Spirit of 76
Mary Schafer, piecer
Ida Pullum, quilter
c. 1974
Flushing, Genesee County, Michigan
Cotton with Polyester batting
83 x 101
MSUM# 1998:53.93
Photo by KEVA, all rights reserved Michigan State University Museum

This quilt was “dedicated to the patriots of 1776 and those who followed in service to our country.” The center block design is called “The Flag”, symbolic of the first Stars and Stripes. In Mary’s notes, she suggests that the spirit of ’76 is dynamic and still in motion today. As the final quilt of the Bicentennial, Mary chose not the subtle symbolism of the other quilts in the series, but a resplendent stars and stripes salute to the patriots of 1776.