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Star of Many Points; Star of Many Points; Michigan Beauty, Arrowhead Star, Modern Star, Many Pointed Star, Beech Mountain Star, Laurel Wreath
CITE THIS QUILT
QUILT INDEX RECORD
27-23-56
Where are the records for this quilt housed?
Wyoming Quilt Project, Inc.
Who documented this quilt?
Wyoming Quilt Project, Inc.; Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum Collection
Wyoming Quilt Project Documentation Number:
wqp.0028
Alternate inventory control number:
RMQM 2005.028.003
Person filling out this form is:
Quilt owner
When was the form filled out?
05/21/94
Choose the best description of the source to the quilt:
Participated in design of the quilt; Quilt owner
How did the quiltmaker participate in the creation of the quilt?
Bound the quilt; Marked the quilt top for quilting; Quilted or tied the top
If the source helped design the quilt, describe their input:
Other
This is a:
Finished quilt
Quilt's title:
Star of Many Points
Owner's name for quilt:
Star of Many Points
Names for quilt's pattern in common use:
Michigan Beauty, Arrowhead Star, Modern Star, Many Pointed Star, Beech Mountain Star, Laurel Wreath
Brackman # or other source & #:
2538
How wide is the quilt?
72.25 - 73 inches
How long is the quilt?
84.75 - 85 inches
Shape of edge:
Straight
Shape of corners:
Straight
What color is the quilt?
Blue or Navy; Green; White
Quilt's condition:
Excellent/like new
Damage:
Dirty; Fold marks or creases; Pencil or pen or marking lines; Stains
Type of inscription:
Date; Message; Place; Signature; Single
What is inscribed on the quilt?
The original top was bought at Quilt-a-Fair" in Longmont, CO, September 1992 from Judy Cook, an antique dealer from Longmont. She said the top was bought in Arkansas. The fabrics in the top are probably from the 1940's, maybe 1950's. The blocks were very badly put together by hand and would not lay flat. They were in a straight set with pink polyester sashing with royal blue squares at the intersection. Two blocks in the corners of the top were blank of royal blue. I separated the blocks from the sashing and took all of the blocks apart. I made templates from a graph paper drawing of the block and recut the block pieces. Two of the original blocks were unusable because of frayed fabric and the pink block appliqued to the back of this quilt was too light, but is a good example of the original block. I had to make 7 new blocks to achieve the setting I wanted. Some of the muslin pieces in the blocks had to be replaced because they were too small. The original maker had used sugar sacks and the writing was arbitrarily turned in or out. I turned them all out. The fabric I used to replace the muslin pieces in the blocks, the alternate blocks, the border and the print fabric used in the new blocks and border and the muslin backing fabric came from the Kirk Collection, Omaha, Nebraska. The 2 sacking fabrics in the back came from Stephanie Whetson, Douglas, Nebraska. The blocks were pieced by hand. They were set together and the borders added by machine. Batting used: Hobbs Heirloom (80% cotton and 20% polyester). Quilt was put together and hand quilted by Anne Olsen, Laramie, Wyoming. Finished September 1993. Pattern: Star of Many Points, Arrowhead Star - Brackman #2538.
Method used to make the inscription:
Attached label; Ink
Location of inscription:
on back
Time period:
Timespan
When was the quilt started?
September 1992
When was the quilt finished?
September 1993
Describe the quilt's layout:
Block pattern
Number of quilt blocks:
72 total (30 plain, 42 pieced), 22 plain half blocks, 4 plain quarter blocks
Size of quilt blocks:
7 1/2 inches x 7 1/2 inches
Arrangement of quilt blocks:
On point or rotated on 45 degrees
Spacing of quilt blocks:
Alternating with plain squares
Number of borders:
2
Describe the borders:
First border: Off white Second border: Blue/Green/Pink print.
Fiber types used to make the quilt top:
Cotton
Fabric types used to make the quilt top:
Muslin; Other
Fabric styles used in the quilt top:
Checked; Dotted; Floral; Geometric; Plaid; Solid/plain; Striped; Other
Piecing techniques used to make the quilt top:
Hand Piecing; Machine 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
What color is the back of the quilt?
Blue or Navy; Cream; Orange; Red; Turquoise or Teal
Number of pieces of fabric in the quilt back:
8
Width of pieces on the back:
not recorded
Describe the back:
Machine sewn; Print; Same fabric used throughout; Solid/plain
Materials used in the quilt binding:
Cotton
Fabric structure of the binding:
Plain weave
How is the binding made?
Hand sewn; Home cut; Machine sewn; Straight grain
What is the width of the binding (measure on the top only)?
half inch - one inch
What kind of filling is used in the quilt?
Cotton or polyester blend
How thick is the quilt?
Thin (Less than 3/16?)
Describe the quilt filling:
Hobbs Heirloom
How are the layers held together?
Hand quilting
Thread type used for the quilting:
Cotton
Color of thread used in the quilting:
Off white
Number of quilting stitches per inch, place 1:
8
Number of quilting stitches per inch, place 2:
7
Can you see any knots on the front or back of the quilt?
no
Describe the quilting designs used:
Blocks: Pieced - feather with swirled circle in center + 1/4" inside on rest. Plain blocks - small feather wreath in center + 8 feathered leaves. Borders: Baptist fan or elbow fan over both.
