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Wholecloth Tree of Life; Calimanco Coverlet

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QUILT INDEX RECORD

25-21-295

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:

TMM1995-3

Alternate inventory control number:

W2h40.3

Person filling out this form is:

Other

Source of the information on this quilt:

donor, technical reviewer

When was the form filled out?

1965, 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:

Wholecloth Tree of Life

Names for quilt's pattern in common use:

Calimanco Coverlet

How wide is the quilt?

86 in.

How long is the quilt?

91 in.

Shape of edge:

Straight

Shape of corners:

Straight

What color is the quilt?

Blue or Navy

Antique colors:

Indigo Blue

Overall color scheme:

One color/monochromatic

Quilt's condition:

Very good/almost new

Damage:

Tears or holes

Repairs:

Patched with new fabrics

Describe the repairs:

Indigo blue patch, approximately 4 in. x 4 in., is at quilt center.

Notes on condition, damage, or repairs:

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:

Other

Describe the type of inscription:

descriptive label on back

What is inscribed on the quilt?

"handsomely quilted Morino cover, all wool and very warm. Has taken first prize at many fairs."

Method used to make the inscription:

Attached label; Ink

Location of inscription:

on back

Time period:

1800-1849

Family/owner's date for quilt:

Texas memorial Museum estimated date to post 1840s

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

1800-1820

Who estimated the quilt's date?

Jan Wass

Describe the quilt's layout:

Wholecloth

Subject of the quilt:

Tree of Life motif

Number of quilt blocks:

wholecloth

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Wool

Fabric types used to make the quilt top:

Glazed

Fabric styles used in the quilt top:

Solid/plain

Describe the fibers or fabrics in the quilt top:

calimanco

Piecing techniques used to make the quilt top:

Hand Piecing

Describe the techniques used to make the quilt top:

glaze on wool is still very evident

Can you feel or see paper on the quilt that was used as a construction aid?

no

Materials used to make the back:

Wool; Woven or homespun

What color is the back of the quilt?

Gold

Number of pieces of fabric in the quilt back:

4

Width of pieces on the back:

28 1/2 in., 27 1/2 in., 29 1/2 in., 1 in.

Describe the back:

Hand sewn; Same fabric used throughout; Solid/plain

Materials used in the quilt binding:

Wool

Fabric structure of the binding:

Twill weave

How is the binding made?

Hand sewn; Woven tape

What is the width of the binding (measure on the top only)?

half inch - one inch

What kind of filling is used in the quilt?

Wool

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:

dark blue

Number of quilting stitches per inch, place 1:

7

Number of quilting stitches per inch, place 2:

7

Width between quilting lines:

1/4 in. - 3/8 in.

Quilting designs used, overall motifs:

All-over-design

Quilting designs used, decorative motifs:

Feathering; Floral; Vines

Quilting designs used, background fills:

Parallel lines

Describe the quilting designs used:

Quilting is in navy blue cotton thread in large overall feather pattern suggesting the Tree of Life motif in the center and feathered vines around the quilt edges.

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

Most wholecloth glazed wool quilts were made in the Northeast and New England.

How was this quilt acquired?

Gift

Tell the story of how the quilt was obtained:

It is not know if this quilt was made or owned by a member(s) of the donor's family.

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. This quilt was donated to the Texas Memorial Museum on March 25, 1965 by Isabel L. Clark from San Antonio, Texas. There is no indication that the donor was related to the quiltmaker, whose identity is unknown.

The quilt was made to be used for:

Bedding, special occasion

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, 2004, Winedale, Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin.

Contests entered:

Label attached to quilt states that this quilt "has taken first prize at many fairs." No further information is available.

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

Who photographed this quilt?

Billy Moore

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

Copyright holder:

Assistant Director Winedale

Details

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Cite this Quilt

Wholecloth Tree of Life. 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=25-21-295. Accessed: 03/29/24