Fairy Tale Quilt

Item Overview

Fairy Tale Quilt Made by Elva Vernie Schack / Julie Larsen Harlan, Iowa, 1993 Cotton, Batting and metal 1993.134.015 - Gift of Valborg Lux

A Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale quilt presented to the city of Odense, Denmark in 1988 to commemorate its 1,000-year jubilee, inspired the design of this fairy tale quilt. Elva Vernie Schack reportedly brought a postcard with a photo of the Odense quilt when she was in Denmark on vacation. She decided to make her own version of the quilt, which means her quilt isn't an exact replica of the Odense quilt. She used fewer blocks and changed some of the fairy tales probably to represents her personal favorite Hans Christian Andersen stories. Elva Vernie Schack made the appliqué blocks, but she could not finish the quilt because of declining health. Julie Larsen of the Prairie Star Quilts in Elk Horn, Iowa agreed to finish it for her. Unfortunately, Elva Vernie Schack passed away before the quilt was finish. The quilt was entered into the Tivoli Fest Quilt Show in Elk Horn in 1993. Schack’s quilt won first place out of 81 quilt entries.