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Primitive Practices

Despite what the sign on the corner says, regular visitors to the Mid Michigan Old Gas Tractor show are well aware that we offer a whole lot more than just tractors. However preposterous it may seem, not everybody that walks through our gates cares all that much about John Deere this and Farmall that, and with 400 member families, we soon learned that means we have at least 400 opinions on any given subject. If you add in all the wives, that makes about 800 opinions, presumably 400 right ones and 400 wrong ones. If you are confused about which one is which, ask your wife. She’ll know.

What this means to you and I, is that the thousands of happy people who join us every August have an incredibly broad range of interests, hobbies, and talents. Here in Oakley, it has long been our goal to provide a little something for everyone that is kind enough to visit our show. The older gentlemen might be eager to revisit their childhood experiences on a threshing crew, and we can help them do that, but the ladies in the crowd may be more interested in learning about the life of a typical farm wife back in the earlier years. We can shed a little light on that, too.

Life was a good deal different for the gals, back in the days before there was a Wal-Mart on every corner. Those who lived in the country soon learned that when they needed something, they often had to make it themselves. The cold Michigan winters and poorly heated farmhouses meant that there was a constant need for warm clothing and bedding. You’ve heard about all of us kids who wore pajamas made out of old feed sacks back in the day, but it took more than that to get the young’uns through a cold February night in the upstairs bedroom. We needed some good warm bedding, as well. That’s where this week’s feature comes in. Cooperative ventures with neighboring families were the norm, back then, and while the men might team up for the harvest season, the ladies found the same kind of support from a “Quilting Bee”. Undoubtedly, the social aspects were also a welcome change from the solitude of the country life, and I’m sure colorful stories were exchanged, but the end results were household articles that they all needed and used. What is truly amazing is that they took a fairly utilitarian item like a quilt and elevated it to an art form, forever emblazoned with their own “style” and technique. Let’s face it, if guys made them, they’d all just be brown. They might still keep you warm, but I doubt folks would hand them down from one generation to the next. The items these talented ladies produced over the years are nothing short of heirlooms, and are recognized as such.

With such a rich legacy, we felt this part of life on the family farm had earned a well deserved place in our re-creation of that part of our history. Each year we dedicate our Founder’s Building to a working display of a typical, old time Quilting Bee. This project was initiated by Jeanette Haak, one of our founding members, who has been involved with the “Scrapbaggers” local quilting group, who keep the skills and artistry alive in our area. We think so much of their collective talents that each year we commission them to create a custom designed quilt to be used as the 2nd prize in our annual tractor raffle. See a few photos below, showing the ladies at work, and displaying some of their wares.

(Click individual photos to enlarge)

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