I’m a “Fan” of My Flapper Grandma

Art

The National Quilt Museum

Name/Title

I’m a “Fan” of My Flapper Grandma

Made/Created

Artist

Zeeda Magnuson

Place

City

Green Bay

State/Province

Wisconsin

Country

United States

Continent

North America

Interpretative Labels

Label

My grandma was born in 1903, making her a teenager during the Roaring Twenties. I remember seeing a black and white photo of her as a demure young woman wearing a headband over her curls as she sat in a field of flowers. In the 1960s she was a stylish lady, always in beautiful coats with matching hats and gloves. I took those two images to create this quilted piece. My grandma would take in sewing work in the late 1930s and 1940s, creating new garments for paying customers, looking through the Sears catalog for style ideas. One story involved a client wanting a new look for her old wool coat. Grandma took the coat apart, turned the wool inside out and updated the style of the coat without a pattern. The traditional block in my piece is “Grandmother’s Fan.” I made a paper-pieced template changing the traditional rounded edges into an Art Deco fan style using small blocks patterned into squares as the design of her coat.

General Notes

Note Type

Techniques Used

Note

Paper-piecing, raw-edged applique, cutting machine for Art Deco designs used in the top and bottom of the “picture frame.” Free-motion machine quilting.

Note Type

Materials Used

Note

Cotton fabric for appliqued top and backing fabric, polyester/cotton blend batting, painted non-woven material for the Art Deco design on the picture frame.