-featured-on

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    Replies
    1. This is a very interesting article. Thanks!

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  7. Kyle this is such an interesting quilt!! I can’t wait for the next instalment - again! Mystery signatures - I hadn’t thought of that. What an incredible slice of history. Is it still a top? I hope it has/will become a quilt!

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  8. Thank you for sharing this wonderful story! I'm amazed at the excellent response by some really famous people. Looking forward to your next post!

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  9. Makes me wonder how many other quilts might be out there with this many famous signatures. I'd bet there are not very many! I hope you figure out that mystery signature eventually.

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  10. This blows me out of the water!! I can't imagine how much work this took to request hundreds of signatures on prepared blocks, but the return is stunning. My favorite so far? Fred Rogers, hands down! Would love to see this in a museum with all the provenance you have to go with it. Looking forward to the next installment!

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  11. This is absolutely amazing and so fun to read! What a memorable and great project, collecting these signatures. Looking forward to Part 4! That mystery signature is beautiful and mysterious. I wonder if you put the image "out there" as a query on Facebook, if someone in your wide circle would know whose signature that is.

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  12. What an incredible collection of history!!! But, you know the most valuable signatures are definitely Ben & Jerry! lol! Thank you for sharing this amazing journey with us...it really is a lot of fun! :-)

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  13. What a treasure. Fun to follow along.

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  14. Definitely not "just another signature quilt"! The story just keeps getting better - can't wait for Chapter 4!

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  15. I'm so in love with this quilt! The scope of your quest is really amazing and a 50%+ return on over 500 requests is very impressive. Dick Clark's was a fun one to see--my era :) Who belongs to that mysterious autograph??? Hope you find out!

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  16. What foresight you had when you started this project, and perseverance to do the work to see it through. This will definitely be a historical piece, and I would love to see it one day. In the meantime, I’m really enjoying your posts and photos of the signatures. Thanks for including us, your readers, on this journey!

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  17. You will need to take this to the Antique Road Show some time and get a value for the quilt. Some of those signatures would be worth money. If not you, maybe a grandchild later in life.

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  18. That is an amzing collection. Never thought it would be tricky to identify a signature but I can see why some were a problem.
    Thanks for sharing this wonderful collection.

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  19. WOW what a fantastic collection. It will be a priceless heirloom.

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