QUILT INDEX RECORD

25-21-311

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:

TMM2515-1

Person filling out this form is:

Daughter of quiltmaker; Other

Source of the information on this quilt:

technical reviewer

When was the form filled out?

1985, 2007

Describe the relationship to the quilt's maker:

donor, technical reviewer

This is a:

Finished quilt

Owner's name for quilt:

Cracker

Brackman # or other source & #:

2380

How wide is the quilt?

65 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; Cream; Pink; Red; White

Overall color scheme:

Multicolor

Quilt's condition:

Fair/worn

Damage:

Disintegration of fabric; Open seams; Tears or holes; Uneven batting; Wear to edge or binding

Repairs:

Patched with new fabrics; Stabilized with netting

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.

Time period:

1950-1975

Family/owner's date for quilt:

Texas Memorial Museum dated quilt to ca. 1930s.

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

1940-1960

Who estimated the quilt's date?

Jan Wass

Further information concerning dates:

Donor stated that her mother made this quilt around 1915.

Describe the quilt's layout:

Block pattern

Number of quilt blocks:

42

Size of quilt blocks:

9 1/2 in. x 9 1/2 in. generally

Arrangement of quilt blocks:

Straight

Spacing of quilt blocks:

Side by side

What is the shape of the quilt blocks?

Squares

Number of borders:

1

Describe the borders:

3 in. border of pink cotton with white dots

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Cotton

Fabric types used to make the quilt top:

Broadcloth

Fabric styles used in the quilt top:

Checked; Floral; Multiple scrap; Plaid; Print; Other

Describe the fibers or fabrics in the quilt top:

chambrey

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

Description of the back:

very thin cotton

What color is the back of the quilt?

Cream

Number of pieces of fabric in the quilt back:

2

Width of pieces on the back:

32 in., 32 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?

Hand sewn; Home cut

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?

Cotton

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:

white

Number of quilting stitches per inch, place 1:

5

Number of quilting stitches per inch, place 2:

5

Can you see any knots on the front or back of the quilt?

no

Quilting designs used, overall motifs:

Other

Quilting designs used, background fills:

Other

Describe the quilting designs used:

Each block is quilted with 7 or 8 parallel lines in the form of concentric right angles (squared fans).

Quilted by:

Star, Josephine Rossi

Where the quilt was made, city:

Austin

Where the quilt was made, county:

Travis

Where the quilt was made, state:

Texas (TX)

Where the quilt was made, country:

United States

How was this quilt acquired?

Gift

Tell the story of how the quilt was obtained:

Lucy Star Meserole, the donor, stated that her mother made this quilt for her around 1915 when her family lived in Austin, Texas. The donor states that she remembers sleeping wrapped in the quilt when she was 7 or 8 years old.

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 November 7, 1985 by Lucy Star Meserole, the quiltmaker’s daughter. There are various conflicting dates given by the donor concerning family history and this quilt, but it seems likely that the quiltmaker came to the United States from Milan, Italy around 1888. Her father working on the Texas State Capitol as a stone mason. Josephine Rossie married Peter Star when she was sixteen. The couple, their children, and other members of the Rossi family lived in an Italian, Polish, and Spanish community in Austin. Josephine was a noted nurse and midwife. The donor stated that her mother, the quiltmaker, "always dressed her children in bright colors."

Why was the quilt made?

Other

Details about why the quilt was made:

made as bedding for her daugter

The quilt was made to be used for:

Bedding, daily use

Quilt is presently used as:

Museum collection; Study or teaching aid

Where did the maker get their materials?

Old clothes

Describe the sources of the quilt's materials:

The brown and white material in the quilt top came from the quiltmaker's apron and the yellow flower print came from one of her dresses.

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

The donor, who is the daughter of the quiltmaker, stated that her mother made up the quilt's pattern and "scrapped it the best way that she could."

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 maiden name:

Rossi, Josephine

Quiltmaker's gender:

Female

Quiltmaker's birth date:

1872

Quiltmaker's birthplace, city:

Milan

Quiltmaker's birthplace, country:

Italy

Quiltmaker's marriage date(s):

1887

Quiltmaker's date and place of death:

1947

Quiltmaker's occupation:

nurse/midwife

Quiltmaker's county:

Travis

Quiltmaker's city:

Austin

Quiltmaker's state:

Texas (TX)

Quiltmaker's country:

United States

Quiltmaker's father's name:

Rossi, Peter

Quiltmaker's father's birthplace:

Italy

Quiltmaker's mother's birthplace:

Italy

Quiltmaker's spouse's/spouses' and /or partner's/partners' name(s):

Star, Paul

Quiltmaker's spouse's/spouses' and/or partner's/partners' occupation:

landlord

Why does the quiltmaker quilt?

Necessity

Any other notes or stories about the quiltmaker:

Josephine Rossi was born in Milan, Italy, probably around 1872. She moved with her family to Vera Cruz, Mexico, when she was fifteen, where her family worked to raise the $100 necessary to find their move to Texas. The moved about 1888 to Austin, where her father gained employment as a stonemason working on the new State Capitol building. At sixteen Josephine married Austin landlord Paul Star; they lived on west 2nd street, a Spanish, Polish, and Italian neighborhood where Josephine gained a reputation as a nurse and midwife. She made this quilt for her daughter Lucy when she was seven or eight years old. Lucy, the quilt's donor, remembers wrapping up in the quilt and sleeping on the floor of their home.

Who photographed this quilt?

Billy Moore

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

Copyright holder:

Assistant Director Winedale

Details

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