String
Viney Crawford
1986
Idlewild, Lake County, Michigan
Cotton
64” x 80”
MSUM 6520.1
Photo by Mark Eifert, all rights reserved Michigan State University Museum

Within the African-American community, Nine-Patch and Strip pattern quilts done in the String technique are most often cited by quilters as the first ones they learned and continue to prefer. Viney Crawford, of Idlewild, made this String quilt especially for the Michigan State University Museum in honor of the Yates Township Senior Center in Idlewild. Idlewild, located in a rural area of Michigan's lower peninsula, was developed in 1912 as a resort for the growing numbers of middle-class African-Americans. In its heyday, the resort hosted a who's who list of African-Americans prominent in all walks of life and was a destination for many of some of the nation's most notable performers. An African-American Quilt Discovery Day was held in Idlewild in July, 1986.

From, Great Lakes, Great Quilts