QUILT INDEX RECORD

25-21-20

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_0058

Person filling out this form is:

Quilt owner; Other

Source of the information on this quilt:

Gazzie Hill was the family cook for the Powell family, and her quilt remains with that family; Karey Bresenhan reviewed this quilt during the Texas Quilt Search in 1985.

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:

Mrs. George Powell inherited this quilt when the quiltmaker, her family's cook, died in 1976. Travis Kirchner, who is the quilt's present owner, is the nephew of Mrs. George Powell.

This is a:

Finished quilt

Owner's name for quilt:

String Scrap Quilt

How wide is the quilt?

69 in.

How long is the quilt?

82 in.

Shape of edge:

Straight

Shape of corners:

Straight

What color is the quilt?

Blue or Navy; Green; Pink; Red; White; Yellow

Overall color scheme:

Multicolor

Quilt's condition:

Good/moderate use

Damage:

Wear to edge or binding

Notes on condition, damage, or repairs:

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:

1901-1929

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

ca. 1925

Who estimated the quilt's date?

Karey Bresenhan

Describe the quilt's layout:

Block pattern

Number of quilt blocks:

many irregularly pieced blocks

Size of quilt blocks:

some approximately 6 in. squares (some appear to have been cut out of 12- in. blocks)

Arrangement of quilt blocks:

Straight

Spacing of quilt blocks:

Side by side

Describe the quilt setting:

string piecing

Number of different block patterns used in the quilt:

every block is different

What is the shape of the quilt blocks?

Squares

Describe the borders:

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Cotton

Fabric styles used in the quilt top:

Checked; Dotted; Multiple scrap; Print; Printed patchwork; Solid/plain

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:

red chambrey

What color is the back of the quilt?

Red

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

How wide is the binding (measure on the top only)?

back turned to front at top and bottom

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:

Meander/free motion

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

Free form images; some blocks resemble Log Cabin blocks and others seem distinctly like specific patterns, including Hourglass. Certain red and white blocks appear to have been cut from larger completed blocks and reused as asymmetrical accents. Karey Bresenhan notes that there is a secret to this quilt: a crudely pieced scrap alphabet set out in no order and visible only by looking at the quilt from all directions.

Quilt top made by:

Hill, Gazzie

Quilted by:

Hill, Gazzie

Where the quilt was made, city:

Smithville

Where the quilt was made, county:

Bastrop

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:

Travis Kirchner inherited this quilt from his aunt, Mrs. George Powell. The quiltmaker, Gazzie Hill, worked for and lived near the J. H. E. Powell family until her death in 1976. She made many quilts.

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

Quiltmaker Gazzie Hill, the daughter of a slave, was born in 1877 on a farm near La Grange. Her family moved to nearby Smithville while Gazzie was young, and she lived there the remainder of her life, working for and living near the Dr. J. H. E. Powell family for seventy years. Gazzie never married and had no education, but she could write her letters and numbers. She attended the Baptist Church services every Sunday. "When she went home after supper she would piece quilts." According to the Powell family, Gazzie Hill did not enjoy television or radio. She liked to rock in her chair, sing, and piece her beautiful quilts.

Why was the quilt made?

Art or personal expression

Quilt is presently used as:

Keepsake/memento

Where did the maker get their materials?

Sewing scraps

Where did the maker find their pattern?

Original to maker

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; Bastrop County Times, Smithville, Texas, January 1976.

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. 138-139.

Ownership of this quilt is:

Private

Quilt owner's name:

Mrs. George Powell and Travis Kirchner

Quilt owner's state:

Texas (TX)

Quilt owner's country:

United States

Quiltmaker's maiden name:

Hill, Gazzie

Quiltmaker's gender:

Female

Quiltmaker's birth date:

1877

Quiltmaker's birthplace, city:

La Grange, Fayette County

Quiltmaker's birthplace, state:

Texas

Quiltmaker's birthplace, country:

United States

Quiltmaker's date and place of death:

01/02/1977

Quiltmaker's educational background:

no formal education

Quiltmaker's religious affiliation:

Baptist

Quiltmaker's occupation:

cook

In which kind of environment did the quiltmaker live?

Rural

Quiltmaker's father's name:

Hill, [unknown]

How did the quiltmaker learn to quilt?

Self-Taught

Estimated number of quilts made by this quiltmaker:

5-20 quilts

Who photographed this quilt?

Sharon Risedorph

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

Copyright holder:

Assistant Director Winedale