Flowering Almond Quilt
Betty Harriman (1890 -1971), piecer; Mary Schafer (b. 1910), quilter
1968-1971
Bunceton, Cooper County, Missouri and Flushing, Genesee County, Michigan
Cotton with polyester batting
83” x 96”
MSUM# 1998.53.35
Photo by KEVA, all rights reserved Michigan State University Museum

After the death of her friend Betty, Mary took on the task of completing many of Betty’s unfinished tops. This appliqué design, a popular motif from the mid-19th century, was one of Betty’s favorites. Part of the challenge posed to Mary as she undertook the finishing of Betty’s work was trying to complete the quilts in a manner that Betty herself would have selected. Mary has completed at least sixteen of Betty’s quilts.