QUILT INDEX RECORD

25-21-366

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_0033

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:

The present owner of this quilt is the stepdaughter of Captain Andrew Jackson Berry's son. The quiltmaker was Capt. Berry's second wife.

This is a:

Finished quilt

Owner's name for quilt:

Princess Feather variation

Names for quilt's pattern in common use:

Maidenhair Fern (similar)

How wide is the quilt?

82 in.

How long is the quilt?

86 in.

Shape of edge:

Scalloped

Shape of corners:

Scalloped

What color is the quilt?

Green; Red; White

Overall color scheme:

Bright or primary colors

Quilt's condition:

Very good/almost new

Describe the damage:

slight wear

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

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

ca. 1885

Who estimated the quilt's date?

Karey Bresenhan

Describe the quilt's layout:

Block pattern

Number of quilt blocks:

9

Arrangement of quilt blocks:

Straight

Spacing of quilt blocks:

Side by side

What is the shape of the quilt blocks?

Squares

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:

Dotted; 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:

narrow red binding

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

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:

Grid/crosshatch

Describe the quilting designs used:

quilted in an allover crosshatch design that resulted in 1/2 inch squares

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

Karey Bresenhan believes this quilt is an interesting and perhaps an original version of the traditional Princess Feather pattern, which has stars or flowers appliqued in the center over the point where the feathers meet. In this pattern there are nine small blocks, each containing four crossed feathers; there is no central motif. This quilt's feathers were drawn, cut out, and appliqued by hand onto the nine blocks, which were then hand pieced together, with the red scalloped binding also hand pieced. The feathers are highly stylized and the serrations are pronounced.

Quilt top made by:

Berry, Mrs. Andrew Jackson

Quilted by:

Berry, Mrs. Andrew Jackson

Where the quilt was made, city:

Baird

Where the quilt was made, county:

Callahan

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 handed down in Captain Berry's family and is presently owned by the stepdaughter of one of Captain Berry's sons.

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

The quiltmaker is thought to be the second wife of Captain Andrew jackson Berry, who fought in the Texas army at the Battle of San Jacinto in 1836 and in the Confederate army during the Civil War. There is no information about the quiltmaker other than that she and her husband lived in the Baird, Texas, area.

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?

Traditional pattern variation

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. 88-89.

Ownership of this quilt is:

Private

Quilt owner's name:

Dr. Verna Mae Crutchfield

Quilt owner's state:

Texas (TX)

Quilt owner's country:

United States

Quiltmaker's gender:

Female

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

Berry, Andrew Jackson

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

soldier

Who photographed this quilt?

Sharon Risedorph

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

Copyright holder:

Assistant Director Winedale