QUILT INDEX RECORD
14-10-267
Where are the records for this quilt housed?
American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Who documented this quilt?
Lands' End All-American Quilt Collection
American Folklife Center, Library of Congress Documentation Number:
AFC 1997/011: Folder 8961 P1
Alternate inventory number for this quilt. This might be a museum accession number.
afcqltle le012
Person filling out this form is:
Quiltmaker
Describe the relationship to the quilt's maker:
Quiltmaker submitted information with quilt.
This is a:
Finished quilt
Quilt's title:
Desert Storm
Names for quilt's pattern in common use:
Feathered Star
How wide is the quilt?
48 inches
How long is the quilt?
48 inches
Quilt's condition:
Excellent/like new
Time period:
1976-1999
When was the quilt started?
September, 1991
When was the quilt finished?
May, 1992
Describe the quilt's layout:
Block pattern
Fiber types used to make the quilt top:
Cotton
Piecing techniques used to make the quilt top:
Machine Piecing
What kind of filling is used in the quilt?
Polyester
How are the layers held together?
Hand quilting
Features or notes about the quilt's appearance, materials, or construction:
The following information was supplied by the quiltmaker: Learned the pattern when she "saw it in a magazine" How did you choose the materials used in your quilt? "I always use cotton, probably because I always wear cotton. The red and white are my favorite contrasting colors. The quilt design, feathers, is also one of my favorites. I love the way curved lines quilt." "I started this quilt when my son was sent to Iraq -- during deployment for the Gulf War. As events developed and grew more dangerous, I worked longer hours, added more hand quilting, made the stitches tinier and tinier. It started out to be a graceful feather quilting pattern, but the way it ended up, the quilting seems to be the center of a tornado. The thing makes me dizzy to this day. The quilt stayed in the closet, except for entering it in this contest, for 6 years, until my son married. I gave it to him for a wedding present and told him how and when it came to be made (I think I would have gone mad had I not had my quilting to keep me straight). It has always been relaxing. This time it was my salvation. My son never knew at the time just how worried I was and it was a chance (my giving him the quilt) for us both to let go of those feelings. I also gave him a color copy of the brochure Lands' End published with the winner's listed and my son and his new wife were a bit overwhelmed by the gift." How long have you been making quilts? "I started in 1986 when I moved to a town of 250 people in Central MT and didn't know a soul. I also didn't have much money so I bought $40 worth of red and white cottons and quilted the hell out of it. That one was a single wedding ring and was juried into the American Quilt Society Show and reprinted in their quilt calendar, 1992 I think, for the week of my Mom's birthday. It was only my fourth attempt." How did you learn to quilt? "Self-taught." What was your primary reason for entering the Lands' End contest? "My sister told me about the contest and I thought it would warm up our relationship if I would get involved in something she liked (dressing up the house) and if I won she would see I wasn't a flake (which is what she's always thought and said.)" Has being a winner in the Land's End contest made a difference in your life? Has it changed the way you look at your work as a quilt maker? "I stopped showing quilts because of this contest. My brand new perfect quilt was apparently pinned up for judging or something. It was returned with a very obvious tear in the binding. Now I only show quilts in my own quilt group where I can do the hanging and taking down."
Quilt top made by:
Clarke, Eileen
Where the quilt was made, city:
Townsend
Where the quilt was made, county:
Broadwater County
Where the quilt was made, state:
Montana (MT)
Where the quilt was made, country:
United States
Why was the quilt made?
Challenge or Contest entry; Personal income; Other
The quilt was made to be used for:
Artwork/wall hanging
Contests entered:
This quilt was part of the Lands' End All-American Quilt Contest. 1992 Montana State Winner
Related items such as diaries, obituaries, wills, household inventories, or pictures of the quiltmaker:
http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/qlt:@FIELD(DOCID+@LIT(le012))
Ownership of this quilt is:
Private
Quilt owner's country:
United States
Description of quilt:
This quilt is part of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress "Quilts and Quiltmaking in American: 1978-1996 exhibit. It was winner in the Lands' End All-American Quilt Contest.
Access and copyright information:
Restricted
Copyright holder:
American Folklife Center, Library of Congress. Email: folklife@loc.gov
Cite this Quilt
Clarke, Eilee. Desert Storm. May, 1992. From American Folklife Center, Library of Congress, Lands' End All-American Quilt Collection. Published in The Quilt Index, https://quiltindex.org/view/?type=fullrec&kid=14-10-267. Accessed: 04/19/24