The Library has been transformed into a quilt museum! Stop by and view the many and varied, but all beautiful quilts. Why, you may ask, has this happened? Well, let me tell you it is not just because winter is setting in and everyone knows tea tastes better and a book is more interesting when wrapped in a quilt although that is true.
Did you know that some people believe that quilts hold memory? Beyond their beauty and usefulness, quilts possess a magic that will never die, for all of lifes hopes and fears, loves and hates have been sewn into them. Quilting goes back before recorded history as evidenced by early Chinese and Egyptian (960 BC) artifacts. Quilting was not prevalent in America until the mid to late 1700s.
Quilts are as varied as paintings in a museum. The language of quilting is a symbolic language and is communicated through fabric, pattern, size, dye color and basic design. The quilt is said to tell the stories of American humanity. Like a beautiful history book, the quilt artistically reflects on real people, places and events throughout time.
The word quilt derives from the Latin and means stuffed sack. In the earliest quilts, grass and leaves or feathers were used for the filling. After the top had been meticulously pieced together, the three layers were assembled and laid over a quilting frame supported by legs, sawhorses, or chair backs. In the South, the quilting frame was often suspended from the ceiling. The layers were then joined together by quilting, the running of stitches through the three layers of material.
From now until Nov. 18, there is an opportunity to bid on over 40 beautifully quilted items on display at the library. There are holiday table runners, a stained glass quilt, music motif (my favorite!) log cabin variations, Christmas placemats and hangings, a Civil War quilt, Sunbonnet Sue, Tumbling Blocks, some amazing pot holders and a gorgeous quilted jacket to mention only a few of those available. What a lovely gift for Christmas or for you to wrap up in during chilly times. They have all come to us from the estate of Enid Snode, who was our co-worker and a passionate quilter. Enid passed in July of this year. They are an opportunity for us to celebrate her work and raise some funds for the library. These are very special works that are stitching the fabric of our community.
Come by and view the quilts and make a bid! Then join us on Sunday, Nov. 18 for a festival of quilts from 2 to 6 p.m. You will have the opportunity to bid right up until 6 p.m., while enjoying live music, great company, buggy rides and cider pressing. Bring your container, bring your apples! We will also have some apples as well. Join us for this special day and bid on a quilt!