QUILT INDEX RECORD

25-21-343

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_0011

Person filling out this form is:

Blood relative of quiltmaker; 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?

Inherited

Describe the relationship to the quilt's maker:

The present owner of the quilt is the great great granddaughter of the quilt's maker.

This is a:

Finished quilt

Owner's name for quilt:

Feathered Star

How wide is the quilt?

67 in.

How long is the quilt?

84 in.

Shape of edge:

Straight

Shape of corners:

Rounded

What color is the quilt?

Blue or Navy; Red

Antique colors:

Indigo Blue

Overall color scheme:

Bright or primary colors

Quilt's condition:

Very good/almost new

Damage:

Wear to edge or binding

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:

1848

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

ca. 1855-1865

Who estimated the quilt's date?

Karey Bresenhan

Further information concerning dates:

The sashing strips are machine pieced, and since sewing machines only achieved wide distribution after the Civil War, 1848 is probably too early. The aniline dye needed to produce the brilliant red in this quilt was not available until the mid 1850s.

Describe the quilt's layout:

Block pattern

Number of quilt blocks:

12

Arrangement of quilt blocks:

Straight

Spacing of quilt blocks:

Separated by cornerstones or connecting blocks sashing (different fabric in intersection); Separated by inner and outer sashing (sashing surrounds all sides of all blocks); Separated by inner only sashing (no sashing along outer edge of outer blocks); Side by side

Number of different block patterns used in the quilt:

1

What is the shape of the quilt blocks?

Same block throughout; Squares

Number of borders:

2

Describe the borders:

Blue field around entire quilt, with single red strip border on each side, but not at top or bottom.

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Cotton

Fabric styles used in the quilt top:

Dotted; Solid/plain

Piecing techniques used to make the quilt top:

Hand Piecing; 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

Describe the back:

Same fabric used throughout

Materials used in the quilt binding:

Cotton

Describe the binding:

Binding is strawberry color, which seems unusual for this strong red, white, and blue quilt, and may indicate that it was rebound in later years.

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

Describe the quilt filling:

probably hand carded cotton; many cotton seeds are present

How are the layers held together?

Hand quilting

Thread type used for the quilting:

cotton

Color of thread used in the quilting:

white

Width between quilting lines:

1/2 in.

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

no

Quilting designs used, overall motifs:

Single parallel lines

Describe the quilting designs used:

Hand quilted in straight lines.

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

Made by a master quiltmaker, this quilt contains perfectly pieced stars with deep indigo sashing and contrasting red and white Nine Patch blocks. The quilt contains more than 1600 hand-pieced triangles which create the feathered stars.

Quilt top made by:

Keith, Cynthia Jane Campbell

Quilted by:

Keith, Cynthia Jane Campbell

Where the quilt was made, city:

Dublin

Where the quilt was made, county:

Erath

Where the quilt was made, state:

Texas (TX)

Where the quilt was made, country:

United States

How was this quilt acquired?

Inheritance

Tell the story of how the quilt was obtained:

The present owner of the quilt is the great great grandson of quiltmaker Cynthia Jane Campbell Keith. He believes the quilt was made in Erath County. The quilt has been passed down to him through the family.

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

The quiltmaker was married in Texas in 1837 when she was twenty-five years old. In 1839, her husband was a veteran of the Texas Revolution and was awarded land in Red River County. The couple reared 15 children, one of whom was killed by Indians in 1864.

Why was the quilt made?

Unknown

The quilt was made to be used for:

Unknown

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), p. 44-45.

Ownership of this quilt is:

Private

Quilt owner's name:

Holcomb, Philip A.

Quilt owner's state:

Texas (TX)

Quilt owner's country:

United States

Quiltmaker's maiden name:

Campbell, Cynthia Jane

Quiltmaker's gender:

Female

Quiltmaker's birth date:

04/21/1822

Quiltmaker's birthplace, state:

Texas

Quiltmaker's birthplace, country:

United States

Quiltmaker's marriage date(s):

07/15/1837

Quiltmaker's date and place of death:

09/25/1892

In which kind of environment did the quiltmaker live?

Rural

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

Keith, Gabriel

Number of children:

15

Who photographed this quilt?

Sharon Risedorph

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

Copyright holder:

Assistant Director Winedale