Circa 1917
University Place (Lincoln), Nebraska
Donated by Mary Alice Jones, historian for the Red Cross-Cornhusker Regional Chapter, 2009.002.0001

In 1917, a Sunday School class of 9-year-olds at First Methodist Episcopal Church (University Place) now First United Methodist (Lincoln) and taught by Edith Wing made this quilt as a fundraiser for the Red Cross.

Each child was responsible for collecting signatures and embroidering a block with those names along with his or her name. The class collected 240 names and raised a total of $24 for their cause.

"Even before the United States entered the war in 1917, the Red Cross appealed to Americans for help for victims in the war zones. Many women's magazines campaigned to involve women on the home front. Since signature quilts had long been a popular fund-raising device, it was natural to enlist them in the war effort."

- From Nebraska Quilts & Quiltmakers edited by Patricia Crews and Ronald C. Naugle