QUILT INDEX RECORD

12-8-5279

Who documented this quilt?

Michigan Quilt Project; Michigan State University Museum Collection; Cuesta Benberry Collection

Where are the records for this quilt housed?

Michigan State University Museum

Michigan Quilt Project Number:

08.0097

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

2008:119.37

Object label:

Cuesta's Stars
Bobbi Finley, Bettina Havig, Barbara Brackman, Judy Severson, Carol Jones, Georgann Eglinski, Kathy Ronsheimer, Carmel Reitman, Kathy Sullivan, Erma Kirkpatrick, and Julie Powell.
Quilted by Bettina Havig.
2003
Collection of Michigan State University Museum acc.#2008:119.37

Essay:

Every year for a number of years, Cuesta and a group of quiltmakers, quilt historians, quilt teachers, and quilt authors met for a retreat at Point Bonita, California, to share ideas and work on quilt projects. For Cuesta’s 80th birthday, 11 regular attendees of the Pt. Bonita Retreat contributed to a quilt top for her. Each woman, keeping in mind that Cuesta's favorite color was blue, provided her own fabric and design. The top was presented to Cuesta at a small gathering of friends in North Carolina in 2002. Bettina Havig then took the quilt home and quilted it. The finished quilt was presented to Cuesta in January of 2003, the last time that Cuesta was able to attend the Point Bonita retreat.

Quilt's title:

Cuesta's Stars

Names for quilt's pattern in common use:

sampler

When was the form filled out?

4/22/08

Quilt top made by:

Finley, Bobbi; Havig, Bettina; Brackman, Barbara; Severson, Judy; Jones, Carol; Eglinski, Georgeann; Ronsheimer, Kathy; Retiman, Carmel; Sullivan, Kathy; Kirkpatrick, Erma

Quilted by:

Havig, Bettina

Name of the group that made the quilt:

Point Bonita Retreat

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

Received as a gift

Where the quilt was made, country:

United States

Time period:

2000-2025

When was the quilt finished?

2003

Why was the quilt made?

Commemorative; Gift or presentation

Quilt is presently used as:

Museum collection

Quiltmaker's country:

United States

Does/did the quiltmaker belong to a group? Name of the group?

Point Bonita Retreat Quilters

This is a:

Finished quilt

How wide is the quilt?

67"

How long is the quilt?

67"

Shape of edge:

Straight

Shape of corners:

Straight

What color is the quilt?

Beige or Tan; Blue

Quilt's condition:

Very good/almost new

Type of inscription:

Multiple Names

What is inscribed on the quilt?

Bobbi Finley, Bettina Havig, Barbara Brackman, Judy Severson, Carol Jones, Georgeann Eglinski, Kathy Ronsheimer, Carmel Retimen, Kathy Sullivan, Erma Kirkpatrick, and Julie Powell

Method used to make the inscription:

Attached label

Location of inscription:

on back

Describe the quilt's layout:

Block pattern

Number of quilt blocks:

31

Size of quilt blocks:

8" - 12" varies

Arrangement of quilt blocks:

Straight

Spacing of quilt blocks:

Separated by floated or random sashing

Number of borders:

1

Describe the borders:

4 1/2"

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Cotton

Piecing techniques used to make the quilt top:

Machine Piecing

Materials used to make the back:

Cotton

What color is the back of the quilt?

Beige or Tan; Blue or Navy

Describe the back:

Same fabric used throughout; Print

Materials used in the quilt binding:

Cotton

How is the binding made?

Straight grain

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?

Polyester

How are the layers held together?

Hand quilting

Color of thread used in the quilting:

beige

Number of quilting stitches per inch, place 1:

11

Number of quilting stitches per inch, place 2:

11

Quilting designs used, overall motifs:

Outline

Features or notes about the quilt's appearance, materials, or construction:

This quilt is a collage of various star designs. Some of the patterns used are: Seven Sisters, Lemoyne Star, Cuesta's Star, Ohio Star, Durham Star, and North Star. This quilt was made by friends of Cuesta Benberry. They met each year at Point Bonita, California, in retreat, to share ideas and work on quilt projects. The maker's list reads like a who's who of quiltmaking. Most are famous in their own fields, are authors, and teachers of quiltmaking. Each woman provided her own fabric and design, keeping in mind that Cuesta's favroite color is blue. This, each block contains some form of blue fabric.

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:

Every year for a number of years, Cuesta and a group of quiltmakers, quilt historians, quilt teachers, and quilt authors met for a retreat at Point Bonita, California, to share ideas and work on quilt projects. For Cuesta’s 80th birthday, members of the Pt. Bonita Retreat contributed to a quilt top for her. Each woman, keeping in mind that Cuesta's favorite color was blue, provided her own fabric and design. The top was presented to Cuesta at a small gathering of friends in North Carolina in 2002. Bettina Havig then took the quilt home and quilted it. The finished quilt was presented to Cuesta in January of 2003, the last time that Cuesta was able to attend the Point Bonita retreat.

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