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When I Put Out to Sea; When I Put Out to Sea

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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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