Quilts of the Animas Museum
Friendship Quilts
Friendship Quilts
Date: Probably made in the late 1930s
Materials: cotton, cotton batting
Techniques: pieced by hand and machine, quilted, embroidered
Block pattern: Windows and Doors (reversed background/calico) and Fan Quadrille
Makers: Probably named ladies from the Bondad, Sunnyside and Durango areas
Catalog Number: 86.21.1
Could this quilt have been a gift or a fundraiser? The Durango Herald Democrat reported the Ladies’ Study Club raised funds for schools and made at least one quilt as a wedding gift for a teacher. Victoria Day, whose name is on each corner, came to the Durango area in 1893 with her husband David. He was the publisher of a local newspaper. Mrs. Day was quite a lady. She oversaw a 160 acre homestead and dancing pavilion near Ouray. She raised her seven children (two died in childhood). She also managed the resort at Trimble Springs and ran a ranch near Bondad until her death in 1941.
In 2011-2012, Animas Museum volunteer Alix Ferguson researched the names of the ladies on the quilts. Read her findings here.
We hope you've enjoyed this virtual quit exhibit and we look forward to seeing you soon at the Animas Museum!