QUILT INDEX RECORD

12-8-5247

Who documented this quilt?

Michigan Quilt Project; Michigan State University Museum Collection; Black Diaspora Quilt History Project; Cuesta Benberry Collection

Where are the records for this quilt housed?

Michigan State University Museum

Michigan Quilt Project Number:

08.0068

If this quilt is owned by a museum, enter the accession number:

2008:119.8

Object label:

Pinwheel Flower
Maker unknown
Bowling Green, Missouri
c1860
Collection of Michigan State University Museum acc.#2008:119.8

Essay:

From Cuesta,
I purchased this unusual quilt from Dick and Suellen Meyer in Crever Couer, Missouri. With its bright antimony orange background, and four block setting (each block approximately one yard square), it bears a strong resemblance to a Pennsylvania-Dutch work.

The quilt is believed to have been made by a former slave.

By Mary Worrall, from the exhibit Unpacking Collections: the Legacy of Cuesta Benberry, An African American Quilt Scholar.

Quilt's title:

Pinwheel Flower

Names for quilt's pattern in common use:

Four Block Applique

When was the form filled out?

4/22/08

If you are the quilt owner, how did you acquire this quilt?

Received as a gift

Where the quilt was made, city:

Bowling Green

Where the quilt was made, state:

Missouri (MO)

Where the quilt was made, country:

United States

Time period:

1876-1900

When was the quilt finished?

c1860

Quilt is presently used as:

Museum collection

Quiltmaker's city:

Bowling Green

Quiltmaker's state:

Missouri (MO)

Quiltmaker's country:

United States

Quiltmaker's ethnic background/tribal affiliation:

African American, a former slave

This is a:

Finished quilt

How wide is the quilt?

76"

How long is the quilt?

81"

Shape of edge:

Straight

Shape of corners:

Straight

What color is the quilt?

Green; Orange; Red; White

Overall color scheme:

Bright or primary colors

Quilt's condition:

Very good/almost new

Describe the quilt's layout:

Block pattern

Number of quilt blocks:

4

Size of quilt blocks:

22" x 22"

Arrangement of quilt blocks:

Straight

Spacing of quilt blocks:

Side by side

Number of borders:

1

Describe the borders:

2" side borders 6" bottom border 8" top border

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Cotton

Piecing techniques used to make the quilt top:

Hand Piecing; Machine Piecing

Applique techniques used to make the quilt top:

Hand Applique

Materials used to make the back:

Cotton

What color is the back of the quilt?

Beige or Tan

Describe the back:

Same fabric used throughout; Print

Materials used in the quilt binding:

Cotton

How is the binding made?

Back turned to front

What is the width of the binding (measure on the top only)?

half inch - one inch

What kind of filling is used in the quilt?

Cotton

How are the layers held together?

Hand quilting

Color of thread used in the quilting:

Gold thread over the surface and green thread near the pattern's designs.

Number of quilting stitches per inch, place 1:

4

Number of quilting stitches per inch, place 2:

5

Width between quilting lines:

1/2"

Quilting designs used, overall motifs:

Grid diamond

Source of the information on this quilt:

MSU 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)

Quilt owner's country:

United States

How was this quilt acquired?

Purchase

Tell the story of how the quilt was obtained:

This quilt was collected by Cuesta Benberry to further her research on quiltmaking and/or African American quiltmaking. Her son donated the collection to the Michigan State University Museum when she passed away in 2007.

Describe anything about the history of the quilt that wasn't already recorded in a previous field:

This quilt was purchased by Cuesta from Suellen Meyer of St. Louis. The quilt was made by a former slave. It was made in Bowling Green, MO. From Cuesta, "I purchased this unusual quilt from Dick and Suellen Meyer in Crever Couer, MO. With its bright antimony orange background, and four block setting (each block approx. one yard square), it bears a strong resemblance to a Pennsylvania-Dutch work."

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

How did the quiltmaker participate in the creation of the quilt?

Made entire quilt

Who photographed this quilt?

Pearl Yee Wong

Copyright holder:

MSU Board of Trustees