QUILT INDEX RECORD
12-8-989
Who documented this quilt?
Michigan Quilt Project; Michigan State University Museum Collection
Where are the records for this quilt housed?
Michigan State University Museum
Michigan Quilt Project Number:
00.0654 AIQP
If this quilt is owned by a museum, enter the accession number:
2000:55.1
Object label:
Indian Woman
Margaret Wood
Navajo/Seminole, Phoenix, Arizona
1991
Collection of Michigan State University Museum acc.#2000:55.1
Essay:
In this quilt entitled "Indian Woman", Margaret Wood of Phoenix, Arizona expresses the challenge of being a woman in two cultural worlds - Native and non-native.
From To Honor and Comfort Native Quilting Traditions.
Owner's name for the quilt:
Indian Woman
Quilt top made by:
Wood, Margaret
Quilted by:
Wood, Margaret
If you are the quilt owner, how did you acquire this quilt?
Purchased the quilt
Where the quilt was made, city:
Phoenix
Where the quilt was made, county:
Maricopa
Where the quilt was made, state:
Arizona (AZ)
Time period:
1976-1999
When was the quilt finished?
1991
Quilt is presently used as:
Museum collection
Quiltmaker's gender:
Female
Quiltmaker's city:
Phoenix
Quiltmaker's birth date:
1/23/1950
In which kind of environment did the quiltmaker live?
Urban
Quiltmaker's ethnic background/tribal affiliation:
Native American Navajo/Seminole
Quiltmaker's educational background:
BA from Arizona State University, Elementary Ed.and MA in Library Science from University of Denver, Denver, CO
Quiltmaker's occupation:
Owner and president of Native American Fashions, Inc.
Quiltmaker's father's name:
Wood, Charlie
Quiltmaker's father's ethnic/tribal background:
Seminole (Oklahoma)
Quiltmaker's mother's name:
Wood, Helen Watchman
Quiltmaker's mother's ethnic/tribal background:
Navajo
Quiltmaker's spouse's/spouses' and/or partner's/partners' occupation:
lawyer
Number of children:
2
How many of the quiltmaker's children were boys?
2
When did the quiltmaker learn to quilt?
Age 11-19
Why does the quiltmaker quilt?
Gifts
Other notes on how the quiltmaker learned, and how and why they quilt:
Has given away a lot of quilts for baby presents. My work in quilts and clothing is based upon centuries of Native American fiber and arts tradition. In accordance with a long history of embracing new materials and decorative ideas, I consider my work a continuation of the evolution of Native American fashion and decorative work.
Does/did the quiltmaker sell quilts?
yes
Does/did the quiltmaker teach quilting?
yes
This is a:
Finished quilt
How wide is the quilt?
56"
How long is the quilt?
83 1/2"
Shape of edge:
Straight
Quilt's condition:
Very good/almost new
Type of inscription:
Date
What is inscribed on the quilt?
Indian Woman, 1991, 14th quilt
What is the date inscribed on the quilt?
1991
Method used to make the inscription:
Attached label
Location of inscription:
on back
Describe the fibers or fabrics in the quilt top:
ultrasuede, metal, shell, black onyx, turquoise, human hair wig.
Embellishments used:
Other attachments
Describe embellishment materials or techniques:
Above her are 4 jet pieces, to her right are 4 white shell pieces, below her are 4 turquoise pieces and to her left are 4 abolone shell pieces.
Materials used to make the back:
Cotton
What kind of filling is used in the quilt?
Polyester
How are the layers held together?
Machine quilting
Quilting designs used, overall motifs:
Outline
Quilting designs used, background fills:
Parallel lines
Features or notes about the quilt's appearance, materials, or construction:
Half the outfit is business suit and half is a "traditional" Navajo outfit. In the four corners are appliqued Navajo rug prints.
Where did the maker find their pattern?
Original to maker
Related items such as diaries, obituaries, wills, household inventories, or pictures of the quiltmaker:
To Honor and Comfort: Native Quilting Traditions (1997), page 74.
Source of the information on this quilt:
Museum employee
Ownership of this quilt is:
Public- Michigan State University Museum
Quilt owner's name:
Michigan State University Museum
Quilt owner's city:
East Lansing
Quilt owner's county:
Ingham
Quilt owner's state:
Michigan (MI)
How was this quilt acquired?
Purchase
Access and copyright information:
Restricted
How did the quiltmaker participate in the creation of the quilt?
Made entire quilt
If the source helped design the quilt, describe their input:
Designed the pattern
Describe any unique traditions, quilting related customs, beliefs, songs or rhymes used by the quiltmaker:
Often does a spirit line from the interior design out to the border (assoc. with Nav. rug weaving).
Who photographed this quilt?
Marilyn Szabo
Copyright holder:
Michigan State University Museum
Cite this Quilt
Wood, Margare. Indian Woman. 1991. From Michigan State University Museum, Michigan Quilt Project; Michigan State University Museum Collection. Published in The Quilt Index, https://quiltindex.org/view/?type=fullrec&kid=12-8-989. Accessed: 03/29/24
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