February 17, 2011

•  A couple of weeks ago I gave you a tiny preview of coming attractions…

                      

  And now for the unveiling!

  I refer to 2010 as the Year of the Historium…the year a few historical society friends and I worked to buy and renovate an old building on the square in our little town. ”Worked” is the key word in that last sentence–far more work than we imagined. But now, 12 months since the decision was made, we’re ready to welcome the world to our place. So, our first exhibit of 2011 is (drum roll, please!)…..

  Squares of Affection: Ozark County Friendship Quilts

  We’ve gathered thirty examples of this particular genre and have displayed them in our new old building, and we’re thrilled with the result! I’d like to share a few of these old treasures with you.

                               

  This appliqued beauty is just gorgeous! Made by a local homemakers’ extension club in the 1940s, each block was made to represent a boy serving in WWII and is embroidered with a name. Amazingly, every boy came home! Here’s a close-up. This quilt has never been washed.

               

  And another lovely appliqued Morning Glory beauty, also made by a homemakers’ club for a dear member’s birthday…her granddaughter owns it today and shared it with us for the exhibit. Don’t you love the purple and yellow?

              

  This next quilt is what I’d call a “typical” friendship quilt and was made for a young woman’s high school graduation in the mid 1950s. The names of all her classmates as well as family and neighborhood friends are embroidered upon the blocks.

               

  An embroidered quilt displayed the skills of the women who made the blocks….possibly another homemakers’ club.

               

  Here is a close-up of one block from another quilt that features incredible embroidery and meticulous quilting….

               

  And an unusual use of buttonhole or blanket stitch in stitching the quilt block maker’s name.

                

  The occasions for making friendshp quilts were diverse…weddings, anniversaries, graduations, and other of life’s milestones. Often, when a beloved teacher moved from a community the patrons of the school district (and these were often one-room schools) presented her (or him) with a going-away quilt as a remembrance. This next block is from a little community in our county known as Udall; the teacher was going to teach at a different school the next year, so this quilt was her going-away gift. Names of students and parents are embroidered onto the blocks, and three feature the names of boys who had perfect attendance.

                

  The block says, “Waco Carter…present every day.”

  This next one was made more recently…1982…as a 50th anniversary quilt for the makers’ parents. One daughter found the idea in a book and designed the quilt, and other women in the family double cross-stitched the names into the squares of the Crosswork Puzzle Quilt. It was then hand-quilted by a family friend.

                 

  I love the graphic look and bright colors in this old quilt. It was made in 1939–very nicely preserved.

                 

  This one is an unusual choice of pattern….it says, “Margaret Upton, March 1936.”

                      

  Next is an Album Quilt, made for the parents of one of my mother’s closest friends. Their home burned and the family lost everything in an instant, when Frances was just a little girl. Her mother’s friends got together and made them this quilt. It’s not large but I’m sure it warmed the hearts of this lovely family to have this treasure.

                     

  I love the sashing and nine-patch cornerstones in this next quilt. It was made by families in the Banner School district for a beloved teacher. Some of the women embroidered whole names, some just first names, and a few simply used their initials.

                 

  The prints in this quilt, which is perfectly preserved by its loving owner whose name is on a block, are all flour or feed sacks. Today, we can buy reproduction fabrics designed like these old prints. But to have such a wonderful example with the originals in such good shape is really special!

                 

  Look at it closely…can you see the square block? The name is “Sylvie Naugle” and Sylvie used buttonhole stitch (the one commonly used) to applique her print pieces to the solid off-white background square. That background fabric was also feed-sack material. See how the women chose a quilting pattern that makes the names stand out?

                 

  That one (above) is another beautiful example of embroidery. This name is not a familiar one in our county. I’m posting it in case anyone recognizes this name and can tell me anything about it. The rest of the quilt are names I recognize and was probably made in the 1940s.

  The last quilt I’ll share is a more modern one, made in 2007. Clever Rita took her grandchildrens’ drawings, transferred them to fabric and then used embroidery and paint to “color” them as the children had done. She made a quilt out of it and calls it her “going to the nursing home” quilt. Although anyone who knows this imaginative, feisty woman canNOT believe she’ll ever need to be in a nursing home, she says when the time comes she’ll wrap herself in the love of her grandchildren by placing this quilt on her bed.

                

  It says, “To you and him” (referring to Rita and her late husband) and the delightful misspelling of “shcool” is true to the original. It is signed ”Jessica.” All twelve blocks on Rita’s quilt are this cute. She embroidered “Grammy’s Memories” in the border.

                 

  I’ll close with a photo of a new quilt in progress, right there in the Historium, in the middle of the exhibit. I’m so thrilled with this! These old frames have been stored on our farm for about 10 years, when “my” quilting group was no longer able to quilt. The others passed away or moved away, but I always knew that someday there would be a time and a place when they would once again see use.

  Thanks for coming to our quilt exhibit! And come in person if you have the chance. If you’re from Ozark County, chances are you’ll find the name of a friend or relative on one of these quilts. My photos do not do justice to these works of art, made by women who had very few resources yet used an abundance of creativity and needle-skills to make lasting treasures to inspire us today. I am in awe of them…the quilts AND the quiltmakers.

                       

   

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