QUILT INDEX RECORD

25-21-362

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_0028

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 this quilt is the graddaughter of the quiltmaker.

This is a:

Finished quilt

Owner's name for quilt:

Rocky Glen

Names for quilt's pattern in common use:

Lost Ships, Sailboat, Eternal Triangle, Merry-Go-Round

How wide is the quilt?

63 1/2 in.

How long is the quilt?

78 in.

Shape of edge:

Straight

Shape of corners:

Rounded

What color is the quilt?

Blue or Navy; Green; Red; White

Overall color scheme:

Dark colors

Quilt's condition:

Fair/worn

Damage:

Fading; Fold marks or creases; Stains

Describe the damage:

long thread trails

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:

1876-1900

Family/owner's date for quilt:

unknown

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

ca. 1880s

Who estimated the quilt's date?

Karey Bresenhan

Describe the quilt's layout:

Block pattern

Number of quilt blocks:

20

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); Separated by pieced pattern sashing

What is the shape of the quilt blocks?

Squares

Sashing width:

triple sashing with Nine Patch cornerstones

Number of borders:

1

Describe the borders:

single border on all sides; originally was green, now faded to tan

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Cotton

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

Description of the back:

hand dyed blue fabric is now mottled and streaked from fading

What color is the back of the quilt?

Blue or Navy

Describe the back:

Solid/plain

Materials used in the quilt binding:

Cotton

What is the width of the binding (measure on the top only)?

greater than one inch

What kind of filling is used in the quilt?

No filling

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:

Single parallel lines

Describe the quilting designs used:

simple diagonal parallel lines in blocks; vertical and horizontal lines in sashing

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

Hand dyed fabrics on front and back.

Quilt top made by:

Floyd, Mary E. Roberson

Quilted by:

Floyd, Mary E. Roberson

Where the quilt was made, county:

Henderson County

Where the quilt was made, state:

Tennessee (TN)

Where the quilt was made, country:

United States

How was this quilt acquired?

Inheritance

Tell the story of how the quilt was obtained:

Quiltmaker Mary E. Roberson Floyd made this quilt in Tennessee, then brought it to Mt. Pleasant, Texas, in 1884. Her family eventually settled in Lubbock, Texas, by 1926, which is where Mary Floyd lived until her death in 1943. She gave her quilt to her granddaughter, the current quilt owner, in 1926.

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

The quiltmaker's granddaughter recalls that her grandmother "spun, wove and dyed and sewed all the family clothing in Tenn[essee]. As a young person I remember seeing the spinning wheel in my grandmother's room and her spinning threads." She also noted "Mary Floyd was a housewife but could sew, cook, garden, preserve foods and played the organ."

Why was the quilt made?

Art or personal expression

The quilt was made to be used for:

Bedding, daily use

Quilt is presently used as:

Keepsake/memento

Where did the maker get their materials?

Unknown

Describe the sources of the quilt's materials:

home dyed fabrics

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:

granddaughter recalls that the quilter could spin, weave, and dye

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. 78-79.

Ownership of this quilt is:

Private

Quilt owner's name:

Phillips, Lady Clare Roberson

Quilt owner's state:

Texas (TX)

Quilt owner's country:

United States

Quiltmaker's maiden name:

Roberson, Mary E.

Quiltmaker's gender:

Female

Quiltmaker's birth date:

03/25/1847

Quiltmaker's birthplace, state:

Tennessee

Quiltmaker's birthplace, country:

United States

Quiltmaker's date and place of death:

01/16/1943

Quiltmaker's occupation:

homemarker

In which kind of environment did the quiltmaker live?

Rural

Number of children:

at least 2

Any other notes or stories about the quiltmaker:

she could spin, weave, and sew clothing for her family

Who photographed this quilt?

Sharon Risedorph

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

Copyright holder:

Assistant Director Winedale