Quilting Demonstration and Display for a Day at Windsor Historical Society

 

In a rare chance to get “up close” to quilted works of art, join Windsor Friendship Quilters at the Windsor Historical Society on Saturday, February 10, from 2-4 p.m. as they demonstrate the processes of quilt making and show traditional and contemporary quilted bed coverings, jackets, table runners, bags and accessories and more from their personal collections.

 

You will learn about a variety of quilt patterns from double wedding rings to log cabins to medallions, and see how each quilter uses pattern and color to make their quilts individual statements and works of art.   Traditional and contemporary quilts may  also be seen on display in the Society’s fall/winter exhibition Windsor Artists: Then and Now, sponsored by an anonymous donor, Rabbett Insurance Agency, the Town of Windsor through its Arts and Culture granting program, and Windsor Federal Savings Bank.   The Windsor Artists:  Then and Now exhibition will be open to the public before the program.

 

Friendship Quilters members Betty Breen and Eileen Mitchell will be working on a quilted piece over the course of the afternoon.  Artist Jan Dagenhart will bring a selection of her quilts and jackets in both traditional and mixed media styles.  Quilts of Barbara West Jarvis, many of them featuring African prints in bright colors will also be available for viewing.  Christine Goldschmidt, whose quilts have won national awards, will have work displayed.  Artist Ina Forman will bring her mixed media quilts for public viewing.  Heather Renaud will bring contemporary and traditional quilts from her own collections and portions of quilts showing how they are constructed.  We ask that people refrain from touching the quilts on display; natural oils and minerals on fingertips can damage the quilts.  But much can be learned using your eyes, and asking questions of the quilters on hand that day.   

 

Contrary to popular supposition, quilts were not common in colonial America.  Most women were too busy spinning and weaving and clothing their families to cut, piece and quilt bedcoverings.  By the middle years of the nineteenth century, the industrial revolution had created a textile industry that manufactured affordable commercial fabrics.  For the most part, women no longer had to produce fabrics to meet their family’s needs.  By the 1870’s, many families owned sewing machines, which meant that women had more time and more fabric available to make pieced and quilted multi-layered coverlets  -- works of art often passed down from generation to generation.

 

Cost for this program, which includes museum admission, is $6 for adults, $5 for seniors and students and $4 for Windsor Historical Society members.  Children under 12 accompanied by an adult are admitted free.  Parking is available around Palisado Green, and in the Windsor Discovery Center and First Church parking lots.  The Windsor Historical Society, founded in 1921, invites visitors to explore the people, places, and events that have shaped Windsor for over 370 years.  The Society’s museum includes changing and permanent exhibition galleries; a hands-on history learning center for families; a research library and manuscript collection housing Windsor photographs, Documents, ephemera, and genealogical materials, a museum shop and two historic houses open to the public--the 1758 John and Sarah Strong House and the 1767 Dr. Hezekiah Chaffee House.