QUILT INDEX RECORD

25-21-319

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:

TMM2592-3

Alternate inventory control number:

W2h45.03

Person filling out this form is:

Blood relative of quiltmaker; Other

Source of the information on this quilt:

quiltmaker was grandmother of donor, technical advisor

When was the form filled out?

1990, 2007

Describe the relationship to the quilt's maker:

donor, technical reviewer

This is a:

Finished quilt

Owner's name for quilt:

Cockscomb Variation

How wide is the quilt?

99 in.

How long is the quilt?

89 in.

Shape of edge:

Straight

Shape of corners:

Rounded

What color is the quilt?

Green; Pink; Red; White; Yellow

Antique colors:

Chrome Yellow; Turkey Red

Overall color scheme:

Bright or primary colors

Quilt's condition:

Very good/almost new

Damage:

Stains

Describe the damage:

brown stains

Notes on condition, damage, or repairs:

bright colors suggest that this quilt has never been washed; greens from this era are often fugitive

Time period:

1850-1875

Family/owner's date for quilt:

family states that quilt was made ca. 1855 by Mary Ann Ellington for her wedding that year.

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

ca. 1850s

Who estimated the quilt's date?

Jan Wass

Describe the quilt's layout:

Block pattern

Number of quilt blocks:

9

Size of quilt blocks:

29 in. x 29 in.

Arrangement of quilt blocks:

Straight

Spacing of quilt blocks:

Side by side

What is the shape of the quilt blocks?

Same block throughout

Number of borders:

1 border on 3 sides

Describe the borders:

6 inch applique border with floral vine pattern on 3 sides; no border at quilt top.

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

Applique techniques used to make the quilt top:

Hand Applique

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:

4

Width of pieces on the back:

13 in., 29 1/4 in., 29 1/4 in., 28 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

Describe the binding:

binding may be a replacement

How is the binding made?

Home cut; Machine sewn

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:

12

Number of quilting stitches per inch, place 2:

12

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

no

Quilting designs used, overall motifs:

Echo

Quilting designs used, decorative motifs:

Vines

Describe the quilting designs used:

Pinwheels quilted in open areas; outline quilting on the applique; some echo, grid, and parallel line quilting in background.

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

This quilt features the same leafy vine quilting that appears in quilt TMM2592-2, which is said to have been made by this quiltmaker's (Mary Ann Ellington) Aunt Patsy. There are marked similarities among the three quilts (TMM2592-1, 2592-2, 2592-3) donated by Margaret Steiner and made by Aunt Patsy and her niece Mary Ann Ellington, all ca. 1855.

Quilt top made by:

Alexander, Mary Ann Ellington

Quilted by:

Alexander, Mary Ann Ellington

Where the quilt was made, county:

Cumberland

Where the quilt was made, state:

Kentucky (KY)

Where the quilt was made, country:

United States

How was this quilt acquired?

Gift

Tell the story of how the quilt was obtained:

This quilt was inherited by the donor from her father, who was the son of quiltmaker Mary Ann Ellington Alexander.

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 January 15, 1990, by Margaret Alexander Steiner of Gonzales, Texas. According to the donor, it was made by her maternal grandmother Mary Ann Ellington, possibly as part of her trousseau. Mary Ann Ellington (1837-1932) married Lauren Clauson Alexander (1827-1865) on September 5, 1855. The couple moved to Texas shortly after their wedding, settling on a farm located between Sherman and Bonham, in north Texas.

Why was the quilt made?

Wedding

The quilt was made to be used for:

Bedding, special occasion

Quilt is presently used as:

Museum collection; Study or teaching aid

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

The leafy vine quilting in this quilt also appears in TMM2592-2, which was made by this quiltmaker's Aunt Patsy. Both quilts are ca. 1855.

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:

Ellington, Mary Ann

Quiltmaker's gender:

Female

Quiltmaker's birth date:

11/12/1837

Quiltmaker's birthplace, city:

Cumberland County

Quiltmaker's birthplace, state:

Kentucky

Quiltmaker's birthplace, country:

United States

Quiltmaker's marriage date(s):

09/5/1855; 1869

Quiltmaker's date and place of death:

06/05/1932

In which kind of environment did the quiltmaker live?

Rural

Quiltmaker's state:

Texas (TX)

Quiltmaker's country:

United States

Quiltmaker's father's name:

Ellington, David Alexander Hezekiah

Quiltmaker's father's birthplace:

Cumberland County, Kentucky

Quiltmaker's father's ethnic/tribal background:

Irish, English

Quiltmaker's mother's name:

Ellington, Martha Ann

Quiltmaker's mother's birthplace:

Cumberland County, Kentucky

Quiltmaker's mother's ethnic/tribal background:

Iish, English

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

Alexander, Lauren Clauson; Dial, Dr. William Harrison

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

cotton dealer/merchant; physician

Number of children:

3

How many of the quiltmaker's children were boys?

3

How did the quiltmaker learn to quilt?

From Relative; Self-Taught

When did the quiltmaker learn to quilt?

Age 11-19

Who photographed this quilt?

Billy Moore

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

Copyright holder:

Assistant Director Winedale

Details

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