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| Baseball fan, Clara Schmitt Rothmeier, passed away June 16, 2009, at the age of 78. Her baseball quilts and memorabilia will be auctioned to highest bidder in Union, Missouri on February 20, 2010 with no reserve. |
 | "My Favorite Baseball Stars" quilt | |
| "World Champions Brooklyn Dodgers" quilt | |
| "Major League Baseball Stars" quilt | |
| 10,000 baseball cards | |
Clara Schmitt Rothmeier was an avid baseball fan. "I came from a family of baseball nuts. My father played for a minor league team
owned by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1917, we grew up on baseball," Clara said. She has been playing with her brothers and sisters since
she was old enough to catch a ball. One of her brothers was a pitcher, another a catcher, and another played shortstop. Two other
brothers played in the outfield and she was an expert first baseman. She had a sister who also played shortstop, but could fill in as a
catcher when the need arose. Clara and her brothers and sisters were brought up on a farm in Japan, MO, west of St. Louis. "My daddy
played ball with us every evening until dark, and there were always enough of us to form a team," she said. Clara played on her first team
with her three sisters when she was 17. "We were just practicing and the manager of the Bourbon, Missouri Bluebirds saw us and asked
us to join the team," she explained. Her five brothers and four sisters played on traveling baseball and softball teams. Hitting and
catching and sandlot games were as much a part of the Schmitt family as the name itself.
In 1956, at age 25, Clara moved to St. Louis, home of her beloved Cardinals, and played first base for the Joe Simpkins' girl's softball
team. During the season, the tall first base woman played a team from Springfield, IL. The Springfield manager took a liking to how
Clara played the game and asked her to join his team, the Livingston Illinois Girls' Team in the ASA Fast Pitch League. "I guess it was a
time in my life where I thought it was exciting to move to a different state or something," Rothmeier said. "I don't know what was wrong
with me." She took the manager up on his offer and their team was second in the state four years in a row. She soon found herself
alone and away from her home. And to pass the time between games, Clara did the other thing all the Schmitt kids did: she stitched.
To keep her on the team the manager got her a job at St. John's Hospital where she worked for 9 years. Now alone in Springfield in 1955,
Rothmeier started a new quilt; its theme--what else?--baseball. This one would feature all of her favorite players, and she had the wild
idea that after spending three weeks to trace a face, cut the fabric and stitch together the image of a ballplayer, she'd mail it to the player to
autograph. And so was the beginning of "My Favorite Baseball Stars" quilt.
In 1964 Clara moved to St. Louis where she was head seamstress at St. Mary's Health Center, in Richmond Heights. When there was a
meeting called by Muny League Commissioner C. G. Middleton, Municipal Softball Association official to organize a hospital softball
league, Clara was the only girl present. "I was the only girl there, and they thought I was some kind of women's libber," she said. "He told
me not to be embarrassed and to see if we could get enough interest from the hospitals in the area to form a girls' league". They soon
had eight hospitals who wanted to form teams, and enough girls at St. Mary's who were interested to form two teams. On good days she
practiced with Tyrone McNairy, manager of St. Mary's Boys' softball team, on her lunch hour. Bats, balls and gloves were stashed on
the windowsill beside her sewing machine in a building close to the wooded area where they would practice. They had 36 girls sign up to
play at St. Mary's, and expecting more to sign up. They could have 20 girls on a team, but that would soon be cut to 16 players. "I told
Tyrone that the only way I could think of to eliminate them was to throw hard at them, and if they throw hard back, we'd know which ones
to take on the team. If we do have two teams, and the discards beat us, well, that wouldn't be good," she said. Clara was a tall, slender
dynamo who at the time, would eat, sleep and think ball playing. In her spare time she made nine quilts, all of them on baseball.
On July 20, 1974 Clara B. Schmitt married Roman J. Rothmeier and moved to Gerald where she continued to make quilts. In 1979 Clara
and Roman moved to Gerald, Missouri where they had built a new house and lake, as they also enjoyed fishing very much. They formed
the business, Quilt Top Stop and made and sold 100's of beautiful pieced quilt tops.
