Log Cabin Barn Raising - 1941

Helen Prellwitz

Having never considered herself lucky, Helen Prellwitz was surprised and pleased to learn she had won this quilt in a 1941 fundraising raffle at the Methodist Church in Brokaw, Wisconsin.  Used on her bed as a “winter quilt”, Helen made a special cover to keep the quilt in pristine condition.  The quilt was inherited by Helen’s daughter, Marion Etling, and donated to the Marathon County Historical Society.

Adelia Durkee

The beautiful quilt was made by Adelia Durkee.  Born in 1886, Adelia and her husband, Claude, lived in Brokaw where he worked at the paper mill.  Adelia was a well-respected member of the community and served as a midwife for many Brokaw births.  Her home was always open to those in need.  Adelia died in 1946 at the age of 60.

The Quilt

A Log Cabin block is made up of rectangular strips of fabric with a central square. When half of the strips are dark and half are light fabrics, a diagonal pattern results.  Log Cabin blocks can be joined together in many designs, also called “settings”.  The blocks are used here to form a series of large diamonds radiating out from the center – this setting is called “Barn Raising”.  

An unusual touch in this quilt is that each central square of the Log Cabin blocks has been divided diagonally into a light and a dark triangle.  This makes the large diamond shapes even more pronounced. In traditional Log Cabin blocks, the center square often is a solid red.

This quilt was made in 1941 by Adelia Durkee of Brokaw.  The fabrics come from clothing scraps and patterned feed and flour sacks.  The mint green fabrics are very typical of the 1930s.

Adelia used a wool batting and both quilting stitches and green yarn ties to fasten the layers together.  The quilting stitches are large and follow the division of light and dark that make up the diamonds.  The backing fabric is a green, brown, and gold floral print.