Quarter Squares - 1900s

Mary Adelaide “Addie” Steward, Quilt Maker

Sitting in her backyard in Bay View (now part of Milwaukee), Addie Steward would gaze out over Lake Michigan as she quilted.  Fabrics used to make this quilt top were scraps left by the seamstress who came to the family home each spring and fall to make clothing for the family.  This quilt top was made in the early 20th century but batting and a backing were never added.

Addie Alexander was born in 1862 in New York.  Before her marriage, Addie was a teacher.  She married James Steward and together they had three children: Hazel, Raymond, and Rachael.  Many of her quilts, including this quilt top, were passed from Addie to her daughter, Rachael Koskinen, who was born in 1895 and died in 1976.

The quilt top was inherited by Doris (Dedy) Burr, daughter of Rachael and Einar Koskinen.  Dedy and her husband, Dr. Thurl Burr, lived in Wausau and were active in the community.  Dedy was known to her family as an excellent homemaker, seamstress, cook, and knitter.  She was an avid volunteer with many organizations including the Marathon County Historical Society, where she spent many hours helping to maintain the textile and clothing collections.  After Dedy died in 2013, at the age of 90, the quilt top was donated to the Marathon County Historical Society.

The Quilt

This is a quilt top.  It was never completed and never used as a bed covering.  To finish it would have required adding a batting and backing and then quilting or tying it together. The quilt maker, Addie Steward, made many finished quilts. Perhaps she simply did not have the time or interest to finish this one.

The block used in this quilt is a simple one, with four triangle shapes joined to make a square. The triangles were cut from fabric leftover from making clothing.   A few of the fabric pieces must not have been large enough to cut out complete triangles, as some were pieced together from tiny scraps of fabric.  Usually, but not always, this quilt maker used pairs of matching fabrics in each block.