QUILT INDEX RECORD
25-21-52
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_0087
Person filling out this form is:
Brother of quiltmaker; Quilt owner; Other
Source of the information on this quilt:
This quilt was reviewed and documented during the Texas Sesquicentennial Quilt Association's Texas Quilt Search Phase II, 1986-1989. Karey Bresenhan served as quilt historian
When was the form filled out?
1989
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's brother is the present owner of this quilt.
This is a:
Finished quilt
Quilt's title:
When I Put Out to Sea
Owner's name for quilt:
When I Put Out to Sea
How wide is the quilt?
78 in.
How long is the quilt?
85 in.
Shape of edge:
Scalloped
Shape of corners:
Scalloped
What color is the quilt?
Blue or Navy; Gold; White
Overall color scheme:
Light or pastel colors
Quilt's condition:
Good/moderate use
Damage:
Fading
Describe the damage:
some overall loss of color
Time period:
1930-1949
When was the quilt started?
April 12, 1948
When was the quilt finished?
April 30, 1948
Family/owner's date for quilt:
1948
Date estimated by an antique dealer, quilt historian or appraiser:
1948
Who estimated the quilt's date?
Karey Bresenhan
Further information concerning dates:
Quilt was created and finished in eighteen days, in time for display at the Georgetown, Texas, Centennial celebration.
Describe the quilt's layout:
Pictorial
Subject of the quilt:
Navy and nautical themes is framed medallion and on border
Describe the borders:
Scalloped white edge, which echoes the shape of the medallion, is on all sides. The border is embellished with three seagulls in flight on the bottom and both sides, but not at the top.
Fiber types used to make the quilt top:
Cotton
Fabric styles used in the quilt top:
Solid/plain
Describe the fibers or fabrics in the quilt top:
blue chambray
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:
Embroidery
Describe the techniques used to make the quilt top:
Small square at bottom is embroidered S 1/C [seaman first class]; embroidered detail on ocean waves suggests frothing as waves break upon the beach; fabric and stitching detail on seagulls
Can you feel or see paper on the quilt that was used as a construction aid?
no
Materials used to make the back:
Cotton
Description of the back:
blue chambray
What color is the back of the quilt?
Blue or Navy
Describe the back:
Same fabric used throughout; Solid/plain
Materials used in the quilt binding:
Cotton
Describe the binding:
white binding to contrast with blue chambrey counterpane.
How is the binding made?
Bias grain
What is the width of the binding (measure on the top only)?
less than a half inch
What kind of filling is used in the quilt?
Cotton
How thick is the quilt?
Medium (3/16?)
How are the layers held together?
Hand quilting
Thread type used for the quilting:
cotton
Color of thread used in the quilting:
white
Number of quilting stitches per inch, place 1:
4
Number of quilting stitches per inch, place 2:
6
Width between quilting lines:
1 1/2 in.
Quilting designs used, overall motifs:
Clamshell; Grid/crosshatch; Outline
Describe the quilting designs used:
crosshatch grid quilting within medallion frame; clamshell quilting on border; outline quilting around design motifs
Features or notes about the quilt's appearance, materials, or construction:
This unusual pictorial quilt includes embroidery to create the illusion of froth as the waves break, seagulls captured realistically in stitching and fabric, and a Texas flag symbolizing both the birthplace of the quiltmaker and the naval base in Corpus Christi where her husband was stationed.
Quilt top made by:
Headrick, Felma Green
Quilted by:
Headrick, Felma Green
Where the quilt was made, city:
Georgetown
Where the quilt was made, county:
Williamson
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:
The quiltmaker's brother and wife are the present owners of this quilt.
Describe anything about the history of the quilt that wasn't already recorded in a previous field:
Felma Headrick made many quilts to use and to give away. She made this one in memory of her husband, who died in 1946 of service-related injuries. This is an original pictorial quilt design, which, according to Karey Bresenhan, is uncommon for the period. The quilt was made over a period of eighteen days in order to be ready for the Georgetown Centennial celebration. The quilt was displayed in a store window, and one viewer later wrote in to the local newspaper with the following: "There was a quilt on display in Ben Neuman's show window that attracted my attention very much. Both old and modern history was combined to show a minute picture of our progress from the Liberty Bell to our modern war planes and battleships of today--the flag we love and honor and the old Eagle which lifts his head high and proudly stands guard over us all."
Why was the quilt made?
Commemorative
Details about why the quilt was made:
made by the quiltmaker in memory of her husband
The quilt was made to be used for:
Artwork/wall hanging
Quilt is presently used as:
Keepsake/memento
Where did the maker get their materials?
Purchased new
Where did the maker find their pattern?
Original to maker
Exhibitions where this quilt was displayed:
“Lone Stars: A Legacy of Texas Quilts, 1936-1986,” Annual International Quilt Festival, November, 1990, Houston, Texas.
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. II, 1936-1986 (Austin: University of Texas Press, 1990), p. 74-75.
Ownership of this quilt is:
Private
Quilt owner's name:
Mr. and Mrs. Ray G. Green
Quilt owner's state:
Texas (TX)
Quilt owner's country:
United States
Quiltmaker's maiden name:
Green, Felma
Quiltmaker's gender:
Female
Quiltmaker's birth date:
10/05/1905
Quiltmaker's birthplace, city:
Georgetown, Williamson County
Quiltmaker's birthplace, state:
Texas
Quiltmaker's birthplace, country:
United States
Quiltmaker's date and place of death:
12/11/1988
Quiltmaker's educational background:
through 8th grade
Quiltmaker's occupation:
beautician
In which kind of environment did the quiltmaker live?
Rural
Quiltmaker's father's name:
Green, [unknown]
Quiltmaker's spouse's/spouses' and/or partner's/partners' occupation:
military service
How did the quiltmaker learn to quilt?
From Relative; Self-Taught
Why does the quiltmaker quilt?
Gifts; Necessity; Pleasure
Notes on how the quiltmaker learned, and how and why they quilt:
The quiltmaker's brother notes: "Most of her quilts were made to use and to give away."
Does/did the quiltmaker sell quilts?
no
Does/did the quiltmaker teach quilting?
no
Any other notes or stories about the quiltmaker:
Felma Headrick learned to quilt from her mother. Her brother recalls that she "was interested in many things. She painted in oils, she did leathercraft and macrame, and she made many quilts."
Who photographed this quilt?
Sharon Risedorph
Access and copyright information:
Restricted
Copyright holder:
Assistant Director Winedale
Cite this Quilt
Headrick, Felma Gree. When I Put Out to Sea. April 30, 1948. From Briscoe Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin, Texas Sesquicentennial Quilt Association, Texas Quilt Search. Published in The Quilt Index, https://quiltindex.org/view/?type=fullrec&kid=25-21-52. Accessed: 03/29/24
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