QUILT INDEX RECORD

25-21-364

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_0031

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 granddaughter of the quiltmaker.

This is a:

Finished quilt

Owner's name for quilt:

South Land Rose Quilt

How wide is the quilt?

65 in.

How long is the quilt?

90 in.

Shape of edge:

Straight

Shape of corners:

Straight

What color is the quilt?

Green; Orange; Red; White

Overall color scheme:

Bright or primary colors

Quilt's condition:

Good/moderate use

Damage:

Fading; Stains

Notes on condition, damage, or repairs:

Fading mainly in green. 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:

ca. 1880

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

ca. 1880

Who estimated the quilt's date?

Karey Bresenhan

Describe the quilt's layout:

Block pattern

Number of quilt blocks:

12

Arrangement of quilt blocks:

Straight

Spacing of quilt blocks:

Separated by inner only sashing (no sashing along outer edge of outer blocks); Separated by pieced pattern sashing

Number of different block patterns used in the quilt:

1

What is the shape of the quilt blocks?

Squares

Sashing width:

green with red strip in middle

Number of borders:

1

Describe the borders:

plain green band on all sides

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Cotton

Fabric styles used in the quilt top:

Solid/plain

Piecing techniques used to make the quilt top:

Machine Piecing

Applique techniques used to make the quilt top:

Hand Applique

Novelty techniques used to make the quilt top:

Gathering/ruching

Embellishment techniques used to make the quilt top:

Embroidery

Describe the techniques used to make the quilt top:

embroidered stems; red roses are heavily ruched and have stuffed orange centers

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:

Machine sewn; Same fabric used throughout

How is the binding made?

Back turned to front; Hand sewn; Straight grain

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

less than a half inch

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, green, red

Width between quilting lines:

1/2 in some areas

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

no

Quilting designs used, overall motifs:

Grid square; Outline

Describe the quilting designs used:

double and triple outline quilting around flowers and stems; geometric quilting in sashing in thread that matches each fabric color

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

Five flowers, two buds, and nine leaves per block are all hand appliqued; blocks are machine pieced. The heavily ruched roses with stuffed orange centers are set slightly off the diagonal in each block. There is no stuffing behind the roses, but the ruching provides dimension and adds to realism of roses.

Quilt top made by:

Jackson, Sarah Thomas

Quilted by:

Jackson, Sarah Thomas

Where the quilt was made, city:

Salty Community [near Thorndale]

Where the quilt was made, county:

Milam

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:

Sarah Thomas Jackson made this quilt sometime around 1880, when she lived with her family in Salty Community, near Thorndale, Texas. Sarah Jackson passed the quilt on to her son, who was the present owner's father. He gave it first to his son (the present owner's brother), who passed it on to her. The present owner is the granddaughter of Sarah Jackson.

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

The Jackson family probably came to Texas in 1875; the quiltmaker's son was born in 1873 and recalls coming to Texas on a boat. The family first settled near Galveston, but then traveled by covered wagon to Bastrop, Texas, where the family had relatives. The family rented land on the Colorado River, where they farmed for about two years. They eventually settled permanently near Thorndale.

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?

Purchased new

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. 84-85.

Ownership of this quilt is:

Private

Quilt owner's name:

Owen, Berniece Jackson

Quilt owner's state:

Texas (TX)

Quilt owner's country:

United States

Quiltmaker's maiden name:

Thomas, Sarah

Quiltmaker's gender:

Female

Quiltmaker's birth date:

1849

Quiltmaker's birthplace, country:

United States

Quiltmaker's marriage date(s):

11/20/1866

Quiltmaker's date and place of death:

1938

Quiltmaker's educational background:

no formal education

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

How many of the quiltmaker's children were boys?

at least one

Why does the quiltmaker quilt?

Necessity; Pleasure

Any other notes or stories about the quiltmaker:

The present owner remembers that her grandmother made clothes for her children and did handwork, including embroidery, tatting, crochet etc. Sarah Jackson also shared her recipes, sewing, handwork, and quilt patterns. Berniece Owen also remembers her grandmother's homemade bread and coffee cafe.

Who photographed this quilt?

Sharon Risedorph

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

Copyright holder:

Assistant Director Winedale

Details

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