Interview with Toni Baumgard, November 4, 2000

Interview Summary

Toni Baumgard, a quilter, is interviewed by Renee Jackson for the Quilters’ S.O.S. Oral History Project. Baumgard talks about the quilt she brought in for the interview, an antique redwork quilt created by a German-American woman in 1913 in Pennsylvania. She discusses the pattern of the quilt and what the symbols mean on the quilt. Baumgard then talks about her own interest in historic quilts, particularly redwork quilts, as she does lectures about redwork. She also talks about her work as a textile preservationist, an interest she had from childhood. She also became interested in quilting during her childhood, as her grandmother was a frequent quilter. Baumgard talks about her personal opinions about quilting, including what makes a great quilt, why quilts are important to women’s and American histories, and how quilts are important to her personal life. She discusses the importance of preserving quilts and teaching future generations how to quilt. Baumgard talks about how she uses her quilt collection and how she gives away the quilts she makes, believing quilts have a wide variety of uses beyond only decoration or utilitarian purposes.

Interview Keyword

Vintage quilts Quilt preservation Wall quilts Hanging quilts Quilt patterns Antique quilts Traditional quilts Art quilts Redwork quilts Quilt collections Quilt descriptions Hand quilting Machine quilting Women and quilting Round robins Group quilting Quilting bees Custom quilts Utilitarian quilts

Interview LC Subject

Fabrics Fabric arts Quilts--Design. Quilts Quilting Textiles Textile artists Decorative arts Crafts & decorating Women Artists Sewing Arts & crafts Families Women's history American women, 1600-1900 Textile museums

Interview Rights

All rights to the Quilters' S.O.S. -- Save Our Stories (QSOS) oral history project, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred from the Quilt Alliance to the University of Kentucky Libraries. Please contact the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History regarding rights pertaining to individual interviews.

Interview Usage

Interviews may only be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.