Quilts: Icons Of Our Matriarchs-Full Interview

Full Interview From Quilts: Icons of our Matriarchs.

What is the earliest memory you have of your mother making you a quilt?  My Mother, Maxine Wilhelm, loved needlework.  When I was in the third grade in 1952, I caught strep throat which turned into rheumatic fever.  In those days, this meant your heart would be damaged.  But, our doctor told my parents that if I stayed constantly in bed for six months and I took medication to sleep most of the time, he thought I might recover fully.  My Father, Olin Wilhelm, was a farmer and these six months spanned from spring through fall, the busiest farming time of the year.  I would often wake to find a family friend, my grandparents, a teacher, a neighbor, or the pastor sitting by my bedside as my Mother and my brother, Larry, were endeavoring to help my father with the farm.  All this time in bed made my skin sore and my Mother decided I needed a quilt made of satin and velvet as it would be softer.  It was called a “Crazy Quilt” as the pieces were many different sizes with multiple fabrics and decorated with colorful embroidery.  I would often wake at night and find my Mother would be sitting by my bed lamp sewing on this quilt.


Roughly, how many did she make in her life?  I really don’t know as she gave so many quilted items away.  She didn’t really start doing a lot of quilting until after they sold their Honey Farm & Candle Factory business in 1987; she was 65 at that time.   I have 3 quilts, 14 quilted seasonal banners, and 8 doll quilts.  I know my brother has at least this many and there are 5 grandsons who each have 2 quilts apiece.  And she quilted holiday ornaments for the Church Christmas Tree.  Plus she gave to her sisters, friends, and to charitable needs. 


Did you ever try to make one? Yes, I made one doll quilt and a pillow.  It was a lot of work and it took me a month to finish it.


How long did each quilt take? This depends on the complexity of the quilt.  The pattern for the quilt must be designed, correct fabrics must be collected, fabrics must be cut to match the design, then sewn together by hand or by machine, then be quilted.  The longest time span for one of her quilts was a year and the shortest time span for a simple banner might be a week.  She was often working on several quilts at a time as she had two quilting frames. 


What do quilts represent to you, both hers, and in general? The Creativity of Art–Mother was able to blend small (sometimes very tiny) pieces of fabric into unique designs, with quilting stitches by hand that were less than 1/8 of an inch, so tiny you could hardly see them.   She created her masterpieces with fabric, thread, and love of others.


Which of hers is your favorite? My favorite is the Tie Quilt.  My Mother made this quilt using the ties belonging to my Father, Her Father, George Martin, and her Father-in-Law, O. R. Wilhelm.


Did she ever get help or did she always do them on her own? My Mother worked on her very special quilts on the quilt frame in her home.  She also had a building in the backyard; half the building was for my Father’s workshop and half of the building was for her Quilting Club ladies.  The ladies took turns hanging their pieced quilt to be quilted.  Each quilt would remain in the frame until it was finished.  My Father used to tell my Mother that they all talked so much it sounded like a bunch of chickens next door.  She would tell him too bad; they were having fun.


What do you think the quilts represented to her? My Mother loved people and she was very kind to all types.  Her special quilts given to family and friends were a way to show her love for each of them and a legacy for her future great-grandchildren.  The quilts she gave for charity were more durable as they would be needed to be used, not displayed.  She felt that the charity quilts were a way for her to thank God for the opportunity to bring beauty and warmth to those who need to know that they are not alone, that someone cares for them.  These quilts were mostly given anonymously.


How often did she show or sell them? She showed her quilts a the Beckham County Fair, the Pottawatomie County Fair, Oklahoma State Fair, the Central Oklahoma Quilting Guild and many other locations.  She was so used to winning; that she was a little miffed if she didn’t win first place.  She never sold any of her quilting projects. 


What is your favorite memory of her quilting? My favorite memory of my mother’s quilting was when I was in the second grade in 1951.  My Grandmother Wilhelm was having her Riverview Home Demonstration Club at her home and my mother asked the School Bus Driver to drop me off at Grandmother’s home.  The quilt frame was suspended from the ceiling in Grandmother’s living room and the ladies sat in chairs around the frame.  The quilt was a Wedding Ring design and it was being quilted as a Wedding Gift for the daughter of one of the ladies in the Club.  My Mother put a pillow on a chair, pushed the chair up to the quilt, and taped their smallest thimble on my finger. The lady beside me threaded my needle and Mother begin showing me how to make the quilting stitches.  I was proud to be able to quilt with my Grandmother’s friends.  Of course later, when I was older, I realized that once my father had come to pick me up, Mother had to take out my large stitches and replace them with her tiny stitches.  But, I will always remember how fun it was to listen to the ladies talk with each other and how kind they were to allow me to be a part of their gift for this young bride.