BACK TO QUILTS

Lone Star Quilt; Star of Bethlehem

CITE THIS QUILT

img
quilt

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

RELATED RECORDS