Quilted by:
Olsen, Anne
Where the quilt was made, state:
Arkansas (AR)
Where the quilt was made, country:
United States
How was this quilt acquired?
Purchase
Why was the quilt made?
Personal enjoyment; Other
Details about why the quilt was made:
Stabilize old quilt blocks/tops and finish them into a quilt
The quilt was made to be used for:
Unknown
Quilt is presently used as:
Study or teaching aid
Where did the maker find their pattern?
Other
Describe the source of the pattern:
Blocks or tops purchased
Where did the quiltmaker find the pattern for the quilting design on the quilt?
Commercial pattern; Original to maker
Exhibitions where this quilt was displayed:
Leman Publisher's Show "From hand to hand: Antique quilts from America's Past" August 1 - September 6, 1996
Publications (including web sites) where this quilt or maker was featured:
State documentation books, museum collection books and quilt history books are used for visual guides to finish quiltmaker's timespan quilts in an era-specific manner.
Related items such as diaries, obituaries, wills, household inventories, or pictures of the quiltmaker:
Quilter's Newsletter, December 2000
Ownership of this quilt is:
Public Museum, Library or Institution
Quilt owner's name:
Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum
Quilt owner's city:
Golden
Quilt owner's state:
Colorado (CO)
Quilt owner's country:
United States
Quiltmaker's maiden name:
Terwilliger
Quiltmaker's gender:
Female
Quiltmaker's birth date:
10/04/38
Quiltmaker's birthplace, city:
New York City
Quiltmaker's birthplace, state:
New York
Quiltmaker's birthplace, country:
United States
Quiltmaker's marriage date(s):
8/13/83; 9/9/61
Quiltmaker's ethnic background/tribal affiliation:
Caucasian
Quiltmaker's educational background:
B.A. Biology
Quiltmaker's occupation:
Retired
In which kind of environment did the quiltmaker live?
Urban
Quiltmaker's county:
Albany
Quiltmaker's city:
Laramie
Quiltmaker's state:
Wyoming (WY)
Quiltmaker's country:
United States
Quiltmaker's father's name:
Terwilliger, Charles Ostrander
Quiltmaker's father's birthplace:
Pawtucket, RI
Quiltmaker's father's ethnic/tribal background:
Caucasian
Quiltmaker's mother's name:
Terwilliger, Roberta Emily Thornburg
Quiltmaker's mother's birthplace:
Huntington, WV
Quiltmaker's mother's ethnic/tribal background:
Caucasian
Quiltmaker's spouse's/spouses' and /or partner's/partners' name(s):
Olsen, Ronald Howard; Blatz III, Charles Val
Quiltmaker's spouse's/spouses' and/or partner's/partners' ethnic/tribal background:
Caucasian
Quiltmaker's spouse's/spouses' and/or partner's/partners' occupation:
University Professor (Blatz) and USDA Forest Service Planning Officer (Olsen)
Number of children:
None
How did the quiltmaker learn to quilt?
From Class; Self-Taught
When did the quiltmaker learn to quilt?
Age 40-49
Why does the quiltmaker quilt?
Pleasure; Therapy
Other notes on how the quiltmaker learned, and how and why they quilt:
To complete historic blocks/tops that previous quilter began.
Does/did the quiltmaker belong to a group? Name of the group?
American Quilt Study Group
Where does/did the group meet?
Lincoln, NE
Estimated number of quilts made by this quiltmaker:
more than 50
Does/did the quiltmaker sell quilts?
yes
Does/did the quiltmaker teach quilting?
yes
Describe any favorite patterns, tools, etc. used by the quiltmaker:
Cotton fabric that is age appropriate for the specific quilt blocks/top. Typically between 1840-1940. Quilting pattern: the more intricate the better.
Describe any unique traditions, quilting related customs, beliefs, songs or rhymes used by the quiltmaker:
Quiltmaker attempts to use quilt patterns and techniques appropriate to age of blocks/top.
Any other notes or stories about the quiltmaker:
Quiltmaker has had about 20 timespan quilts published in Quiltmaker and Quilter's Newsletter magazines. One of her timespan quilts will be in the book "Quiltmaker's Fancies" published by C&T Publishing. Quiltmaker's maternal great-grandmother, Ida Emmaline Fox Thornburg, and her great-great maternal grandmother, Emily Handley Thornburg, made quilts. Two of Ida's quilts and one of Emily's quilts are in the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum collection, Golden, CO. Quiltmaker uses her timespan quilts in classes and lectures to show people how they can finish their own old quilt blocks/tops.
Who photographed this quilt?
Wyoming Quilt Project, Inc.
Access and copyright information:
Restricted
Copyright holder:
Wyoming Quilt Project, Inc.
Cite this Quilt
Olsen, Ann. Star of Many Points. September 1993. From Wyoming Quilt Project, Inc., Wyoming Quilt Project, Inc.; Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum Collection. Published in The Quilt Index, https://quiltindex.org/view/?type=fullrec&kid=27-23-56. Accessed: 04/26/24