Emma's quilt Out Where The West Begins is an original design based on a
poem written by Arthur Chapman. The poem in chain stitch script is the
medallion surrounded by 14 blocks picturing a desert scene with Ocotillo (pronounced Ok-a-te-yo) a type of cactus.
Emma was not pleased with the way the Ocotillo looked and
persuaded a water colorist whom she met to make some suggestions and paint one
for her. She then practiced painting them until she was satisfied with the
results.
This led to another artistic endeavor. She began making miniature
watercolors which she framed and sold for 50¢. For a short time she took
singing lessons as well as painting lessons but gave them both up.
The little miniatures, which Emma called "accidentals"
were popular and she netted $1,000 from their sale. She painted similar scenes
on taffeta ribbons.
miniature frames I visualized frames about the size of daguerreotypes - I've never seen such wee things." On April 7, 1941 she again wrote, "Incidentally (a lady) fell in love with your miniatures which stand on my living room mantle. For that matter I cannot tell you how many people have admired the dear little things... The canyon looks... truly lovely." On Oct 18 1940, "The little miniatures have just arrived and Marjory (Mrs. Peto's daughter) and I are delighted with them. I don't see how you get all that distance, that perspective in such a tiny space. Mrs. Peto evidently ordered the miniatures as gifts for some friends. Emma says, "I like to work with small things. The miniatures are my favorites."
On Nov 22, 1942 the same reporter did a full page story
for the EVERY WEEK magazine – a supplement to many Sunday papers. It was entitled, "Masterpieces in Patchwork" and featured
"Miss Emma Andres and her quilt hobby".
"Emma has made
about 15 quilts but is fondest of her four originals –
the Silhouette, Great
Seal of Arizona, Out Where the
West Begins, and the Tillman quilt. All prize
winners. She is convinced that if you piece or applique a quilt, you should quilt it, 'I hired the quilting done on one of
my quilts and I never did feel as
though it belonged to me. In fact, I gave it away.' Her quilting - those intricate
designs worked out with geometric precision and artistic flourish - is
accomplished on a round hoop scarcely larger than an embroidery hoop."
Mrs. Peto wrote several
times asking for a picture of the Seal of Arizona quilt, mentioning that
she would like to include it in an article for some magazine. She approached WOMAN’S DAY with it, but they
did not use it. The seal, letters, log cabin and yucca are all in chain stitch.
Emma appliqued the seal first and then attached it to the quilt. It wasn't large enough so she
had to put it on a circle one inch
larger, cut out the extra material and reapplique it onto the quilt.
When she came to
the state flags the corners seemed weak so she cut four flags apart to make the
corners more important.
Emma had a unique method of basting a quilt together. She
put paper down to cover the floor and then basted diagonally through to the
paper. She could hear the needle hit the paper when she went through the three
layers.
In 1968 her sister was celebrating her anniversary as a
nun. As Emma couldn't get to Los Angeles to be with her, she decided to
decorate the store window in honor of the event, using a nun doll as the focal
point. She took a picture and sent it to her sister. That was the beginning of
the decorated windows which she continues to decorate and change about every
six weeks.
In an article in WESTWARD, March 10, 1978 she is quoted, "The windows are a little
stage of their own. I
feel I am deeply inspired. They don't amount to a dern (a favorite swear word of
Emma's) but they have a lot of love in them. I try to keep them simple and childlike ... Sometimes I get discouraged and wonder why am I doing this. Then I say, ' Oh that's the devil talking' ...I'm sharing."
Items for the window displays are drawn
from the museum.
Sometimes she puts in one of "Dad" Pratt's faded and frayed quilts
because "he wanted his quilts to be shared and enjoyed". Christmas,
Easter and other holidays are always celebrated with special windows
During this period "Madame" Hall
lived in Northe Platte, Nebraska and sold dolls which she dressed to represent
famous people. Emma asked Mrs. Hall to dress a doll as a nun to represent her
sister. Now she has a
glass case full of Mrs. Hall's dolls. Mrs. Hall died July
8, 1955 - a very sad day for her
dear friend!
Both Mrs. Peto and Mrs. Hall remarked many times about
Miss Andres' thoughtfulness.
Each correspondent had his/her own special scrapbook with
everything taped very carefully in it. Mrs. Peto's is contained in three
scrapbooks and Mrs. Hall's in one.
One of her prized possessions is her mother's scrapbook
filled with political cartoons, newspaper columns etc. As a child Emma used her
crayons to "color" the black and white pictures. She felt they needed
something to brighten them up.
She has gradually replaced the items of her father's cigar
store where she spent so many years helping him, with her own items that have
brought her so much happiness – the dolls made by Carrie Hall, a large thimble
collection, the catalog of prizes from the chewing tobacco company,
"Dad" Pratt's quilts and her own fine quilts.
Emma doesn't keep regular hours in the museum but goes in
almost every day. In some ways it is
more home to her than where she sleeps. She welcomes guests, has them sign her
register, and gives them little lectures about the treasures the museum holds.
Each quilt and artifact has a story. Even if the guests don't always understand
the significance or importance of each item, they sense Emma's involvement and how much it all means to her. There
is no record of the date she took her last quilting stitch in her Ninety
and Nine but she retired her quilting thimble by placing it in her glass case. She hasn't done any
quilting since. When we interviewed her in June 1981 she remarked,
"quilting is not part of my life
now, but most of the wonderful things
that have happened to me are somehow connected to quilting." A notation in
Emma's handwriting sums it up, "I
am deeply grateful for my thrilling experiences."
Since we last saw Emma we have had several phone
conversations and a few letters. We understand that a quilting group in
Prescott asked her to speak and thirty quiltmakers turned out for the occasion. She wrote "my little talk for
the Hill Top Quilters Guild was fun." She has been rereading her old
scrapbooks and has reestablished contact with some of the families of her
former friends. Somehow we think maybe quilting
will again be part of her life.
All
photographs courtesy of the Emma Andres Collection
Lynn
Evans Miller, Curator
lynnquilt@aol.com
Notes from Lynn Evans Miller*****
Emma passed away
April 28, 1988 in Prescott Arizona
She was found again in 1987 by the Arizona Quilt Documentation Project. Her and her quilts were featured in the book Grand Endeavors: Vintage Arizona Quilts and Their Makers. In the near future I will be sharing more about Emma and her quilts. Including notes, letters and correspondence from some of her dear friends.
See a small exhibit of Emma's Quilts at the
Arizona History Museum
January 13, 2018 to February 28, 2018
Emma Andres
Quilt Collection
949 E.
2nd Street
Tucson,
AZ 85719
520-628-5774
