Art, history, beauty and science interweave in the intricate patchwork patterns of colorful quilts housed at the university's new International Quilt Study Center.

The 950 antique and contemporary quilts Ardis and Robert James of Chappaqua, N.Y., donated to the University of Nebraska in 1997 are a quilt researcher's dream. The collection will save textiles scholars like Pat Crews and other researchers time and money by allowing them to study an array of quilts under one roof.

Crews is researching quilts from the James Collection for Midwestern exhibits through 2001. The collection provides a rich resource for research. Over time, it will help historians and scientists explore the evolution of textiles, technology and quilting.

This is the world's largest publicly held quilt collection, with examples dating from the late 1700s to the 1990s made in the United States, Europe and Japan.

It provides researchers "a phenomenal resource" that could lead to rewriting quilt history, the nationally-known textiles and quilt expert said. Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources researchers have the tools to analyze quilts' material, artistry and history.

Viewed with the knowledgeable eyes of textile scientists, magnifying glasses show early printing methods, such as hand, block or copper plate prints or later processes such as roller printing, a printing press-like process developed in the late 1700s.

Researchers use a variety of tools to solve textile puzzles hidden in quilts.

Thread counters indicate whether similar-looking fabrics came from the same quilt.

Light microscopes identify fiber, and stereomicroscopes offer three-dimensional views of yarn and weave structure. Microscopic analysis, the only sure way to identify fiber content, is essential for dating fabric and learning when fibers began being used. For example, evidence of acrylic yarn dates a quilt to the 1950s or later.

Chemical solubility tests detect synthetic fibers' composition. Evidence of nylon, for example, proves a quilt was sewn after 1940, Crews said.

Thin layer chromatography helps identify chemical compounds in dyed fabrics. Researchers often examine fabrics with UV-visible spectroÜscopy, which uses light to determine dyes.

All this helps establish when quilts were sewn and reveals information about technological developments. More accurately dating quilts helps determine monetary and historic value, Crews said.

"Quilts reflect the availability of materials, the technology that was available, social values, fads in quilt-making and fads in fashion," she said.

Crews and her Department of Textiles, Clothing and Design team already are revising quilt history. Crews and Jenny Yearous, a former graduate student and now curator of collections at the North Dakota State Historical Society, have used some James quilts to shave at least a decade off previously established quilt-making timelines.

Most experts assumed quilters began using sewing machines in about 1860, Crews said. This IANR research found quilters began using machines in the 1840s, when they were invented.

The strong, uniform sewing machine threads provided clues about when quilters adopted the new technology as well as a quilt's age.

"When the sewing machine was invented, all sewing threads changed fairly dramatically," Crews said. "That was a clue many people overlooked."

Over the next 5 to 10 years, Crews wants to make the James Collection available to researchers, textile historians, antique dealers and collectors worldwide by publishing a catalog of 100-200 extraordinary quilts with photos, descriptions and essays.

The catalog will present an overview of American life, culture, history, art and women's contribution to them, she said.

"Quilts reflect the society in which they were made," Crews said. "They can provide yet another window about women's lives."

- Molly Klocksin

Carolyn Ducey (left), curator of NU's International Quilt Study Center, and Pat Crews, NU textiles scholar, examine a quilt from the Ardis and Robert James Collection, donated to NU in 1997. The extensive collection is a researcher's dream. They wear cotton gloves to help protect quilts from body oils and perspiration, which can lead to discoloration.

Carol Easley, a textiles, clothing and design department research technician, folds a quilt in an acid-free box in the quilt center's storage facility on UNL's East Campus. Quilts are stored in the special boxes between exhibits and research studies to protect them.

click here to view three quilts from the collection