Ozark Mountain Family Lives on Through Quilts Made in Bygone Days

By TERESA WINCHESTER
GILBERTSVILLE

Longtime Sidney resident Sarah Pressler grew up in southwest Missouri in the Ozark Mountain town of Springfield. Pressler has numerous family stories to tell of days and ways gone by—for instance, that the 1861 Civil War battle of Wilson’s Creek was fought on her great-grandmother’s farmland and the farmhouse was used for a hospital.  But on September 29, Pressler, organist at Sidney United Methodist Church and Sacred Heart Catholic Church, also in Sidney, told stories related to the 12 family quilts to be exhibited at the 27th annual Major’s Inn Quilt Show in Gilbertsville this Friday through Sunday.

Eleven of the quilts were made by Pressler’s great-grandmother, grandmother, aunt, or mother. The twelfth was quilted by her mother’s neighbor, Alberta Jones. Made largely at the family homestead of Clever, Missouri, the quilts date from 1890 to the 1930s. They will be displayed on the second floor of the inn, along with photos of family members who made or received the quilts.  Pressler will be present to talk with visitors about the quilts and their history on October 6 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., October 7 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and October 8 from 1-4 p.m.

The quilts lend themselves to storytelling. Pressler recounts how her great-grandmother, Margaret Frazier (1846–1924), made a “May Basket” quilt as a wedding gift for each of her eight children. At some point, she concluded that the quilt she had made for Pressler’s grandfather (James Frazier) was not as pretty as the others. So she decided to make him a second quilt—the exhibit’s “Carolina Lily” quilt. Margaret completed the quilt’s top, but was unable to complete the quilting because her hands were crippled with arthritis.

“Her daughters saw her working on it and thought it was so pretty. When my great-grandmother died, they all looked for the quilt top but couldn’t find it. Turns out, Aunt Pearl (Boyer) had taken it because she knew they were going to fight over it.”

Pressler’s Aunt Pearl finished the quilt. Years later, James Frazier, Pressler’s grandfather, let it be known that Pressler, as the youngest of his granddaughters, was to have both the “May Basket” and the “Carolina Lily” quilts. Both are featured in the Major’s Inn show.

A striking red and white quilt hangs above one of the twin beds in the exhibit room. Its design is known either as “Drunkard’s Path” or “Old Maid’s Puzzle,” Pressler says.  It was hand-pieced and hand-quilted by Pressler’s aunt, Pearl Boyer. 

“Aunt Pearl lived on a big farm. She and her husband milked 24 cows by hand twice a day, but she always found time to quilt, usually in the afternoon,” Pressler said.

Hanging beside Boyer’s handiwork is a quilt with predominantly navy blocks on a bright yellow background—a “Dove at the Window” quilt made by Pressler’s grandmother, Dora Young Frazier.

“The blue in the quilt all comes from family members’ shirts and the yellow was probably purchased at the general store in Boaz [Missouri],” Pressler said.

Another of Dora Frazier’s quilts, made circa 1920, is comprised of scraps of clothing Dora had made for her seven children. Pressler calls the design “Diamonds.”

“Everybody’s clothes are in that quilt,” Pressler said.

A third quilt made by Dora Frazier covers a twin bed and is called a “Double Hour Glass” or “Pinwheel” quilt.  Like other quilts in the collection, the darker colors were cut from men’s shirts or women’s skirts, Pressler said.

The “Calico Cat” quilt, hanging in the hallway, was begun by Pressler’s mother, Nelle Richter, in 1938.

“We had a cloth-bound book called ‘The Gingham Dog and the Calico Cat.’ It was because of that book that my mother decided to make the ‘Calico Cat’ quilt. For the quilt top, she pieced together scraps from my brother’s baby clothes.”

The quilt features 42 cats made mostly from printed cotton. Each cat is curled up, eyes closed, with an embroidered red nose. The quilt, appliquéd with black embroidery floss, is fashioned so that half of the cats are positioned one way and the other half in the opposite direction. This was done so that if the quilt was to be used as a bedspread, the cats on both sides of the quilt would fall parallel to the floor.

Richter’s son was asthmatic. Because caring for him consumed much of her time, Richter was unable to finish the quilt until 1992.

Pressler’s connection to and appreciation of her family quilts resonates as she tells their stories.

“Quilts played an important part of the lives of all these people. They were what kept them warm. Back then, they used them; today we display them. I’m proud to be a part of their history,” Pressler said, smiling.

The Major’s Inn Quilt Show will take place October 6-8 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Lunch will be served each day beginning at 11:30 a.m.

All proceeds from the event go to The Major’s Inn Foundation for the maintenance and preservation of the inn, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.