She no longer made the baseball quilts, but continued her passion for the sport.
owned by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1917, we grew up on baseball," Clara said. She has been playing with her brothers and sisters since
she was old enough to catch a ball. One of her brothers was a pitcher, another a catcher, and another played shortstop. Two other
brothers played in the outfield and she was an expert first baseman. She had a sister who also played shortstop, but could fill in as a
catcher when the need arose. Clara and her brothers and sisters were brought up on a farm in Japan, MO, west of St. Louis. "My daddy
played ball with us every evening until dark, and there were always enough of us to form a team," she said. Clara played on her first team
with her three sisters when she was 17. "We were just practicing and the manager of the Bourbon, Missouri Bluebirds saw us and asked
us to join the team," she explained. Her five brothers and four sisters played on traveling baseball and softball teams. Hitting and
catching and sandlot games were as much a part of the Schmitt family as the name itself.
In 1956, at age 25, Clara moved to St. Louis, home of her beloved Cardinals, and played first base for the Joe Simpkins' girl's softball
team. During the season, the tall first base woman played a team from Springfield, IL. The Springfield manager took a liking to how
Clara played the game and asked her to join his team, the Livingston Illinois Girls' Team in the ASA Fast Pitch League. "I guess it was a
time in my life where I thought it was exciting to move to a different state or something," Rothmeier said. "I don't know what was wrong
with me." She took the manager up on his offer and their team was second in the state four years in a row. She soon found herself
alone and away from her home. And to pass the time between games, Clara did the other thing all the Schmitt kids did: she stitched.
To keep her on the team the manager got her a job at St. John's Hospital where she worked for 9 years. Now alone in Springfield in 1955,
Rothmeier started a new quilt; its theme--what else?--baseball. This one would feature all of her favorite players, and she had the wild
idea that after spending three weeks to trace a face, cut the fabric and stitch together the image of a ballplayer, she'd mail it to the player to
autograph. And so was the beginning of "My Favorite Baseball Stars" quilt.
In 1964 Clara moved to St. Louis where she was head seamstress at St. Mary's Health Center, in Richmond Heights. When there was a
meeting called by Muny League Commissioner C. G. Middleton, Municipal Softball Association official to organize a hospital softball
league, Clara was the only girl present. "I was the only girl there, and they thought I was some kind of women's libber," she said. "He told
me not to be embarrassed and to see if we could get enough interest from the hospitals in the area to form a girls' league". They soon
had eight hospitals who wanted to form teams, and enough girls at St. Mary's who were interested to form two teams. On good days she
practiced with Tyrone McNairy, manager of St. Mary's Boys' softball team, on her lunch hour. Bats, balls and gloves were stashed on
the windowsill beside her sewing machine in a building close to the wooded area where they would practice. They had 36 girls sign up to
play at St. Mary's, and expecting more to sign up. They could have 20 girls on a team, but that would soon be cut to 16 players. "I told
Tyrone that the only way I could think of to eliminate them was to throw hard at them, and if they throw hard back, we'd know which ones
to take on the team. If we do have two teams, and the discards beat us, well, that wouldn't be good," she said. Clara was a tall, slender
dynamo who at the time, would eat, sleep and think ball playing. In her spare time she made nine quilts, all of them on baseball.
On July 20, 1974 Clara B. Schmitt married Roman J. Rothmeier and moved to Gerald where she continued to make quilts. In 1979 Clara
and Roman moved to Gerald, Missouri where they had built a new house and lake, as they also enjoyed fishing very much. They formed
the business, Quilt Top Stop and made and sold 100's of beautiful pieced quilt tops.
She no longer made the baseball quilts, but continued her passion for the sport.
"My Favorite Baseball Stars" Quilt
Baseball fans have been collecting autographed baseballs since the sport began. One prized Mickey Mantle, Ty Cobb or Stan Musial
signature ball would be enough glory to last most fans a lifetime.
The thought of owning almost 700 autographed balls would be more than most fans could ever hope for. For Clara, this fantasy became
a reality. Clara's baseballs, however, don't sit on a pedestal or adorn a mantel. They are made from cloth and appliqued to two very
special quilts.
"My Favorite Baseball Stars," Clara's most famous work includes the autographs of over 300 baseball greats. The quilt features portraits
of 44 baseball players, each one actually autographed by the player. Clara drew the portraits free hand from magazine newspaper and
trading card pictures. "The best part of making the quilt was having it placed in the Hall of Fame," says Clara.
