QUILT INDEX RECORD

54-159-402

Where are the records for this quilt housed?

Museum of Texas Tech University

Who documented this quilt?

Museum of Texas Tech University Quilt Documentation Project

Museum of Texas Tech University Documentation Number:

20

If you are a relative of the quiltmaker, how are you related? The quiltmaker is my:

Grandmother

This is a:

Finished quilt

Quilt's title:

Baskets of Fruit

How wide is the quilt?

63"

How long is the quilt?

77"

Shape of edge:

Straight

What colors is the quilt?

Beige or Tan; Blue; Brown; Green; Orange; Pink; Purple; Red; Yellow

Quilt's condition:

Excellent/like new

Time period:

1930-1949

Describe the quilt's layout:

Block pattern

Subject of the quilt:

baskets of fruit Ruby McKim

Number of quilt blocks:

32

Size of quilt blocks:

~9" x 9"

Arrangement of quilt blocks:

On point or rotated on 45 degrees

Spacing of quilt blocks:

Side by side

What is the shape of the quilt blocks?

Sampler

Describe the borders:

1 (Triangles of color within quilt. Pieced quarter square triangle.)

What types of prints were used to make the quilt top?

Solid/plain

Piecing techniques used to make the quilt top:

Piecing

Applique techniques used to make the quilt top:

Blanket, buttonhole, or other decorative applique stitch; Hand Applique

Embellishment techniques used to make the quilt top:

Embroidery

Describe the techniques used to make the quilt top:

Hand pieced? Dimensional embroidery

Materials used to make the back:

Cotton

What color is the back of the quilt?

Beige or Tan

Number of pieces of fabric in the quilt back:

1

Describe the back:

Same fabric used throughout

How is the binding made?

Separate binding applied; Bias grain; Home cut

What kind of filling is used in the quilt?

Cotton

Describe how the layers are held together:

Hand quilting?

Describe the quilting designs used:

Outline

Where the quilt was made, city:

Columbus

Where the quilt was made, county:

Franklin

Where the quilt was made, state:

Ohio (OH)

Why was the quilt made?

Challenge or contest entry

Details about why the quilt was made:

Ohio State Fair

Quilt is presently used as:

Bedding, special occasion; Keepsake/memento

Where did the maker find their pattern?

Traditional pattern variation

Commercial name of the pattern for the top:

Possibly newspaper or Ruby McKim Studios

Exhibitions where this quilt was displayed:

Baskets of fruit

Ownership of this quilt is:

Private

Quilt owner's name:

Stephanie Lee Smith

Tell the story of how the quilt was obtained:

Inherited on 10/17/1975.

Quilt top made by:

Smith, Evelyn Mertz

Quilted by:

Smith, Evelyn Mertz

Quiltmaker's date and place of death:

June 1976

What environment did the quiltmaker live in?

Urban

Quiltmaker's father's name:

Mertz

Estimated number of quilts made by this quiltmaker:

1-5 quilts

Any other notes or stories about the quiltmaker:

Mertz is her maiden name. She quilted in her younger life and did knitting later. I do not know which quilt or several that won a blue ribbon at the fair. She has several. Others went to my sibling in 1975 when my grandmother died. I recieved this quilt in 1975. I believe that she never had a sewing machine and she was not significantly social so I think everything was done by her hand. She married Rondo Smith. Family date for quilt is 1940s. Evelyn taught owner to knit when she was about 6. She always had her work used and displayed in her home. Oval leaves. Fruit - vines. Embroidery detail is exquisite. Pattern probably gotten from newspaper or Ruby McKim Studio.

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

Copyright holder:

Museum of Texas Tech University, all rights reserved