Quilt by Hattie Fry and
Landau Cannon Butler

Hattie Fry was born March 31, 1880 and died April 28, 1962 at Corinth, Mississippi. Hattie Fry was the mother of Landau Cannon Butler. She and her daughter made many quilts over a period of years. She was featured in the Covering our Heritage: African-American Quilts of Champaign-Urbana exhibit held at Krannert Art Museum in 1994. The two unquilted tops shown here were made from tiny pieces saved from sewing the family's clothing. Mrs. Fry's granddaughter, Ethel Bridgewater of Champaign, recalls that her grandfather Fry was a minister and that the Frys' nine children grew up with strong family values. Mrs. Bridgewater remembers adding some small squares to these tops herself as a child. Landau Cannon Butler, Mrs. Bridgewater's mother, made the striking applique quilt alone. She created the red applique motif by cutting folded paper to make a pattern. Mrs. Bridgewater later had the top quilted at Douglass Annex.