This quilt graced the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, NY from 1959-1960. Clara took the quilt to the offices
of J. Taylor Spink, editor of the Sporting News in St. Louis to see if she could have a picture of the completed quilt put in the paper so that
those who had contributed their names would be able to see the finished quilt.
The picture of the quilt, and Rothmeier and Spink, ran in the Sporting News in March of 1959. Sid Keener, director of the Hall of Fame,
saw the picture and made arrangements with Rothmeier to have the quilt displayed in Cooperstown, where it was on public view for
almost one year.
The president of the Hall of Fame invited her to go to Cooperstown to see it on display, and arranged for her to see the Cleveland Indians
and Chicago Cubs play at Doubleday Field. "After the game there was a tea party where I met the entire Cubs team including Ron Santo,"
Clara adds, unable to restrain her obvious love for the game. "Nobody could throw it like him!"
In addition to meeting the Cubs, Clara was able to meet many other baseball greats because of her exposure at the Hall of Fame. One
such player was former Yankee great Joe Dimaggio. "I loved Joe Dimaggio the moment I met him," said Clara. "He got a lot of
autographs for me, and interviewed me on his Fan in the Stands show. When he asked me if I'd do it, I was really unsure about it, and told
him I wouldn't know what to say. He said, 'That's okay, nobody listens to me anyway.' Talking with him you felt like you'd known him all
your life."
What inspired Rothmeier to go through the time consuming process of designing and putting together this quilt? "I came from a family of
baseball nuts. My father played for a minor league team owned by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1917, so we grew up on baseball," Clara said.
Clara began working on baseball quilts at age 13. "My sister, who died when I was six, had made a baseball quilt of the St. Louis
Cardinals and I always admired it," she said. "I tried to convince my Mom to give me the quilt, but because I was one of 11 children, Mom
felt that one of the older children should get it. That was okay with me, but I decided that if I couldn't have that one, I'd make one of my own."
To learn more about this quilt, see list of autographs and more photos, click on the tab 'My Favorite Baseball Stars.
Baseball fans have been collecting autographed baseballs since the sport began. One prized Mickey Mantle, Ty Cobb or Stan Musial
signature ball would be enough glory to last most fans a lifetime.
The thought of owning almost 700 autographed balls would be more than most fans could ever hope for. For Clara, this fantasy became
a reality. Clara's baseballs, however, don't sit on a pedestal or adorn a mantel. They are made from cloth and appliqued to two very
special quilts.
"My Favorite Baseball Stars," Clara's most famous work includes the autographs of over 300 baseball greats. The quilt features portraits
of 44 baseball players, each one actually autographed by the player. Clara drew the portraits free hand from magazine newspaper and
trading card pictures. "The best part of making the quilt was having it placed in the Hall of Fame," says Clara.
This quilt graced the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, NY from 1959-1960. Clara took the quilt to the offices
of J. Taylor Spink, editor of the Sporting News in St. Louis to see if she could have a picture of the completed quilt put in the paper so that
those who had contributed their names would be able to see the finished quilt.
The picture of the quilt, and Rothmeier and Spink, ran in the Sporting News in March of 1959. Sid Keener, director of the Hall of Fame,
saw the picture and made arrangements with Rothmeier to have the quilt displayed in Cooperstown, where it was on public view for
almost one year.
The president of the Hall of Fame invited her to go to Cooperstown to see it on display, and arranged for her to see the Cleveland Indians
and Chicago Cubs play at Doubleday Field. "After the game there was a tea party where I met the entire Cubs team including Ron Santo,"
Clara adds, unable to restrain her obvious love for the game. "Nobody could throw it like him!"
In addition to meeting the Cubs, Clara was able to meet many other baseball greats because of her exposure at the Hall of Fame. One
such player was former Yankee great Joe Dimaggio. "I loved Joe Dimaggio the moment I met him," said Clara. "He got a lot of
autographs for me, and interviewed me on his Fan in the Stands show. When he asked me if I'd do it, I was really unsure about it, and told
him I wouldn't know what to say. He said, 'That's okay, nobody listens to me anyway.' Talking with him you felt like you'd known him all
your life."
