QUILT INDEX RECORD
25-21-58
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_0093
Person filling out this form is:
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, 1983-1986, and/or during the Association's Phase II of the Texas Quilt Search, 1986-1989. Karey Bresenhan served as quilt historian
When was the form filled out?
1986-1989
Choose the best description of the source to the quilt:
Quiltmaker; Quilt owner
How did the quiltmaker participate in the creation of the quilt?
Made entire quilt
If you are the quilt owner, how did you acquire this quilt?
Made the quilt
Describe the relationship to the quilt's maker:
This quilt is owned by the quiltmaker.
This is a:
Finished quilt
Owner's name for quilt:
Lone Star Quilt
Names for quilt's pattern in common use:
Star of Bethlehem
How wide is the quilt?
88 in.
How long is the quilt?
88 in.
Shape of edge:
Straight
Shape of corners:
Straight
What color is the quilt?
Blue or Navy; Red; White; Yellow
Overall color scheme:
Multicolor; Bright or primary colors
Quilt's condition:
Excellent/like new
Type of inscription:
Date
What is inscribed on the quilt?
1961
Method used to make the inscription:
In the quilting
Describe the method used to inscribe the quilt:
quilted in
Location of inscription:
on block
Time period:
1950-1975
When was the quilt started?
pieced in 1950s
When was the quilt finished?
quilted in 1961
Family/owner's date for quilt:
1961
Date estimated by an antique dealer, quilt historian or appraiser:
1961
Who estimated the quilt's date?
Karey Bresenhan
Further information concerning dates:
quiltmaker considers this quilt to have been be made in 1961
Describe the quilt's layout:
Medallion or framed center
Subject of the quilt:
Texas Lone Star
Number of borders:
1
Describe the borders:
Inner deep red sawtooth frame, with teeth pointing outward, on unbleached muslin; outer frame of deep red, with inward pointing sawtooth.
Fiber types used to make the quilt top:
Cotton
Fabric types used to make the quilt top:
Muslin
Fabric styles used in the quilt top:
Multiple scrap; Print; Solid/plain
Piecing techniques used to make the quilt top:
Machine Piecing
Can you feel or see paper on the quilt that was used as a construction aid?
no
Materials used to make the back:
Cotton
What color is the back of the quilt?
White
Describe the back:
Same fabric used throughout; Solid/plain
Materials used in the quilt binding:
Cotton
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?
Polyester
How thick is the quilt?
Thin (Less than 3/16?)
Describe the quilt filling:
early use of synthetic batting
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:
7
Number of quilting stitches per inch, place 2:
9
Width between quilting lines:
1 - 2 in.
Quilting designs used, overall motifs:
Grid/crosshatch; Outline
Describe the quilting designs used:
outline quilting on both sides of each diamond; crosshatch grid throughout background
Features or notes about the quilt's appearance, materials, or construction:
Quilt was pieced in the 1950s and quilted in 1961. It utilizes dark red and olive green contrasting with blue green, all set on unbleached muslin. Expertly hand quilted in a crosshatch grid and outline quilting. Two sawtooth frames set off magnificent Lone Star. The quiltmaker used synthetic batting--an early use of this new type of batting.
Quilt top made by:
Brock, Marguerite Evelyn Houston
Quilted by:
Brock, Marguerite Evelyn Houston
Where the quilt was made, city:
Dalhart
Where the quilt was made, county:
Dallam
Where the quilt was made, state:
Texas (TX)
Where the quilt was made, country:
United States
How was this quilt acquired?
Made by owner
Tell the story of how the quilt was obtained:
Mrs. Brock has been piecing and quilting all her life, first out of necessity and then for pleasure. She made this Lone Star quilt because she saw the design in a magazine and, she says, "I liked it, so I made it."
Describe anything about the history of the quilt that wasn't already recorded in a previous field:
Mrs. Brock comes from a long line of dedicated quilters. The Diamondback Rattlesnake Quilt featured in Bresenhan, Karoline Patterson and Nancy O'Bryant Puentes, Lone Stars: A Legacy of Texas Quilts, Vol. I, 1836-1936 (Austin: University of Texas Press, 1986), p. 112-113), was made by her great grandmother, then handed down to her grandmother, who taught Mrs. Brock how to quilt, and then given to her "because she also made quilts."
Why was the quilt made?
Art or personal expression
The quilt was made to be used for:
Bedding, special occasion
Quilt is presently used as:
Bedding, special occasion; Keepsake/memento
Where did the maker get their materials?
Purchased new
Where did the maker find their pattern?
Public domain/traditional pattern; Traditional pattern variation
Describe the source of the pattern:
quiltmaker saw this quilt design in a magazine
Describe anything about the design of the quilt that wasn't already recorded in a previous field:
The quiltmaker made her first quilt at age sixteen or seventeen, then "continued to quilt because of a love of the art."
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. 86-87.
Ownership of this quilt is:
Private
Quilt owner's name:
Marguerite Evelyn Houston Brock
Quilt owner's state:
Texas (TX)
Quilt owner's country:
United States
Quiltmaker's maiden name:
Houston, Marguerite Evelyn
Quiltmaker's gender:
Female
Quiltmaker's birth date:
05/071915
Quiltmaker's birthplace, city:
Union County
Quiltmaker's birthplace, state:
New Mexico
Quiltmaker's birthplace, country:
United States
Quiltmaker's educational background:
graduated from 8th grade
Quiltmaker's religious affiliation:
First Christian Church
Quiltmaker's occupation:
homemaker
In which kind of environment did the quiltmaker live?
Rural
Quiltmaker's state:
Texas (TX)
Quiltmaker's country:
United States
Number of children:
4
How did the quiltmaker learn to quilt?
From Relative
When did the quiltmaker learn to quilt?
Age 11-19
Why does the quiltmaker quilt?
Church; Gifts; Necessity; Pleasure
Notes on how the quiltmaker learned, and how and why they quilt:
creative outlet, creative rewards, sense of heritage
Estimated number of quilts made by this quiltmaker:
more than 50
Does/did the quiltmaker sell quilts?
no
Any other notes or stories about the quiltmaker:
Mrs. Brock learned to quilt from her grandmother and originally made utility quilts for bedding. She made her first quilt when she was about sixteen or seventeen and living in Stinnett, Texas. She now makes quilts for pleasure, working in her living room. Mrs. Brock has won blue ribbons for her quilts at local fairs.
Who photographed this quilt?
Sharon Risedorph
Access and copyright information:
Restricted
Copyright holder:
Assistant Director Winedale
Cite this Quilt
Brock, Marguerite Evelyn Housto. Lone Star Quilt. quilted in 1961. 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=25-21-58. Accessed: 03/28/24
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Essay
Lone Stars: A Legacy of Texas Quilts: ...
Bresenhan, Karoline Patterson