At the Auction - Em's Basket

One of my favorite things to do is to go to an estate auction.  Not the kind where you sit in a chair in a building and flash your number to bid, but the country kind.   The kind that is called  a "sale" and not an "auction".  The kind where you go to the farm, get your number from the auctioneer trailer and then start searching through the years of accumulated stuff displayed in rows in the yard, on tables, on wagons, in the sheds and barn and sometimes in the house.   You look for those treasures you want to bid on but are careful not to show your interest as that could attract interest from other bidders.   Then you enjoy the day while you wait for your items to be put up for bid.

Farm sales have been a long time tradition in rural areas.  They often take place when a farm is being passed from one generation to the next or sometimes, as quoted in a 1940's Indianapolis Star feature article, "the closing-out sale, as a rule, means the writing of the final chapter in a man's struggle with the soil".  

Farm sales are social events.  Relatives, friends and neighbors come to visit, maybe find a bargain, maybe find an antique or maybe just find a memory.   Lunch is usually provided by  a local church ladies group with proceeds going to charity and church projects.   The following image is a clipping from the June 30, 1940 Indianapolis Star.   The caption read "The Ladies' Aid Society of Borchers Church served hot lunch with the food donated by church members.  All proceeds went to the society.  Mrs. Gus Schaffstahl (left) of Cortland is selling a cut of lemon pie, while Mrs. Melvin Helwig (right) is filling an order for chili.  Besides lemon pie and chili, sale visitors were able to buy hamburger and Coney island sandwiches and soup." 
Nearly 70 years later, Borchers' Ruth Circle continues the farm sale food tradition with the menu typically including, among other things, home made pies, chili and coney.

I have purchased several interesting items at farm sales. I am especially attracted to dishes, vases, those broken rocking chairs that I just know I can fix : ) and of course the quilts.  The heirloom quilts are usually out of my price range, so in most cases, I wait for the one that is a bit tattered (well loved). 

In the Fall of 1977 there was a sale at Em Schafstall's (the lady cutting the lemon pie in the above photo).  You would refer to this event as "Em's sale".   It was a rainy, cold day.  Sale items were displayed in the barn and sheds or covered to protect them from the rain.   Amongst the many items at the sale were several beautiful quilts.  Em had made many quilts for home use and as gifts.  Each of Em's grandchildren had received at least two quilts from their grandmother.  The remaining quilts were included in the farm sale, including a quilt that had been passed down through Em's family dating back to 1860.  The quilts were displayed in the farm house on the kitchen table.   The room was packed and the bidding started.  

I wasn't at Em's sale that day but my mother was.  I'm happy to say the 1860's quilt was purchased by Em's grand-daughter Erma (I'll save the story of that quilt for another day.   Em and Erma are pictured in the photo at the right on Erma's wedding day). 

My mother followed in my footsteps that day and waited until nearly all the quilts had been sold.   Then she purchased a tattered treasure.   She wasn't sure why.   The excitement of the bidding can sometimes cause you to make unexpected bids : ) 

It wasn't until a few years after Em's sale that I became interested in quilting.  I took my first quilting class in the early 80's.  I became much more appreciative of the quilts I had been given and I also started picking up a few quilts at farm sales.  One day Mom and I were in her East Room (a.k.a. Mom's attic) and we came across the quilt she had bought at Em's sale.   A tattered, well loved but beautiful basket quilt with blue borders.   And thus the story comes to the point.   Mom gave me the quilt.  I stored it in the closet with my other tattered treasures.  I occasionally take it out, fold it to present its best side to display and enjoy for a while. And, today I'm writing its story.   Click here  to view  the basket quilt from Em's sale.

author's email address -- charlena@doveinthewindow.com

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Revised: 04/30/07.