Quilt Stories from the Museum of Texas Tech University
Quilt Stories from the Museum of Texas Tech University
Dr. Marian Ann J. Montgomery, Ph.D., Curator of Clothing and Textiles at the Museum of Texas Tech University shares images of vintage quilts from their collection and tells their fascinating stories.
Fisher Quilt Exhibit Treats
Linda Fisher was a prolific quilter beginning with her first quilt as an adult in 1994 and continuing through to 2019. She taught many in West Texas to quilt.
Football Hero's Quilt
A Fan pieced block pattern quilt came into the collection of the Museum of Texas Tech University in 2015. The donor found it at an estate sale in Lubbock and noticed that it bore the name “Leete Jackson.” For football enthusiasts the name Leete Jackson is as important in Lubbock as current football superstars Patrick Mahomes or Troy Aikman.
Fresh Starts
Not much is known today about this beautiful pale pink and aqua satin quilt designed with padded puffs of satin fabric around a rectangular pink satin center, but the quilt is well worth a look.
Friendship in Pink and Red
The featured quilt was made by The South Plains Quilt Guild in 2012 for long-time member Jackie Reis. It is titled “Sisters Memory Quilt for Jackie Reis from S. P. Q. G., Lubbock, TX 2012.” Each block lists the handwritten name of the maker in Pigma pen.
Hot, Bright Colors for a Summer Day
Learn about a colorful pieced Pine Burr quilt that is one of four that was recently donated to the Museum of Texas Tech University by descendants of the makers.
How Important is a Label?
This stunning quilt came to the museum recently as one of ten offered to the Museum by someone who had cleaned out an estate in nearby Plainview, Texas. The first thing the donor said on the phone was that the quilts were "dirty”—not a good thing for a museum without a conservator on staff. The second thing she said was that they all came with “stories.” What she meant was that almost every quilt had a label attached documenting who made it and where. Labels trump any dirt in a curator’s mind!
Jackie Reis Quilter and Founder
Jackie Reis was a quilter of the quilt revival who taught many West Texas and New Mexico women to quilt and also loved quilt history.
Joyce Massey Donates Quilt to the Museum of Texas Tech University
It is with great joy that the Museum announces the recent donation of a quilt made by Dallas Quilt Guild member Joyce Massey to the collection. Mrs. Massey’s legacy of prize-winning quilts both at the Dallas Quilt Show and the State Fair of Texas is extraordinary.
Legacy of a Thousand Stitches
Superstitions around sewing and quilts have circulated for generations. From avoiding quilts with thirteen blocks, beginning a quilt on a Friday (you will never live to see it finished), stitching in a spider's web for good luck, to avoiding bad luck with giving away your first quilt, the lessons for do's and don'ts are numerous and sometimes quite complex. But how does a quilt get the reputation of being under a spell? One such quilt at the Museum of Texas Tech University seems to be a bit of a wanderer.
Linda Fisher’s Creativity
Learn about the artistry of Linda Fisher, a prolific quilter who takes advantage of "found" vintage quilt blocks to make her quilts.