Quilting and Stuff by Knitnoid

Suffrage Quilts

The United States celebrated 100 years of Women’s Suffrage back on August 18, 2020.  Starlight Quilters Guild was asked to make 36  12″ quilts in celebration. We used the purple and yellow stars from a replica of Alice Paul’s banner with one star for each of the 36 states which ratified the 19th Amendment.

This is my quilt.

I based it on the story of Harry T. Burn’s vote in the Tennessee General Assembly.  As the story goes, the assembly was evenly split with suffrage supporters wearing yellow roses and those against wearing red roses.  His mother, an educated woman, wrote him a letter which he had in his pocket urging him to vote for suffrage, which was not the view of the men in is district.  At the last moment, wearing a red rose, he voted to ratify the amendment making Tennessee the 36th and final state needed to amend the constitution.

The blocks I picked are Rosebuds,  Mother’s Choice and Tennessee.  The purple star is from the banner and was a required to be included in the quilt.  Here’s what I wrote on each block:

Rosebud:

He wore a red rose
His constituents said no
Women should not vote

Mothers’ Choice:

Mother’s Choice was vote
So a letter to Harry
Give women the vote

Tennessee:

Harry changed his mind
So Tennessee ratified
Now women can vote

Star:

One hundred years past
The ballot box was accessed
Regardless of sex

The quilts can be seen at Johnson County Arts & Heritage Center in Overland Park, Kansas through January 23rd. They are currently hanging in the lobby.  The plan is to show them at the 2021 Kansas City Regional Quilt Festival in June and the 2021 Starlight Quilters Guild Quilt Show in the Fall of 2021.

As our grandmother’s and great-grandmothers fought so hard for our right to vote, please make your voice heard and vote on November 3rd if you have not voted early. (I voted last week.)

3 Thoughts on “Suffrage Quilts

  1. Nice job on the quilt! Thanks for the explanations about the blocks in your quilt. They made the story come alive.

    And I voted today, too!

  2. i saw the quilts while watching the news last night. I really like the one you made and thank you for more explanation of it.

  3. Mary A Crowther on November 1, 2020 at 9:31 am said:

    Nice to see you, even with a mask on. I mailed my Ballot back home to my Sister so she could drop it in the box at the Courthouse for me. I went to the Quilt Museum in Lincoln. They had a great showing of Quilts and clothing from the Women’s Suffrage time. I’m so grateful for those that ratified the vote for all!

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