At 85, Cape Ann’s Linda Hogan has been making quilts for nearly 50 years — and one of those quilts depicting Rockport even became a Milton Bradley puzzle.
In her latest effort, she set out a year ago on a project to create 100 quilts to be donated to Seacoast Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Gloucester.
However, when Hogan recently faced a diagnosis of a sarcoma in her leg, she would find herself at Seacoast recovering from leg surgery. But she is back home in Rockport and ready to finish the remaining eight quilts to complete her plan.
“I’m anxious to get to my goal,” Hogan said. “I planned to do 100 within a year. I set that goal and I love a challenge, and I would have made it within that time frame if it wasn’t for my leg.”
But while she was at Seacoast, she saw the positive response that came from her gifts of the quilts that to date stand at 92.
“They brought up one of the quilts I made, and a doctor came up who knew I made the quilt,” she said. “When he heard I was there, he came up to thank me. I learned that they made a lot of people feel better, and it was nice to know that they had done some good for people there.”
A Gloucester native, Hogan was born and raised in Gloucester, attending Gloucester High School. When she married Tom Hogan in 1960, she moved to Rockport.
She had always been an avid sewer since she was a young girl. Her grandmother and mother sewed quilts, though her mother’s favorite craft was crochet. But Hogan fondly remembers when she was a child and her mother sewed little quilts that were given as guest gifts to Linda’s friends who attended her birthday party.
“But quilting wasn’t in my vocabulary until about 50 years ago when I belonged to this fabric club and you got samples in the mail once a month,” Hogan said. “I took all those little samples and sewed them together instead of throwing them away — and it made a pretty quilt. That was the first I ever made.
“Later, I took adult education classes at Gloucester High School and learned how to make a quilt with the three layers and piecing by hand. I’ve been going strong ever since.”
Competitive quilters
“When people think about quilts, they often picture women sitting together around a quilt frame, enjoying a communal experience,” according to a Library of Congress article. “Quilts are frequently used, both literally and metaphorically, to express a sense of community. However, there is another common thread that runs throughout the history of American quilts — that of competition.”
That tradition dates back to the 19th century when state and regional agricultural fairs held competitions for quilts and other needlework.
Hogan herself has done well in varied competitions, starting with one of her earliest quilts that won first prize at the Topsfield Fair.
She entered another around the time of the 500th anniversary of the voyage of Christopher Columbus when several national competitions were held. Hogan entered the Great American Quilt Festival’s “Discover America” contest. There was one national winner and one for each state.
Hogan won for Massachusetts with her quilt depicting a montage of iconic scenes of Rockport. The winners were on display at the American Folk Art Museum in New York City. That quilt was chosen to become a Milton Bradley puzzle. The box notes that the design was part of the Museum of American Folk Art Collection.
Locals can view the quilt hanging at the Rockport Public Library.
Hogan won another contest, “Quilts for Kids,” organized to see how many quilts could be made in one month, sponsored by a quilting magazine and Downy in 2010. Hogan made 80 quilts and won the grand prize, which was a trip to Beverly Hills, Calif., and lunch with “Grey’s Anatomy” star Chandra Wilson, a spokesperson for this charitable effort. The quilts from entrants were donated to hospitalized children in Children’s Miracle Network hospitals nationwide.
In an effort close to home, Hogan has used her seamstress talents for decades as the wardrobe mistress for the Rockport Christmas Pageant, an annual reenactment of the Nativity presented by the Rockport Art Association. She has likely made close to 100 costumes over nearly half a century.
In 2020, Hogan was selected as a juried guest member of the Cape Ann Artisans for the annual open studios tour.
“Linda Hogan is a well-known and respected quilter from Rockport. A master quilter for over 40 years, Linda favors traditional quilting patterns made with a contemporary twist,” according to the artist statement. “…Using primarily traditional patterns, Linda finds her artistic challenge not in the pattern itself as much as in its execution and workmanship. Her dramatic use of color and pattern translate the conventional into a new take on well-known patterns.”
Her latest challenge with the Seacoast nursing home project was inspired by the care that her late husband received in the final months of his life there.
“I thought a lot about the treatment they gave him and I wanted to do something in return,” she said. “I had a lot of extra fabric and time on my hands, and so this challenge began.”
Gail McCarthy may be contacted at 978-675-2706, or gmccarthy@northofboston.com.