QUILT INDEX RECORD

25-21-358

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_0024

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

This is a:

Finished quilt

Owner's name for quilt:

Blazing Star

How wide is the quilt?

69 in.

How long is the quilt?

82 in.

Shape of edge:

Straight

Shape of corners:

Straight

What color is the quilt?

Black; Brown; Gold; White

Overall color scheme:

Dark colors

Quilt's condition:

Good/moderate use

Damage:

Fading; Fold marks or creases; Quilting thread broken or ties missing; Stains

Describe the damage:

wear and fading mainly on the fold lines

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. 1875

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

ca. 1875

Who estimated the quilt's date?

Karey Bresenhan

Describe the quilt's layout:

Block pattern

Number of quilt blocks:

4

Arrangement of quilt blocks:

Straight

Spacing of quilt blocks:

Separated by cornerstones or connecting blocks sashing (different fabric in intersection); Separated by inner only sashing (no sashing along outer edge of outer blocks)

Number of different block patterns used in the quilt:

1

What is the shape of the quilt blocks?

Squares

Number of borders:

2

Describe the borders:

thick plain black border at top and bottom only

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:

Hand-dyed; Solid/plain

Piecing techniques used to make the quilt top:

Hand 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

What color is the back of the quilt?

Black

Describe the back:

Same fabric used throughout; Solid/plain

How is the binding made?

Back turned to front

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?

Thick (More than 3/16?)

Describe the quilt filling:

very thick batting

How are the layers held together?

Hand quilting

Thread type used for the quilting:

cotton

Color of thread used in the quilting:

white, brown, black

Quilting designs used, overall motifs:

Clamshell; Outline

Describe the quilting designs used:

outline quilting and concentric rows; "toenail" quilting ("stitches so big you can catch your toenail in them getting into bed"

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

Karey Bresenhan called this quilt a "class Texas country quilt--vivid colors, naive charm, thick cotton batting, and concentric rows of 'toenail' quilting--stitches so big you can catch your toenail in them getting into bed."

Quilt top made by:

Denman, Mary

Quilted by:

Denman, Mary

Where the quilt was made, city:

Lufkin

Where the quilt was made, county:

Angelina

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 believes this quilt was made in Lufkin, Texas, ca. 1875. This quilt has always remained in the Denman family and in Angelina County.

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

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

some fabrics are hand dyed

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. 70-71.

Ownership of this quilt is:

Private

Quilt owner's name:

Horton, Claudia

Quilt owner's state:

Texas (TX)

Quilt owner's country:

United States

Quiltmaker's gender:

Female

Quiltmaker's birthplace, country:

United States

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

Denman, [unknown]

Who photographed this quilt?

Sharon Risedorph

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

Copyright holder:

Assistant Director Winedale