QUILT INDEX RECORD

12-8-6178

Who documented this quilt?

Michigan Quilt Project; The Henry Ford Collection

Where are the records for this quilt housed?

Michigan State University Museum

Michigan Quilt Project Number:

13.0142

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

2008.118.1

Owner's name for the quilt:

Rosa Parks II

Biography of the quiltmaker?

The two most common subjects Yvonne Wells treats in her quilts are those based on biblical texts and social/political themes, many of which focus on the Civil Rights struggles in the South. Wells uses rich symbolism and vivid colors to tell stories and offer comments on social and political issues. She often creates three versions of a quilt--three quilts with the same name (each somewhat different).

When was the form filled out?

2013

Quilt top made by:

Wells, Yvonne

Quilted by:

Wells, Yvonne

If you are a relative of the quiltmaker, how are you related? The quiltmaker is my:

Quilt owner

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

Purchased the quilt

Where the quilt was made, city:

Tuscaloosa

Where the quilt was made, county:

Tuscaloosa County

Where the quilt was made, state:

Alabama (AL)

Where the quilt was made, country:

United States

Time period:

2000-2025

When was the quilt finished?

2006

Quilt is presently used as:

Museum collection

Quiltmaker's gender:

Female

Quiltmaker's city:

Tuscaloosa

Quiltmaker's county:

Tuscaloosa County

Quiltmaker's state:

Alabama (AL)

Quiltmaker's country:

United States

Does/did the quiltmaker sell quilts?

yes

This is a:

Finished quilt

How wide is the quilt?

77.25 in.

How long is the quilt?

87.75 in.

Shape of edge:

Straight

Shape of corners:

Straight

What color is the quilt?

Black; Blue; Brown; Green; Red; Yellow; White

Overall color scheme:

Multicolor

Quilt's condition:

Good/moderate use

Type of inscription:

Signature; Date

What is inscribed on the quilt?

On the front: YW 2006-6 (in red embroidery) On the back: ROSA/PARKS II/2006-6/YVONNE/WELLS/(triangle shape) lettered in black ink

What is the date inscribed on the quilt?

2006

Method used to make the inscription:

Embroidery; Ink

Location of inscription:

multiple locations

Describe the quilt's layout:

Pictorial

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Cotton; Cotton or polyester blend; Polyester; Other blends; Other synthetic

Fabric types used to make the quilt top:

Other

Fabric styles used in the quilt top:

Novelty; Plaid; Print; Solid/plain; Striped

Piecing techniques used to make the quilt top:

Hand Piecing; Machine Piecing

Applique techniques used to make the quilt top:

Hand Applique

Embellishment techniques used to make the quilt top:

Attachments (beading, charms, buttons, etc); Embroidery

Embellishments used:

Buttons attached; Cotton thread; Other attachments

Describe embellishment materials or techniques:

Shoe lace; Embroidered tape

Materials used to make the back:

Cotton

What color is the back of the quilt?

Black; White

Number of pieces of fabric in the quilt back:

2

Describe the back:

Machine sewn

Materials used in the quilt binding:

Cotton

Fabric structure of the binding:

Plain weave

How is the binding made?

Back turned to front

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

greater than one inch

What kind of filling is used in the quilt?

Cotton or polyester blend

How thick is the quilt?

Thick

How are the layers held together?

Hand quilting

Thread type used for the quilting:

Polyester; Cotton/polyester

Color of thread used in the quilting:

White

Number of quilting stitches per inch, place 1:

2 stitches per inch

Width between quilting lines:

2-3 in

Quilting designs used, overall motifs:

Elbow/fan

Exhibitions where this quilt was displayed:

The Alabama Festival Freedom Dream, June 2008. Pietrasanta, Italy.

Publications (including web sites) where this quilt or maker was featured:

Wells' quilts are held by a number of museums, including the International Quilt Study Center & Museum at the University of Nebraska, the Birmingham Museum of Art, and the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts. Her quilts have been shown at a number of American museums, including the Museum of American Folk Art in New York. Her work has been exhibited in Japan and other Asian countries, and was included in a major exhibition of Alabama art in the summer of 2000 in the south of France. Three of her quilts have been issued as greeting cards by the Hallmark Card Company; one of her quilts was included in Workman Publishing Co.'s Folk Art Calendar in 1992. Wells was awarded the prestigious Alabama Arts Award and Visual Arts Craftsmen Award in 1998.

Person filling out this form is:

Quilt owner

Source of the information on this quilt:

Museum Representative

Ownership of this quilt is:

Private- Nonprofit Organization

Quilt owner's name:

The Henry Ford

Quilt owner's city:

Dearborn

Quilt owner's county:

Wayne

Quilt owner's state:

Michigan (MI)

Quilt owner's country:

United States

How was this quilt acquired?

Purchase

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

The images on this quilt show the figure of Rosa Parks sitting calmly and resolutely in her bus seat; the hand of the white bus driver urging Mrs. Parks to give up her seat; the segregated bus Rosa Parks rode; the large wheel that represents human activity when, according to the quilter, "everyone seemed to be on the move"; people of many races marching around the wheel's edge in support of Civil Rights; printed fabrics with images of shoes that represent the bus boycott's "foot soldiers" who walked instead of rode; the "white" and "colored" drinking fountains symbolizing the racial segregation of the pre-Civil Rights South; the image of Ku Klux Klan members lynching a man, a stark reminder of the brutality and injustice that African Americans faced. The background of the quilt top is an American Flag. This quilt is the second version of three quilts (all slightly different in design) that the quiltmaker created around the theme of Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Details

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Access and copyright information:

Restricted

Who photographed this quilt?

The Henry Ford

Copyright holder:

The Henry Ford