QUILT INDEX RECORD

25-21-6

Who documented this quilt?

Texas Sesquicentennial Quilt Association, Texas Quilt Search

Where are the records for this quilt housed?

Briscoe Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin

Texas Quilt Search Number:

tqs_0046

Person filling out this form is:

Blood relative of quiltmaker; Quilt owner; Other

Source of the information on this quilt:

This quilt was identified and reviewed during the Texas Sesquicentennial Quilt Association's Texas Quilt Search, 1983-1985. Karey Bresenhan served as quilt historian.

When was the form filled out?

1983-1985

Choose the best description of the source to the quilt:

Quilt owner

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

Inherited

Describe the relationship to the quilt's maker:

The quiltmaker was the great aunt of Rev. Robert S. Loomis, the present quilt owner.

This is a:

Finished quilt

Owner's name for quilt:

Crazy Quilt

How wide is the quilt?

58 in.

How long is the quilt?

58 in.

Shape of edge:

Straight

Shape of corners:

Straight

What color is the quilt?

Black; Cream; Green; Lavender; Orange; Pink; Red; Yellow

Overall color scheme:

Multicolor

Quilt's condition:

Very good/almost new

Damage:

Disintegration of fabric

Describe the damage:

fraying at fold lines

Notes on condition, damage, or repairs:

In 1985, as part of the preparations for the “Lone Stars: A Legacy of Texas Quilts, 1836-1936” exhibit in the Texas Capitol Rotunda, the Texas Sesquicentennial Quilt Association sponsored a Quilt Conservation Seminar. Part of the seminar was a two-day intensive hands-on laboratory attended by quilt experts who stabilized, backed, or otherwise prepared the quilts, including this one, for this exhibition.

Type of inscription:

Date; Initials

What is inscribed on the quilt?

1895 A. T.

What is the date inscribed on the quilt?

1895

Method used to make the inscription:

Embroidery

Location of inscription:

on block

Time period:

1876-1900

When was the quilt finished?

1895

Family/owner's date for quilt:

1895

Date estimated by an antique dealer, quilt historian or appraiser:

1895

Who estimated the quilt's date?

Karey Bresenhan

Further information concerning dates:

dated

Describe the quilt's layout:

Block pattern

Number of quilt blocks:

9, of various sizes

Arrangement of quilt blocks:

Straight

Spacing of quilt blocks:

Side by side

Number of different block patterns used in the quilt:

1

What is the shape of the quilt blocks?

Squares

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Silk

Fabric types used to make the quilt top:

Other

Fabric styles used in the quilt top:

Solid/plain; Other

Describe the fibers or fabrics in the quilt top:

moire silks, ribbons

Piecing techniques used to make the quilt top:

Foundation Piecing; Hand Piecing; Machine Piecing

Applique techniques used to make the quilt top:

Blanket, buttonhole, or other decorative applique stitch

Embellishment techniques used to make the quilt top:

Embroidery; Other embellishment technique

Describe the techniques used to make the quilt top:

decorative briar stitching around each fabric and around each of the nine blocks

Can you feel or see paper on the quilt that was used as a construction aid?

no

Materials used to make the back:

Silk

What color is the back of the quilt?

Black

Describe the back:

Machine sewn; Same fabric used throughout; Solid/plain

Materials used in the quilt binding:

Silk

Fabric structure of the binding:

Other

Describe the binding:

ribbon

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

less than a half inch

How wide is the binding (measure on the top only)?

machine bound with ribbon

What kind of filling is used in the quilt?

No filling

How are the layers held together?

Not quilted

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

An organized and somewhat restrained Crazy quilt that repeats black, apricot, and lavender color combinations and features each of the nine blocks built around a 5-inch central square, each with an embroidered motif of crossed lilies. Two concentric squares of ribbons, set on point and elegantly embroidered, frame the inner square. No tacking.

Quilt top made by:

McCauley, Annie T.

Where the quilt was made, city:

San Antonio

Where the quilt was made, county:

Bexar

Where the quilt was made, state:

Texas (TX)

Where the quilt was made, country:

United States

How was this quilt acquired?

Inheritance

Tell the story of how the quilt was obtained:

Family history holds that quiltmaker Annie McCauley made this Crazy quilt for her sister's anniversary. The sister passed it down to her daughter, who gave it to her son and the quilt's present owner, the Reverend Robert S. Loomis and his wife.

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

The initials A. T. in the quilt must refer to Annie T., the quiltmaker. Presumably T. stands for her maiden name.

Why was the quilt made?

Gift or presentation

The quilt was made to be used for:

Decorative throw

Quilt is presently used as:

Keepsake/memento

Where did the maker get their materials?

Unknown

Describe the sources of the quilt's materials:

ribbons

Where did the maker find their pattern?

Traditional pattern variation

Exhibitions where this quilt was displayed:

One of 62 Texas quilts exhibited in “Lone Stars: A Legacy of Texas Quilts, 1836-1936,” Texas State Capitol Rotunda, Austin, Texas, April 19-21, 1986.

Related items such as diaries, obituaries, wills, household inventories, or pictures of the quiltmaker:

Texas Sesquicentennial Quilt Association’s Texas Quilt Search Archives

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

Bresenhan, Karoline Patterson and Nancy O'Bryant Puentes, Lone Stars: A Legacy of Texas Quilts, Vol. I, 1836-1936 (Austin: University of Texas Press), p. 114-115.

Ownership of this quilt is:

Private

Quilt owner's name:

Reverend and Mrs. Robert S. Loomis

Quilt owner's state:

Arizona (AZ)

Quilt owner's country:

United States

Quiltmaker's gender:

Female

Quiltmaker's birth date:

1873

Quiltmaker's birthplace, state:

Texas

Quiltmaker's birthplace, country:

United States

Quiltmaker's marriage date(s):

1888

Quiltmaker's date and place of death:

1934

In which kind of environment did the quiltmaker live?

Urban

Who photographed this quilt?

Sharon Risedorph

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

Copyright holder:

Assistant Director Winedale

Details

•