By: Melissa Jurgena
For the author, what began as a graduate class assignment in material-culture studies soon became a grand adventure in friendship and discovery. The project involved researching a large friendship quilt that had little accompanying information to determine its origin. The author used several methods of investigation, beginning with a formal artifact analysis of the fabrics and construction, followed by digital image enhancement, Internet searches, telephone interviews, and even on-site research to trace the history of the quilt.