QUILT INDEX RECORD
25-21-104
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_0135
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 Phase II of the Texas Quilt Search, 1986-1989. Karey Bresenhan served as quilt historian.
When was the form filled out?
1986-1990
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
If the source helped design the quilt, describe their input:
Designed quilt motif; Designed the pattern
Describe the relationship to the quilt's maker:
This quilt is presently owned by the quiltmaker.
This is a:
Finished quilt
Quilt's title:
Freedom to Dream Quilt
Owner's name for quilt:
Freedom to Dream
How wide is the quilt?
72 in.
How long is the quilt?
72 in.
Shape of edge:
Straight
Shape of corners:
Straight
What color is the quilt?
Beige or Tan; Blue or Navy; Brown; Cream; Gray; Green; Orange; Rust
Overall color scheme:
Multicolor
Quilt's condition:
Excellent/like new
Time period:
1976-1999
When was the quilt started?
12/23/1985
When was the quilt finished?
Spring, 1986
Family/owner's date for quilt:
1986
Describe the quilt's layout:
Pictorial
Subject of the quilt:
Statue of Liberty
Number of quilt blocks:
framed pictorial medallion
Number of borders:
2 multiple-pieced borders
Describe the borders:
inner border of 580 one and one-half inch squares "depicting the earth, from the white plains to the red earth of Oklahoma, and the wildflowers found in every state of the union"; outer border is printed paisley
Fiber types used to make the quilt top:
Cotton
Fabric styles used in the quilt top:
Paisley; Print; Solid/plain
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
Can you feel or see paper on the quilt that was used as a construction aid?
no
Materials used to make the back:
Cotton
Describe the back:
Same fabric used throughout
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?
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:
browns, blues
Width between quilting lines:
2 in.
Quilting designs used, overall motifs:
Outline
Quilting designs used, decorative motifs:
Other
Describe the quilting designs used:
outline quilting around designs; quilting to create ocean waves, clouds, dimensions in roadway
Features or notes about the quilt's appearance, materials, or construction:
This original design was made by Anita Murphy as her entry for the Great American Quilt Contest Honoring the 100th Anniversary of the Statue of Liberty. The pictorial design depicts her idea of "The Freedom to Dream." It contains an airplane as a reminder of the first time she saw the Statue of Liberty (she was an airline hostess and had earned travel miles for a trip to New York; the pilot tipped the plane just so Mrs. Murphy could see the Statue of Liberty). The ship at the dock commemorates her husband's Mother, who was born on board a ship waiting to dock. The log cabin depicts the humble beginnings of many new immigrants. The quilts in the design represent the warm and comfort quilts bring to our lives. Finally, the little boy at dock's edge is not fishing--he is dreaming of what he can grow up to become as an American with the right to be free.
Quilt top made by:
Murphy, Marie Anita Wingate
Quilted by:
Murphy, Marie Anita Wingate
Where the quilt was made, city:
Kountze
Where the quilt was made, county:
Hardin
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. Murphy grew up making quilts; she founded the Golden Triangle Quilt Guild in Beaumont, and this quilt was selected the Texas state winner at the Statue of Liberty Centennial Quilt Contest. Mrs. Murphy completed this quilt in thirty-six days while her husband was in the hospital with an illness that later claimed his life. She notes: "James's encouragement and pride in what I made and the designs I have created were as good or better than most art classes."
Describe anything about the history of the quilt that wasn't already recorded in a previous field:
Mrs. Murphy's quilt was selected to represent Texas in the Statue of Liberty Centennial quilt contest. Following its selection, she was invited to meet then Texas Governor Mark White, and later she met Vice President George Bush and Mrs. Bush. Along with other state winners, she was invited to New York City to attend the premiere exhibit of the quilts before they left on tour across the U.S. and to four cities in Japan.
Why was the quilt made?
Challenge or Contest entry
Details about why the quilt was made:
entry in Statue of Liberty Centennial quilt contest
The quilt was made to be used for:
Artwork/wall hanging
Quilt is presently used as:
Artwork/wall hanging; Keepsake/memento; Study or teaching aid
Where did the maker get their materials?
Purchased new
Where did the maker find their pattern?
Original to maker
Describe anything about the design of the quilt that wasn't already recorded in a previous field:
Mrs. Murphy made this quilt in 36 days while at the foot of her husband's hospital bed in 1986. She notes: "The nurses kept me going with "hot tea" & much encouragement from the Drs. . . . they were so proud I was the "Texas" winner & they saw it develop under their watchful eye."
Exhibitions where this quilt was displayed:
Toured several American cities and four cities in Japan in 1986 in "Statue of Liberty Centennial Quilt Contest"; “Lone Stars: A Legacy of Texas Quilts, 1936-1986,” 16th Annual International Quilt Festival, November, 1990, Houston, Texas.
Contests entered:
Texas state winner, 1986 in "Statue of Liberty Centennial Quilt Contest."
Related items such as diaries, obituaries, wills, household inventories, or pictures of the quiltmaker:
Texas Sesquicentennial Quilt Association, 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. 170-171.
Ownership of this quilt is:
Private
Quilt owner's name:
Murphy, Marie Anita Wingate
Quilt owner's state:
Texas (TX)
Quilt owner's country:
United States
Quiltmaker's maiden name:
Wingate, Marie Anita
Quiltmaker's gender:
Female
Quiltmaker's birth date:
05/15/1927
Quiltmaker's birthplace, city:
Kansas City
Quiltmaker's birthplace, state:
Kansas
Quiltmaker's birthplace, country:
United States
Quiltmaker's occupation:
retired airline hostess, busiess woman; profession quilter/teacher
In which kind of environment did the quiltmaker live?
Urban
Quiltmaker's state:
Texas (TX)
Quiltmaker's country:
United States
Quiltmaker's spouse's/spouses' and/or partner's/partners' occupation:
businessman
Number of children:
5
How many of the quiltmaker's children were girls?
3
How many of the quiltmaker's children were boys?
2
How did the quiltmaker learn to quilt?
From Relative; Self-Taught
When did the quiltmaker learn to quilt?
Under 10 years of age
Why does the quiltmaker quilt?
Gifts; Income; Pleasure; Other
Notes on how the quiltmaker learned, and how and why they quilt:
Mrs. Murphy states about her quilting and teaching: "I love to share, encourage, and confirm in each student their ability to grow and learn to be proud of their accomplishments."
Does/did the quiltmaker belong to a group? Name of the group?
founder of Golden Triangle Quilt Guild
Where does/did the group meet?
Beaumont, Texas
Estimated number of quilts made by this quiltmaker:
more than 50
Does/did the quiltmaker sell quilts?
yes
Does/did the quiltmaker teach quilting?
yes
Any other notes or stories about the quiltmaker:
Mrs. Murphy made her first quilt at age seven--a doll quilt. She notes that she has "enjoyed a lifetime of stitchery and crafts" and is a self-taught seamstress.
Who photographed this quilt?
Sharon Risedorph
Access and copyright information:
Restricted
Copyright holder:
Assistant Director Winedale
Details
Cite this Quilt
Murphy, Marie Anita Wingat. Freedom to Dream Quilt. Spring, 1986. 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=25-21-104. Accessed: 03/29/24