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Audio Recording "I made a lot of pillows from a Tulip pattern."

"I made a lot of pillows from a Tulip pattern."

About this Item

Title

  • "I made a lot of pillows from a Tulip pattern."

Names

  • Johnson, Geraldine Niva, 1940- (Interviewer)
  • Todd, Zenna, 1916-2012 (Interviewee)
  • Todd, Zenna, 1916-2012 (Creator)

Created / Published

  • Ennice, North Carolina

Headings

  • -  Quilting
  • -  Quilt patterns
  • -  income
  • -  applique quilts
  • -  tulip quilts
  • -  Ethnography
  • -  Interviews
  • -  United States -- North Carolina -- Ennice

Genre

  • Ethnography
  • Interviews

Notes

  • -  Mrs. Todd started making quilts for her family to use when she was 25. She teaches quiltmaking and makes quilts to sell through a local shop to supplement her income. Geraldine Johnson described her as "a bubbly, enthusiastic person who would be a natural à interpreter of Blue Ridge quilts." This interview includes good information on the economics and practice of making quilts to sell, criteria for selection of materials to use in quilts, and how quiltmaking has changed over time.
  • -  Transcription: GJ: Do you have any quilt patterns that are like that, that you can do better than just about anybody? / ZT: Well, I've got one, that they's been several that's tried to copy it, but they haven't got it just right yet. And I got it out of that magazine right there. It's, the name of it is a Tulip. It's, but it doesn't look like a Tulip. I don't know why it's a beautiful thing, though. And I have made a lot of pillows. I've never made a quilt. But I made a pillow, just for a sample. And when I got the pillow made, she was up here. She passed by, and she wanted, come in, wanted to know what I was a-working at, and I said, well, I've been a-doing a pillow that I found in a magazine. And she wanted to see it. She says, Oh my goodness, that's the prettiest thing I've ever seen. Says, Oh my goodness, says make some of them. Says make it for Christmas. So, I made, made a couple, and made 'em the same material and everything. And she just sold them right off and she's been onto me and onto me a-wanting me to make some more. They're a little complicated. I mean, it's a whole lot of applique work, hand work. Takes you right smart little bit on 'em. Then I quilt on 'em. I do quilting on 'em, too, you know. I stretch, I've got a quilting hoop, you know that sets up on the floor, and I just put it in that and, and quilt the top, and that's what sells it, is that quilting. And she thought it was just awfu pretty.
  • -  For rights information please contact the Folklife Reading Room at http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/folklife.contact

Medium

  • Sound tape reel : 7 in.

Call Number/Physical Location

  • AFC 1982/009: BR8-GJ-R102

Source Collection

  • Blue Ridge Parkway Folklife Project Collection (AFC 1982/009)

Repository

  • American Folklife Center

Online Format

  • audio

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress believes that some of the materials in this collection are in the public domain or have no known copyright restrictions, and are therefore free to use and reuse. For example, the fieldwork in this collection is in the public domain in the United States.

However, the Library has obtained permission for the use of other materials, and presents additional materials for educational and research purposes in accordance with fair use under United States copyright law. For example, some of the recordings contain copyrighted music, and not all of the performers and other individuals who were recorded signed releases for public use of their work.

In addition, the American Folklife Center and the professional fieldworkers who carry out these projects feel a strong ethical responsibility to the people they have visited and who have consented to have their lives documented for the historical record. The Center asks that researchers approach the materials in this collection with respect for the culture and sensibilities of the people whose lives, ideas, and creativity are documented here. Researchers are also reminded that privacy and publicity rights may pertain to certain uses of this material.

Researchers or others who would like to make further use of these collection materials should contact the Folklife Reading Room for assistance. Rights assessment is your responsibility. The written permission of the copyright owners in materials not in the public domain is required for distribution, reproduction, or other use of protected items beyond that allowed by fair use or other statutory exemptions. Permissions may additionally be required from holders of other rights (such as publicity and/or privacy rights). Whenever possible, we provide information that we have about copyright owners and related matters in the catalog records, finding aids and other texts that accompany collections. 

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Credit line: Blue Ridge Parkway Folklife Project collection (AFC 1982/009), American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Johnson, Geraldine Niva, Zenna Todd, and Zenna Todd. "I made a lot of pillows from a Tulip pattern.". Ennice, North Carolina, 1978. Audio. https://www.loc.gov/item/qlt000092/.

APA citation style:

Johnson, G. N., Todd, Z. & Todd, Z. (1978) "I made a lot of pillows from a Tulip pattern.". Ennice, North Carolina. [Audio] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/qlt000092/.

MLA citation style:

Johnson, Geraldine Niva, Zenna Todd, and Zenna Todd. "I made a lot of pillows from a Tulip pattern.". Ennice, North Carolina, 1978. Audio. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/qlt000092/>.