What inspired Rothmeier to go through the time consuming process of designing and putting together this quilt? "I came from a family of
baseball nuts. My father played for a minor league team owned by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1917, so we grew up on baseball," Clara said.
Clara began working on baseball quilts at age 13. "My sister, who died when I was six, had made a baseball quilt of the St. Louis
Cardinals and I always admired it," she said. "I tried to convince my Mom to give me the quilt, but because I was one of 11 children, Mom
felt that one of the older children should get it. That was okay with me, but I decided that if I couldn't have that one, I'd make one of my own."
To learn more about this quilt, see list of autographs and more photos, click on the tab 'My Favorite Baseball Stars.
| Clara Schmitt Rothmeier Sports Memorabilia Absolute Auction Feb. 20, 2010 10:00am Union City Auditorium Building, 500 E. Locust St., Union, MO 63084 Directions: From St. Louis, MO take I-44 west 40 miles to Exit 247 (US 50 West), go 5 miles to Union From Jefferson City, Mo take US 50 East 75 miles to Union, MO Brehe Auctioneering www.breheauction.com |
| "MY FAVORITE BASEBALL STARS" |
1955 Brooklyn
Dodgers Quilt
Dodgers Quilt
| Major League Baseball Stars Quilt 520 autographs |
| My Favorite Baseball Stars Quilt, 340 autographs |
| Baseball Players Quilt |
| 1951 Cardinals Quilt |
| Baseball Teams Quilt |
| Merchanettes A.S.A. Softball Club, Springfield, IL |
| '52-'53 St. Louis Cardinals Quilt |
| Autographed Satchel, baseballs, etc. |
| Autographed pictures, etc. |
| 10,000 baseball cards |
| Click on pictures to enlarge |
| Click on pictures to enlarge |
| Click on pictures to enlarge. |
| Click on pictures to enlarge. |
Born in 1931, hailing from Japan, Missouri, Clara
Schmitt Rothmeier was certainly no stranger to the
diamond.
Clara was an accomplished baseball player as
well as a quiltmaker. Her father played minor league
ball in the Pittsburgh organization, and her five
brothers and four sisters had all played on traveling
baseball and softball teams. Clara herself played
first base for a traveling softball team from
Springfield, Illinois. While on the road, she started
sewing to keep busy. Her "My Favorite Baseball
Stars" quilt took more than 10 years to complete,
has 340 actual autographs, and was exhibited in
the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New
York in 1959-1960.
She has also made quilts commemorating the
1951 and 1956 St. Louis Cardinals (her favorite
club), the major league teams of 1948, and Jackie
Robinson's 1955 World Champion Dodgers, and
the “Major League Baseball Stars” quilt containing
537 actual autographs.
Schmitt Rothmeier was certainly no stranger to the
diamond.
Clara was an accomplished baseball player as
well as a quiltmaker. Her father played minor league
ball in the Pittsburgh organization, and her five
brothers and four sisters had all played on traveling
baseball and softball teams. Clara herself played
first base for a traveling softball team from
Springfield, Illinois. While on the road, she started
sewing to keep busy. Her "My Favorite Baseball
Stars" quilt took more than 10 years to complete,
has 340 actual autographs, and was exhibited in
the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New
York in 1959-1960.
She has also made quilts commemorating the
1951 and 1956 St. Louis Cardinals (her favorite
club), the major league teams of 1948, and Jackie
Robinson's 1955 World Champion Dodgers, and
the “Major League Baseball Stars” quilt containing
537 actual autographs.
William Jacob Schmitt, 1917
Stan "the Man" Musial, former star player for the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team, points to a
handmade quilt of pictures of famous baseball players as he visits with Norman Tice, pres., City Bank, St.
Louis, and Philip Licktenstein, chairman. The quilt was part of a "Hall of Fame" baseball display at the
bank in honor of the opening of the 1973 season.
handmade quilt of pictures of famous baseball players as he visits with Norman Tice, pres., City Bank, St.
Louis, and Philip Licktenstein, chairman. The quilt was part of a "Hall of Fame" baseball display at the
bank in honor of the opening of the 1973 season.
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