QMQ 28: Texas -

Texas was home to diverse Native American cultures, including the Caddo, Karankawa, Apache, and Comanche. Some were agrarian and built permanent settlements, while others lived a more nomadic lifestyle following the hunt. When Spanish explorers arrived in the 1500s, disease and conflict killed many of the Native population.

Texas changed hands multiple times before becoming part of the United States. Spain first claimed the region, establishing missions and settlements. Later, France briefly controlled the territory before Spain regained control. In 1821, Mexico gained independence from Spain, and Texas became part of Mexican territory.

This didn’t last long as the Anglo settlers weren’t keen on the Mexican authorities, resulting in the Texas Revolution. In 1836, Texas declared independence from Mexico (Remember the Alamo!) and became a soveriegn country, the Republic of Texas. They had their own law, governance, and currency, but less than a decade later, in 1845, Texas requested to be annexed by the United States and became the 28th state.

Texas entered the Union as a slave state and by the start of the Civil War, a significant portion of its population was enslaved. In 1861, Texas seceded from the United States and joined the Confederacy. While most of the battles were fought elsewhere, Texas supplied troops and other resources.

Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in January 1863, announcing that the enslaved people in Confederate states were now free. It took two years to get word to the enslaved in Texas. On June 19, 1865, several months after the end of the Civil War, Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston to let them know that the laws had changed while they were not part of the Union. This day became known as Juneteenth, a celebration of freedom that began in Texas and has since spread across the nation. It became a Texas state holiday in 1980 and a U.S. federal holiday in 2021.

The first oil gusher happened in 1901, near Beaumont, when a 100-foot stream of oil burst from the hard soil. This kicked off the oil boom and the oil and gas industry that is synonymous with Texas. Now more than 160,000 active oil wells can be found in the state, with more than a million inactive/orphaned wells.

Driving through western Texas at night, you can see the vast array of flare stacks, burning off the residual gas. On our first drive through the state, the sheer number of them startled me. They are seemingly everywhere out there, where towns are small and spread apart.

In west Texas, we stopped for a few days in Marfa, a funky little arts town in the middle of the Chihuahua desert. You may have seen the fake Prada store/art installation that has made it famous, but the thing I remember most was the art store, Marfa Art Supply, where I bought a fab blue, metal toolbox, and the variety of art studios and shops there, including the Wrong Shop where Hawke got his infamous “WRONG” t-shirt!

Houston is famous for many people thanks to the NASA Space Center and the museum, but I know Houston most for the annual Quilt Market and Quilt Festival shows. While the trade show is no longer happening, Quilt Festival is November 12-15 and well worth attending! Tens of thousands of quilters from around the world, descend on Houston for a week of classes, vendor booths and an enormous display of finished quilts. For me, the quilt exhibit is my favorite section–the vary of quilt styles, sizes, techniques and creators is incomparable and worth the couple hours you’ll spend in there.

Visiting San Antonio, Hawke and I had the opportunity to explore both The Alamo and downtown area, including the River Walk and La Vallita. If you haven’t been there, put it on your list. The area is beautiful and the Riverwalk meanders below street level and feels isolated from the bustling city around it.

Quilt Block

Texas is the Lone Star state, so it seemed like a no-brainer for the state block to be a Lone Star (also called a bunch of different names!) I made it a little simpler with less diamonds, using a design also called Star Bouquet. Our block is 12 1/2″ x 12 1/2″, one of the largest blocks for the second largest state!

The key to a successful Lone Star is stabilizing the fabric with starch or a starch alternative before cutting and again before sewing. Then maybe a couple times during the sewing process! Keeping the fabric stiffer will take the stretch out of the bias and help keep your cuts and your seams straighter.

When cutting the angled strips from the pieced strips, pay extra attention to the angle as you go. It’s easy to get a little off, then that difference builds with each cut. When it gets a little off, just re-trim to the correct angle and start cutting your strips again. Also… pins are your friends!