QUILT INDEX RECORD

25-21-351

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_0018

Person filling out this form is:

Quilt owner; Relative of quiltmaker; 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:

One of the quiltmakers was the great grandmother of the present owner of this quilt.

This is a:

Finished quilt

Owner's name for quilt:

Texas Star Friendship Quilt

How wide is the quilt?

74 in.

How long is the quilt?

87 in.

Shape of edge:

Straight

Shape of corners:

Straight

What color is the quilt?

Gold; Green; Red; White

Overall color scheme:

Bright or primary colors

Quilt's condition:

Very good/almost new

Damage:

Quilting thread broken or ties missing; Wear to edge or binding

Describe the damage:

some yellowing with age

Notes on condition, damage, or repairs:

Quilt has never been washed. 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.

Type of inscription:

Multiple Names

What is inscribed on the quilt?

Lou Moore, Mollie C. Penick, Emma Eppright, Maggie Johnson, P.T.W., Louise Johnson, Laura Penick, Mollie Fisk, M.J.E., Mary D.A. Eppright, Mattie Woodson, Airis Johnson, Mary Brachta

Method used to make the inscription:

In the quilting

Location of inscription:

multiple locations

Describe where the inscription was found:

ten names quilted around stem of border vine; two other names quilted on body of quilt.

Time period:

1850-1875

When was the quilt finished?

1868

Family/owner's date for quilt:

1868

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

1868

Who estimated the quilt's date?

Karey Bresenhan

Further information concerning dates:

Quilt was made for the wedding of Margaret Ann Eppright Johnson, who married on May 20, 1868.

Describe the quilt's layout:

One patch or allover

Subject of the quilt:

Texas Star

Number of borders:

1

Describe the borders:

on all sides: green print vine border with appliqued roses and buds

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Cotton

Fabric types used to make the quilt top:

Muslin

Fabric styles used in the quilt top:

Print; 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

Describe the back:

Hand sewn; Same fabric used throughout; Solid/plain

Materials used in the quilt binding:

Cotton

Describe the binding:

red binding does not match quilt fabric; may be a replacement

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, blue

Quilting designs used, overall motifs:

Grid/crosshatch; Single parallel lines

Quilting designs used, decorative motifs:

Floral

Describe the quilting designs used:

Intricate floral designs are quilted in spaces between the stars; names of women making this quilt are along border vine or in quilt body; gold stars are quilted in crosshatch design in blue thread.

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

Twelve hand-pieced gold five-pointed Texas stars are set on white at random angles. Quilting designs and names are heavily marked in pencil, which is still visible; knots are visible on both top and bottom.

Quilt top made by:

M.,J.E.; Johnson, Airis; Moore, Lou; Brachta, Mary; Johnson, Louise; Eppright, Emma; Penick, Laura; W., P.T.; Woodson, Mattie; Johnson, Maggie; Fisk, Mollie; Penick, Mollie C.

Quilted by:

E., M. J.; Johnson, Airis; Moore, Lou; Brachta, Mary; Johnson, Louise; Eppright, Emma; Penick, Laura; W., P.T.; Woodson, Mattie; Johnson, Maggie; Fisk, Mollie; Penick, Mollie C.

Where the quilt was made, city:

Liberty Hill

Where the quilt was made, county:

Williamson

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:

This quilt was made by twelve women as a wedding gift for one of the thirteen who worked on it: Margaret Ann Eppright Johnson. Margaret Ann Johnson may be the Maggie Johnson whose name is quilted on the quilt, along with the names of her friends. The present owner of the quilt is Margaret Johnson's great granddaughter, who received the quilt from her grandmother.

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

Margaret Johnson did many kinds of needlework, including sewing clothes for her seven children.

Why was the quilt made?

Autograph or friendship

Details about why the quilt was made:

wedding gift to one of the quilting group

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?

Original to maker

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

Appears to be an original design with twelve stars, one for each person who helped the thirteenth person (the recipient) quilt it and who signed it.

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. 1, 1836-1936 (Austin: University of Texas Press), p. 58-59.

Ownership of this quilt is:

Private

Quilt owner's name:

Moore, Pamela Rau

Quilt owner's state:

Texas (TX)

Quilt owner's country:

United States

Quiltmaker's gender:

Group

Quiltmaker's birth date:

1850 [Margaret Ann Eppright Johnson]

Quiltmaker's birthplace, state:

Texas

Quiltmaker's birthplace, country:

United States

If the quilt was made by a group, when did the group start?

friends made quilt in 1868

Quiltmaker's date and place of death:

1938 [Margaret Ann Eppright Johnson]

Quiltmaker's occupation:

homemaker

In which kind of environment did the quiltmaker live?

Rural

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

farmer

Number of children:

7

When did the quiltmaker learn to quilt?

Age 11-19

Why does the quiltmaker quilt?

Gifts; Necessity

Does/did the quiltmaker belong to a group? Name of the group?

group of friends; some were related, probably sisters

Where does/did the group meet?

Williamson County, Texas

Who photographed this quilt?

Sharon Risedorph

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

Copyright holder:

Assistant Director Winedale

Details

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