The Mountain Mist Bicentennial Star Quilt is kind of notorious. Why, you ask? Because the whole thing was supposed to be done as appliqué, including the triangles; and it was marketed as an "easy and fun" quilt, appropriate for beginners. LOL?
There was a pattern and a kit, for crib and full size. The kit came with pre-printed white fabric indicating where to stitch down the precut red and blue fabric, and instructions.
There were also instructions for other types of items, such as pillows. Found one of those on eBay, from a seller in Maryland. It is signed and dated, 1975.
It must have been absolute torture to make the quilt, particularly with cotton/polyester blend fabrics. No surprise, we don't see many of them available for sale. I can't imagine many were completed. Sometimes, ideas that may not have been the best, such as a quilt for beginners with lots of appliqué work, turn out to be the most difficult to find objects.
There were other Bicentennial quilts, and one that was similar to the Mountain Mist quilt called the Star of '76. Both of these quilts featured the Bicentennial star logo.
The American Revolution Bicentennial Commission selected the logo via contest in 1974, and the winning design was by Bruce N. Blackburn, who was also co-designer of the modernized NASA insignia used from 1975-1992.
The Mountain Mist Bicentennial Star quilt, which came from an eBay seller in Massachusetts, is on display with other Bicentennial ephemera as part of "Modern Materials, Quilts of the 1970s" at the Benton County Museum in Philomath, Oregon. LAST WEEK - THROUGH SATURDAY!! For more information about the exhibition, location, hours, and other venues showing quilts during Quilt County 2015, click here.
Happy to see Ms. Matthews' unstitched quilt kit out on display!
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