Technical notes and description: Tabby-weave cotton face and back; cotton filling. Piecework and surface applique, the two primary methods of fabricating tops for quilts, are represented in this example. This design has been identified by a variety of names, including Rising Star, Rising Sun, and, most frequently, Mariner's Compass. Piece-work composes the starbursts. There are twelve of these red, green, pink, and brown patterned fabric units separated by clusters of leaves. The surrounding border is a green swag caught by red-bowed tassels. The running quilting stitches follow the surface motifs.

Book excerpt: David B. Warren, Michael K. Brown, Elizabeth Ann Coleman, and Emily Ballew Neff. American Decorative Arts and Paintings in the Bayou Bend Collection. Houston: Princeton Univ. Press, 1998.