QUILT INDEX RECORD

25-21-338

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_0006

Person filling out this form is:

Quilt owner; Other

Source of the information on this quilt:

This quilt was identified and reviewed during the Texas Sesquicentennial Quilt Association's Texas Quilt Search, 1983-1985. Karey Bresenhan served as quilt historian.

When was the form filled out?

1983-1985

Choose the best description of the source to the quilt:

Quilt owner

If you are the quilt owner, how did you acquire this quilt?

Purchased the quilt

This is a:

Finished quilt

Owner's name for quilt:

Trapunto Quilt

Names for quilt's pattern in common use:

White-work Quilt

How wide is the quilt?

75 in.

How long is the quilt?

77 in.

Shape of edge:

Straight

Shape of corners:

Rounded

Describe the corners:

Quilt top corners are straight, but handmade knotted fringe on three sides rounds two corners.

What color is the quilt?

White

Overall color scheme:

One color/monochromatic

Quilt's condition:

Good/moderate use

Notes on condition, damage, or repairs:

In 1985, as part of the preparations for the “Lone Stars: A Legacy of Texas Quilts, 1836-1936” exhibit in the Texas Capitol Rotunda, the Texas Sesquicentennial Quilt Association sponsored a Quilt Conservation Seminar. Part of the seminar was a two-day intensive hands-on laboratory attended by quilt experts who stabilized, backed, or otherwise prepared the quilts, including this one, for this exhibition.

Time period:

1850-1875

Family/owner's date for quilt:

ca. 1850

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

ca. 1850

Who estimated the quilt's date?

Karey Bresenhan

Describe the quilt's layout:

Medallion or framed center

Number of borders:

1

Describe the borders:

Outer border is quilted in in scrolled feather design that turns perfectly at the corners.

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Cotton

Fabric styles used in the quilt top:

Solid/plain

Describe the techniques used to make the quilt top:

Handmade knotted fringe on three sides (not at top).

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:

homespun

What color is the back of the quilt?

White

Describe the back:

Hand sewn; Same fabric used throughout; Solid/plain

Materials used in the quilt binding:

Cotton

Fabric structure of the binding:

Other

Describe the binding:

handmade knotted fringe

How are the layers held together?

Hand quilting; Stuffed work

Thread type used for the quilting:

cotton

Color of thread used in the quilting:

white

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

no

Quilting designs used, decorative motifs:

Feathering; Floral; Vines; Other

Describe the quilting designs used:

Elaborately scrolled feather design on border; center medallion surrounded by an interlocking feather chain. Other details include delicate leaves, sunflowers, bluebells, and pineapples. Stipple quilting creates another dimension to the quilt.

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

Karey Bresenhan described this quilt as "a splendid example of early trapunto white-work" and called the quiltmaker "a master quilter." The designs on this quilt show no evidence of marking and may have been drawn on with a needle and quilted before the needle line faded.

Where the quilt was made, state:

West Virginia (WV)

Where the quilt was made, country:

United States

How was this quilt acquired?

Purchase

Tell the story of how the quilt was obtained:

The identity of the quiltmaker is unknown, though she was related to the Meeks family. Her great grandson brought this white-work quilt to the Rio Grande Valley in Texas around 1900. Family members sold it in an estate sale, along with the quiltmaker's wedding dress.

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

The quilt's owner is Sue Colly Kreidler, who lives in Texas. She purchased this quilt at an estate sale.

Why was the quilt made?

Art or personal expression

The quilt was made to be used for:

Bedding, special occasion

Quilt is presently used as:

Keepsake/memento

Where did the maker get their materials?

Unknown

Where did the maker find their pattern?

Public domain/traditional pattern

Exhibitions where this quilt was displayed:

One of 62 Texas quilts exhibited in “Lone Stars: A Legacy of Texas Quilts, 1836-1936,” Texas State Capitol Rotunda, Austin, Texas, April 19-21, 1986.

Related items such as diaries, obituaries, wills, household inventories, or pictures of the quiltmaker:

Texas Sesquicentennial Quilt Association’s 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. I, 1836-1936 (Austin: University of Texas Press: 1986), p. 34-35.

Ownership of this quilt is:

Private

Quilt owner's name:

Kreidler, Sue Colly

Quilt owner's state:

Texas (TX)

Quilt owner's country:

United States

Quiltmaker's gender:

Female

Who photographed this quilt?

Sharon Risedorph

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

Copyright holder:

Assistant Director Winedale