Last week on our family vacation I attended a quilt show in a tiny southern Colorado town of my ancestry called Sanford. The quilt show was just part of the town's extensive Pioneer Day celebrations. One way they felt to honor their pioneer heritage was to display 100 quilts made or owned by the people of Sanford. The quilts were not for sale, but displayed with the names of the quilters, owners, dates, and most had stories to go along with them. Some were very, very old, and many had been made just this year. There were scraps of vintage fabrics and fraying old silks, along side funky contemporary prints. There were machine-quilted quilts and painstakingly hand-stitched quilts. Some were the work of beginners, and others were finely crafted with intricate hand stitching, and artistic color choices. It was fun to see how quilt styles had changed through the decades. There were special family quilts, where every member decorated their own square, friendship quilts, and even a quilt done entirely of prize horse show ribbons. I was excited to discover a few old quilts that we very much like some that I own (garage sale finds all).
My sister who is a seamstress, really appreciated the sewing skills of these talented quilters. My mom and I, who love anything old, really enjoyed seeing the terrific vintage fabrics, wondering about all the people those old quilts have warmed through the years, and the various beds that they have adorned. We were all amazed at the creativity and artistry of these women through the ages who put their time, talents, and hearts into these quilts, and we pondered on the thousands of collective hours put into piecing and stitching them all!
I love quilts, and I found this quaint small town quilt show simply inspiring.
No comments:
Post a Comment