{"id":5122,"date":"2024-10-16T12:01:00","date_gmt":"2024-10-16T17:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tsl.texas.gov\/outofthestacks\/?p=5122"},"modified":"2024-10-31T14:35:21","modified_gmt":"2024-10-31T19:35:21","slug":"quilts-at-tslac","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tsl.texas.gov\/outofthestacks\/2024\/10\/16\/quilts-at-tslac\/","title":{"rendered":"Quilts at the Texas State Archives"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Robyn Moore, Reference Librarian<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Texas, the history of quilts is a long (and comfortable!) one. Settlers who came to the state made quilts for many different reasons: necessity, to commemorate a national event, or just as beautiful artworks. Here at the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC), you might be surprised to learn that we house several historical quilts in our artifacts collection<\/a>. The description of this collection says, \u201cMany objects in the collection have little or no accompanying information to provide context for when they were made.\u201d Fortunately, quilts always reveal something of themselves and their makers, even without a written record.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Quilt, Isabel L. Clark collection, 1879 or between 1830-1849. Texas State Archives Artifacts collection, ATF0050. [Click image for larger version.]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

For example, the first quilt is part of the Isabel L. Clark Collection, though the name of the maker is unknown. It is all hand stitched and is thought to be made some time in the between 1830 and 1879. The quilt\u2019s pattern is \u201csimilar to Bride’s Puzzle, Twelve Crowns and \/ or Wedding March,\u201d which probably means that this quilt was made by a newly engaged or married woman wanting to create something beautiful for her home. According to the record, \u201cOf note is the use of tan fabric in place of the off-white fabric in several places.\u201d This probably means that the maker was not affluent enough to purchase all the fabric she needed for this quilt and used some (or all) scraps to make it.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Close-up, Quilt, Isabel L. Clark collection, 1879 or between 1830-1849. Texas State Archives Artifacts collection, ATF0050. [Click image for larger version.]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Elizabeth Patton Crockett, wife of David Crockett, wrote about her own quilt making process. She said, \u201cThere is always little time to put beauty in our lives, even though we crave beauty as much as any woman that ever lived\u201d (Ogden and Browning p 5). Perhaps the maker of the Isabel L. Clark Collection quilt felt the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Scraps of Life by Helen Ogden Widener, 2008. 923.973 W633s.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In their book, Scraps of Life<\/em><\/a>, Helen Ogden Widener and Tad Browning wrote about the life of Elizabeth Patton. They begin by talking about the quilt she made after her husband passed away. It was made entirely out of scraps from the family\u2019s clothes and other cloth wares. Each block is a peek into that famous family\u2019s closet, and the fashion available to pioneers in the early 1800s. Check out this book from our collection to learn how to make your own reproduction of this quilt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Julia Ann Summers Wickline quilt, 1840-1842. Texas State Archives Artifacts collection, ATF0217.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Another quilt at TSLAC is the Julia Ann Summers Wickline quilt. Made by the eponymous Summers, it was handed down in her family for four generations. It has a Wedding Ring-esque pattern of wreaths and hearts which makes an adorable impression.  It is also made in blue, red, and cream, similar to the Isabel L. Clark Collection quilt. This color combination enjoyed \u201cpopularity during this period,\u201d which you can read more about in Comfort and Glory<\/em>, by Katherine Jean Adams (p 47).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Comfort and glory : two centuries of quilts from the Briscoe Center First edition, by Katherine J. Adams, 2016. Z UA380.8 AD18co. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Comfort and Glory<\/em><\/a>, available at TSLAC, showcases two centuries of American quilts, and talks about the significance of each one to Texas history. The variety of quilts that were made in the 1800s is amazing. Many of the quilts look very dated, but others look like they came straight off the page of a Martha Stewart magazine. The design of the Julia Ann Summers Wickline quilt is one such design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This quilt has a long, storied life. According to the description on our website, it says that this quilt was made by Mrs. Julia Ann Summers Wickline, and passed down to her daughter, and then her granddaughter. Mrs. George G. Wickline, a native of Austin, Texas, presented it for the Governor E.M. Pease bed in the Governor\u2019s mansion. According to our record, \u201cMrs. Wickline had heard that a quilt was needed for the naked bed in the Pease Room. She then asked her daughter if she would give the state a quilt that was made by her great-grandmother, Mrs. Julia Ann Summers Wickline in 1842 or before.\u201d  Please note, due to preservation concerns, requests for in-person viewing of quilts may not be granted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Tips, tools, and techniques on caring for antiques, collectibles, and other treasures 1st ed. by Georgia Kemp Carraway, 2012. Main Collection, ZN745.8 C176ti. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Whether your quilts are old or new, they are priceless. Check out Georgia Kemp Caraway\u2019s Tips, Tools & Techniques to Care for Antiques, Collectibles, and Other Treasures<\/em><\/a>, to learn how to properly care for your heirloom quilts. Caraway says the best way to wash a delicate quilt is to first test for colorfastness, and then handwash it in your bathtub. Fold the quilt and place it on a sheet in the tub, then fill the tub \u201chalfway with lukewarm water.\u201d Next, \u201clet it soak for about 30 minutes,\u201d then drain and fill the tub repeatedly until the water runs clear. Treating your historic quilts with care will help them last for future generations, and perhaps one day, all of America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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For more information about the collections and services at the Texas State Archives, contact ref@tsl.texas.gov or 512-463-5455. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Robyn Moore, Reference Librarian In Texas, the history of quilts is a long (and comfortable!) one. Settlers who came to the state made quilts for many different reasons: necessity, to commemorate a national event, or just as beautiful artworks. … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"yes","footnotes":""},"categories":[94],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5122","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-artifact-collection"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tsl.texas.gov\/outofthestacks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5122","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tsl.texas.gov\/outofthestacks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tsl.texas.gov\/outofthestacks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tsl.texas.gov\/outofthestacks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tsl.texas.gov\/outofthestacks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5122"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.tsl.texas.gov\/outofthestacks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5122\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5158,"href":"https:\/\/www.tsl.texas.gov\/outofthestacks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5122\/revisions\/5158"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tsl.texas.gov\/outofthestacks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5122"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tsl.texas.gov\/outofthestacks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5122"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tsl.texas.gov\/outofthestacks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5122"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}