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             (Photo courtesy of the Museum of Texas Tech University)

Susan Robb Civil War Quilt, made by Susan Robb for her stepson William Henry Robb who served in the Confederate Military, Circa 1860.
Thought to be one of the few surviving quilts demonstrating the maker’s conviction that the South would win the civil War.
Gift of the Estate of T. J. Robb, TTU-H1983-104

When walking through a gallery of vintage quilts, does your heart sing with joy? Are you immediately compelled to move in for a closer view of every stitch the maker used? Do you marvel at the handwork displayed for your viewing pleasure? And, as you stand gazing, do you have thoughts about the maker and her life? Do you wonder what occasion she made the quilt for?

Life often brings small seemingly unimportant serendipitous moments that lead to big ideas. A chance encounter at an October DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) meeting, where Dr. Marian Ann Montgomery (Curator of Clothing and Textiles at the Museum of Texas Tech University) was invited to speak on quilts, led to a short chat post-meeting, followed by a more in-depth conversation over coffee during the Houston Quilt Festival last fall.

The Museum at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, TX is a jewel often overlooked by those not in the know as they travel across the state. But, TQS and Marian Ann have collaborated to share why you should put the museum on your list of must places when it comes to quilts and textiles. Dr. Montgomery will be sharing images of vintage quilts from their textile collection, the fascinating stories of the women and their family's occupation and level of society.

We will seek to answer these burning questions in every third Wednesday's newsletter, starting next week. Along the way, we will also have a number of other special events and stories to share with you. So grab your favorite cup of something delicious, and join us for a journey in discovering the talents and creative ideas of the women in Texas, whose stitchwork legacy lives on.

Dr. Marian Ann Montgomery arrived at the Museum of Texas Tech University as the Curator of Clothing and Textiles in January 2014. She brought with her a Ph.D. in Museum Administration, with a concentration in Fashion and Textile History from New York University where her studies were in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Dr. Montgomery has previously served as the Curator of Fashion and Textiles for the State Museum of Tennessee, Director of Interpretation for The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, Archivist for the State Fair of Texas and Founding Curator and Director of Exhibits for The Woman's Museum.

Marian Ann has organized the successful collaborative quilt exhibits Quilt Mania I and II, as well as a quilt exhibit at The Grace Museum in Abilene, TX.

Dr. Montgomery cares for over 33,000 clothing and textile objects, which is the largest collection of this material at an American university. Along with raising funds for collection acquisition and endowment of a Curator's position, she established the Come and See program for which she pulls 20-30 objects from the collection and discusses them in context. Currently she is working on a book and exhibition on the more than 6,100 piece feed sack collection.