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Desert Storm; Feathered Star

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QUILT INDEX RECORD

14-10-267

Where are the records for this quilt housed?

American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Who documented this quilt?

Lands' End All-American Quilt Collection

American Folklife Center, Library of Congress Documentation Number:

AFC 1997/011: Folder 8961 P1

Alternate inventory number for this quilt. This might be a museum accession number.

afcqltle le012

Person filling out this form is:

Quiltmaker

Describe the relationship to the quilt's maker:

Quiltmaker submitted information with quilt.

This is a:

Finished quilt

Quilt's title:

Desert Storm

Names for quilt's pattern in common use:

Feathered Star

How wide is the quilt?

48 inches

How long is the quilt?

48 inches

Quilt's condition:

Excellent/like new

Time period:

1976-1999

When was the quilt started?

September, 1991

When was the quilt finished?

May, 1992

Describe the quilt's layout:

Block pattern

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Cotton

Piecing techniques used to make the quilt top:

Machine Piecing

What kind of filling is used in the quilt?

Polyester

How are the layers held together?

Hand quilting

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

The following information was supplied by the quiltmaker: Learned the pattern when she "saw it in a magazine" How did you choose the materials used in your quilt? "I always use cotton, probably because I always wear cotton. The red and white are my favorite contrasting colors. The quilt design, feathers, is also one of my favorites. I love the way curved lines quilt." "I started this quilt when my son was sent to Iraq -- during deployment for the Gulf War. As events developed and grew more dangerous, I worked longer hours, added more hand quilting, made the stitches tinier and tinier. It started out to be a graceful feather quilting pattern, but the way it ended up, the quilting seems to be the center of a tornado. The thing makes me dizzy to this day. The quilt stayed in the closet, except for entering it in this contest, for 6 years, until my son married. I gave it to him for a wedding present and told him how and when it came to be made (I think I would have gone mad had I not had my quilting to keep me straight). It has always been relaxing. This time it was my salvation. My son never knew at the time just how worried I was and it was a chance (my giving him the quilt) for us both to let go of those feelings. I also gave him a color copy of the brochure Lands' End published with the winner's listed and my son and his new wife were a bit overwhelmed by the gift." How long have you been making quilts? "I started in 1986 when I moved to a town of 250 people in Central MT and didn't know a soul. I also didn't have much money so I bought $40 worth of red and white cottons and quilted the hell out of it. That one was a single wedding ring and was juried into the American Quilt Society Show and reprinted in their quilt calendar, 1992 I think, for the week of my Mom's birthday. It was only my fourth attempt." How did you learn to quilt? "Self-taught." What was your primary reason for entering the Lands' End contest? "My sister told me about the contest and I thought it would warm up our relationship if I would get involved in something she liked (dressing up the house) and if I won she would see I wasn't a flake (which is what she's always thought and said.)" Has being a winner in the Land's End contest made a difference in your life? Has it changed the way you look at your work as a quilt maker? "I stopped showing quilts because of this contest. My brand new perfect quilt was apparently pinned up for judging or something. It was returned with a very obvious tear in the binding. Now I only show quilts in my own quilt group where I can do the hanging and taking down."

Quilt top made by:

Clarke, Eileen

Where the quilt was made, city:

Townsend

Where the quilt was made, county:

Broadwater County

Where the quilt was made, state:

Montana (MT)

Where the quilt was made, country:

United States

Why was the quilt made?

Challenge or Contest entry; Personal income; Other

The quilt was made to be used for:

Artwork/wall hanging

Contests entered:

This quilt was part of the Lands' End All-American Quilt Contest. 1992 Montana State Winner

Related items such as diaries, obituaries, wills, household inventories, or pictures of the quiltmaker:

http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/qlt:@FIELD(DOCID+@LIT(le012))

Ownership of this quilt is:

Private

Quilt owner's country:

United States

Description of quilt:

This quilt is part of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress "Quilts and Quiltmaking in American: 1978-1996 exhibit. It was winner in the Lands' End All-American Quilt Contest.

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

Copyright holder:

American Folklife Center, Library of Congress. Email: folklife@loc.gov

Cite this Quilt

Clarke, Eilee. Desert Storm. May, 1992. From American Folklife Center, Library of Congress, Lands' End All-American Quilt Collection. Published in The Quilt Index, https://quiltindex.org/view/?type=fullrec&kid=14-10-267. Accessed: 03/28/24