Childhood Grace McCance went to
Nebraska with her parents in 1885 to homestead in a
sod house in
Custer County, which her father acquired through the
Homestead Act. She had nine siblings. She had three childhood dreams: to create the most beautiful quilts, to look down from a cloud, and to marry a cowboy. As a small child, she pieced
quilt blocks while tending the family's cows. It would be years before she made a quilt from purchased fabric instead of scraps.
Adulthood McCance grew up in Nebraska Sand Hills, where she first met her future husband, Bert, at 17. He offered to help her family when her father fell ill. She met Bert again at 21, where they married in 1903 and spent 53 years together before his passing. They lived on a ranch northwest of
North Platte, where they raised four children:
Nellie Snyder Yost, Miles, Billie, and Bertie. The relatively isolated ranch life gave McCance time for
quilting, she keeps a box of quilting supplies with her as she drove around the ranch. But her move to Oregon in 1927 gave her even more time as her domestic and farming duties changed, allowing more time for her textile work. She became recognised for her
quilts as their technical detail had reached a national audience. During times of poverty in her area, she created the Helping Hand Club, which gave quilts and assistance to those in need. Grace was also proficient at crochet, embroidery, and other fabric work. McCance lived to be 100 years old. She is buried in North Platte Cemetery in
North Platte, Nebraska.
Career Snyder won many awards and ribbons in local Nebraska quilting competitions. The Women's International Exhibition displayed four of her quilts in 1950. Although quilt-making became less popular nationwide during the mid 20th century, Snyder continued to produce work throughout her adult life. The
Congress of Quilters Hall of Fame in
Arlington, Virginia, inducted her in 1980, as did the
Nebraska Quilters Hall of Fame in 1986. America's Best Quilts of the 20th century includes Petit Point Flower Baskets: her quilt with upwards of 85,000 fabric pieces. ==Books==