Dallas Heritage Village

The Dallas County Heritage Society in Dallas, TX will use grant funds to conserve a delicate silk quilt top created in the late 19th century. Sewn by Emma Dewey Miller, a Dallas pioneer and first owner of the historic house that serves as the focal point of the Dallas Heritage Village, this textile is a work in progress with the newspaper forms still intact and basting stitches still visible. Conservation will include stabilization of the deteriorating silk and creation of a custom case for safe handling and exhibition. Once treated, the quilt top will again serve to illustrate the craftsmanship of women in the 19th century and show the progress of material life as the city moved from frontier to commercial center.