QUILT INDEX RECORD

25-21-376

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_0042

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 husband of the present owner of this quilt is the grandson of the quilt's maker.

This is a:

Finished quilt

Owner's name for quilt:

Double Wedding Ring

How wide is the quilt?

65 in.

How long is the quilt?

76 in.

Shape of edge:

Straight

Shape of corners:

Straight

What color is the quilt?

Blue or Navy; Green; Red; White

Antique colors:

Indigo Blue

Overall color scheme:

Bright or primary colors

Quilt's condition:

Fair/worn

Damage:

Discoloration or dyes ran; Fading; Fold marks or creases; Stains

Describe the damage:

Original green has faded unevenly to near khaki.

Notes on condition, damage, or repairs:

Quilt shows evidence of extensive use. 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

When was the quilt finished?

shortly after 1896

Family/owner's date for quilt:

Family history states that quilt maker made this quilt after she moved to Texas in 1896.

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

ca. 1890

Who estimated the quilt's date?

Karey Bresenhan

Describe the quilt's layout:

One patch or allover

Number of borders:

1

Describe the borders:

Narrow plain red strip on sides; wider plain red strip at top and bottom.

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Cotton

Fabric types used to make the quilt top:

Muslin

Describe the fibers or fabrics in the quilt top:

hand dyed green; indigo blue

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:

coarsely woven muslin

What color is the back of the quilt?

White

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:

hand-carded cotton; cotton trash or seeds visible

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

Describe the quilting designs used:

Large stitches, almost "toenail" stitches; rainbow quilting pattern.

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

Large stitches, pieced indigo blocks at ring junctions, uneven piecing, quilt's uneven width and ripple borders all suggest a classic country quilt made rapidly, made for warmth, and used heavily. Bold colors are strikingly different from pastels often associated with the Double Wedding Ring quilts of the 1930s.

Quilt top made by:

Sweeten, Lola Demetia

Quilted by:

Sweeten, Lola Demetia

Where the quilt was made, city:

Cleveland

Where the quilt was made, county:

Liberty

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 passed down in the family through several generations and is now owned by the wife of the quilt maker's grandson.

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

Quilt maker Lola Sweeten came to Texas in 1896. She was the wife of a farmer and the mother of seven children. She made all the clothing for the family as well as working in the fields. She also crocheted and made doilies. The present owner of the quilt notes that Lola Sweeten "was a quiet, reserved person, she wore long hand-made dresses."

Why was the quilt made?

Art or personal expression

Details about why the quilt was made:

utility quilt

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?

Sewing scraps

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:

hand dyed fabrics

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. 106-107.

Ownership of this quilt is:

Private

Quilt owner's name:

Edna Sweeten

Quilt owner's state:

Texas (TX)

Quilt owner's country:

United States

Quiltmaker's gender:

Female

Quiltmaker's birth date:

03/27/1852

Quiltmaker's date and place of death:

01/12/1941

Quiltmaker's occupation:

homemaker

In which kind of environment did the quiltmaker live?

Rural

Number of children:

7

Why does the quiltmaker quilt?

Necessity

Who photographed this quilt?

Sharon Risedorph

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

Copyright holder:

Assistant Director Winedale