QUILT INDEX RECORD

25-21-369

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_0030

Person filling out this form is:

Blood relative of quiltmaker; Quilt owner; Unknown

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 great niece of the quiltmaker.

This is a:

Finished quilt

Owner's name for quilt:

Princess Feather

Names for quilt's pattern in common use:

Ben Hur's Chariot Wheel; Wave of the Ocean

How wide is the quilt?

60 in.

How long is the quilt?

60 in.

Shape of edge:

Scalloped

Shape of corners:

Scalloped

What color is the quilt?

Gold; Green; Red; White

Overall color scheme:

Bright or primary colors

Quilt's condition:

Very good/almost new

Notes on condition, damage, or repairs:

Quilt was rarely used and is bright and in very good condition. 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

Further information concerning dates:

Family records indicate quiltmaker was born in 1866 and made this quilt when she was 15.

Describe the quilt's layout:

Block pattern

Number of quilt blocks:

4

Arrangement of quilt blocks:

Straight

Spacing of quilt blocks:

Side by side

Number of different block patterns used in the quilt:

4

What is the shape of the quilt blocks?

Squares

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:

Hand Piecing

Applique techniques used to make the quilt top:

Hand Applique

Describe the techniques used to make the quilt top:

layered 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:

Same fabric used throughout; Solid/plain

Materials used in the quilt binding:

Cotton

Describe the binding:

thin red piping/binding, scalloped

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

Quilting designs used, overall motifs:

Other

Quilting designs used, decorative motifs:

Other

Describe the quilting designs used:

eight rows of quilting around the center; Dresden Plate quilting in various sizes all over quilt

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

Four block quilt with appliqued red, green, and gold feathers, with tricolored balls at each tip. Five additional designs of crossed green oak leaves in center and bisecting each quilt side. Elaborately quilted. Quilt has never been washed and was seldom used.

Quilt top made by:

Christian, Bashie Smith

Quilted by:

Christian, Bashie Smith

Where the quilt was made, city:

Waco

Where the quilt was made, county:

McLennan

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:

Bashie Smith made this quilt for her hope chest in about 1880 when she was fifteen. Bashie married in 1883 to William Christian, a man 31 years older than she. He was a large landowner in the county. The present owner of the quilt inherited it from her mother's sister.

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

According to the present owner, the quiltmaker often took leaves off of trees to use for her quilt patterns. Additionally, Bashie Christian was quite a talented needleworker--she is remembered for her beautiful tatting and crochet. She also loved flower gardening and always had flowers in the yard and on the porch.

Why was the quilt made?

Wedding

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?

Original to maker; Traditional pattern variation

Describe the source of the pattern:

inspired by leaves from trees

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

The quiltmaker used leaves from trees as patterns for her quilts.

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; Annual Theta Charity Antiques Show, Houston, Texas, Fall 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. 82-83.

Ownership of this quilt is:

Private

Quilt owner's name:

Gorczyca, Mrs. Jack T.

Quilt owner's state:

Texas (TX)

Quilt owner's country:

United States

Quiltmaker's maiden name:

Smith, Bashie

Quiltmaker's gender:

Female

Quiltmaker's birth date:

1866

Quiltmaker's birthplace, city:

Lewisville

Quiltmaker's birthplace, state:

North Carolina

Quiltmaker's birthplace, country:

United States

Quiltmaker's date and place of death:

07/10/1940

Quiltmaker's religious affiliation:

Baptist

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:

landowner

When did the quiltmaker learn to quilt?

Under 10 years of age

Why does the quiltmaker quilt?

Pleasure

Who photographed this quilt?

Sharon Risedorph

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

Copyright holder:

Assistant Director Winedale