In Episode 25, Eula learns the fate of her Sears Contest quilt.
The Sears “A Century of Progress” Quilt contest has some pretty impressive statistics. According to Barbara Brackman and Merikay Waldvogel, 24,755 quilts were entered, which means that one in every two thousand American women submitted a quilt. The prize money awarded to winners totaled $7,500 — close to $150,000 in today’s dollars. Thirty quilts reached the finals. As for the winning quilt … well, to learn more about it, listen to Episode 25! Without giving too much away, I will share this picture of the judges looking at the one that got the grand prize …
If you’re interested in learning more about the contest, the 1933 World’s Fair, and quilting during the 1930s, I highly recommend Patchwork Souveniers of the 1933 World’s Fair by Merikay Waldvogel and Barbara Brackman.
If you want to spend more time in the world of 1930s quiltmaking, come join Quiltfiction’s Facebook Group, the Quiltfiction Club. We’re having a wonderful time sharing our quilts, our grandmothers’ recipes, discussing quilt history and meeting up in a virtual quilting bee every Wednesday, just like our girls in Milton Falls!
Thanks for listening! Don’t forget to tune in next week for the latest on Bess!
