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Whitework--Floral Embroidery

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QUILT INDEX RECORD

25-21-285

Who documented this quilt?

Winedale Quilt Collection

Where are the records for this quilt housed?

Briscoe Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin

Texas Quilt Search Number:

TMM678-6

Alternate inventory control number:

W2h44.03

Person filling out this form is:

Relative of quiltmaker; Other

Source of the information on this quilt:

technical reviewer

When was the form filled out?

1945, 2007

Choose the best description of the source to the quilt:

Other

Describe the relationship to the quilt's maker:

donor, technical reviewer

This is a:

Finished quilt

Owner's name for quilt:

Whitework--Floral Embroidery

How wide is the quilt?

79 in.

How long is the quilt?

98 in.

Shape of edge:

Straight

Shape of corners:

Rounded

What color is the quilt?

White

Overall color scheme:

One color/monochromatic

Quilt's condition:

Very good/almost new

Damage:

Stains; Tears or holes

Describe the damage:

light staining

Repairs:

Patched with new fabrics

Describe the repairs:

a few patches on front

Notes on condition, damage, or repairs:

Blue stains on back. This quilt may have been repaired and/or stabilized in 1984-1985 when members of the Austin Area Quilt Guild helped a professional textile conservator repair and/or stabilize approximately thirty quilts then owned by the Texas Memorial Museum, University of Texas at Austin.

Type of inscription:

Signature

What is inscribed on the quilt?

"Clarkson" written in ink on a patch on quilt back

Method used to make the inscription:

Ink

Location of inscription:

on back

Time period:

1800-1849

Family/owner's date for quilt:

family history dates quilt to before 1814

Date estimated by an antique dealer, quilt historian or appraiser:

1800-1850

Who estimated the quilt's date?

Jan Wass

Describe the quilt's layout:

Wholecloth

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Cotton

Fabric styles used in the quilt top:

Solid/plain

Piecing techniques used to make the quilt top:

Hand Piecing

Embellishment techniques used to make the quilt top:

Embroidery; Other embellishment technique

Describe the techniques used to make the quilt top:

cotton crewel 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

What color is the back of the quilt?

White

Number of pieces of fabric in the quilt back:

3

Width of pieces on the back:

26 in., 27 in., 26 in.

Describe the back:

Hand sewn; Same fabric used throughout; Solid/plain

Materials used in the quilt binding:

Cotton

Fabric structure of the binding:

Plain weave

How is the binding made?

Back turned to front

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?

Thin (Less than 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:

7

Number of quilting stitches per inch, place 2:

15

Width between quilting lines:

3/8 in., 3/4 in.

Quilting designs used, overall motifs:

All-over-design; Grid/crosshatch

Quilting designs used, background fills:

Grid/crosshatch

Features or notes about the quilt's appearance, materials, or construction:

The top is embroidered using thick cotton thread in designs of flowers, leaves, grapes, and seedpods connected by vines. There are 18 different flowers depicted, including wild rose, chrysanthemum, forget-me-nots, and cornflowers, plus grapes, shamrocks, and pomegranates. Embroidery stitches include satin, stem, French knots, and buttonhole knots. The top is made of three panels hand sewn together; panels measure 26 in., 27 in., 26 in. wide.

Quilt top made by:

Wescott, Mrs.

Quilted by:

Wescott, Mrs.

Where the quilt was made, state:

New Jersey (NJ)

Where the quilt was made, country:

United States

How was this quilt acquired?

Gift

Tell the story of how the quilt was obtained:

Family/donor records indicate that this quilt was made by Mrs. Westcott of New Jersey, who brought it to Kentucky from New Jersey in 1814. Mrs. Westcott was the mother-in-law of Austin Edward Clarkson of Covington, Kentucky. The quilt remained in the possession of the donor's aunt and uncle (the Kentucky Clarksons) until 1930 and then was sent by Miss Lillian Clarkson to Austin E. Clarkson of Houston, Texas. He donated the quilt to the Texas Memorial Museum on February 2, 1945.

Describe anything about the history of the quilt that wasn't already recorded in a previous field:

This quilt is one of approximately forty-two quilts that the Texas Memorial Museum (TMM) at the University of Texas at Austin transferred to the University’s Center for American History (CAH) in April 2003 as part of TMM’s transfer of selected material culture objects from its collections to CAH and other research facilities on the UT-Austin campus. These TMM quilts are now part of CAH’s Winedale Quilt Collection. Information relating to each quilt’s provenance is based on documentation recorded by TMM staff at the time of acquisition, which began in the early 1940s and continued until 2003.

Why was the quilt made?

Art or personal expression

Quilt is presently used as:

Museum collection; Study or teaching aid

Exhibitions where this quilt was displayed:

"From Our Hands: A Sesquicentennial Celebration of Quilts," February 16 - March 29, 1986, Texas Memorial Museum, University of Texas at Austin; annual quilt show, February 2004, 2005, Winedale, Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin.

Publications (including web sites) where this quilt or maker was featured:

Described in exhibition catalog for "From Our Hands: A Sesquicentennial Celebration of Quilts," Texas Memorial Museum, University of Texas at Austin, 1986.

Ownership of this quilt is:

Public Museum, Library or Institution

Quilt owner's name:

Winedale, Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin

Quilt owner's city:

Round Top

Quilt owner's county:

Fayette

Quilt owner's state:

Texas (TX)

Quilt owner's country:

United States

Quiltmaker's gender:

Female

Quiltmaker's country:

United States

Who photographed this quilt?

Billy Moore

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

Copyright holder:

Assistant Director Winedale

Details

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Cite this Quilt

Wescott, Mrs. Whitework--Floral Embroidery. 1800-1849. From Briscoe Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin, Winedale Quilt Collection. Published in The Quilt Index, https://quiltindex.org/view/?type=fullrec&kid=25-21-285. Accessed: 03/29/24