October 14th - 23rd will be the 44th Annual Quilt Show at the Aurora Colony Museum. It celebrates the 160th anniversary of the founding of the Aurora Colony. The legacy of the founding of a town dovetails with the legacy left by our ancestors in the quilts they provided for us. Those old quilts are still warming our bodies and our souls today! Pieced or patchwork quilts, crazy quilts, tied quilts, appliqued quilts, etc., it does not really matter. What matters is the community of women working together to provide comfort for their families while still doing it with such style and artistry! Nothing was ever wasted. If a shirt or skirt wore out and could not be cut down for another family member, it went into the stash of fabrics that would be cut and used in a quilt. Muslin fabric from flour sacks, calico, muslin yardage; just about anything that could be sewn into a quilt was. Quilt patterns number in the 10's of thousands. Some were regional, some were passed down from generation to generation. Pattern's were shared among women all over the country; mailed back and forth and, sometimes, called by names that were used for several different patterns. It could be quite confusing! Names like Grandmother's Flower Garden, Goose Tracks, Nine Patch, and Morning Star leave you imagining just what that pattern might look like! It was the act of gathering together as a community of women and working on these projects that gave them a social outlet. Something we
take for granted these days with our communication coming in the speed of light. These gatherings would be an opportunity to share what was going on in their lives and the lives of their families. They did not have the Internet to pass this information along! Little did they know, that generations later, women would still be collecting and sharing quilt patterns, gathering together as a community and working on projects and keeping their families warm with these wonderful works of art. Take time to visit the annual quilt show then stop by South End Antique Mall and check out the collection of vintage and contemporary quilts sprinkled throughout the mall. If you are lucky enough to have one of these treasures that has been passed down to you, take time to do a little research on the pattern. Look at how it was constructed and just enjoy the artistry used to create your own work of art!
October 14th - 23rd will be the 44th Annual Quilt Show at the Aurora Colony Museum. It celebrates the 160th anniversary of the founding of the Aurora Colony. The legacy of the founding of a town dovetails with the legacy left by our ancestors in the quilts they provided for us. Those old quilts are still warming our bodies and our souls today! Pieced or patchwork quilts, crazy quilts, tied quilts, appliqued quilts, etc., it does not really matter. What matters is the community of women working together to provide comfort for their families while still doing it with such style and artistry! Nothing was ever wasted. If a shirt or skirt wore out and could not be cut down for another family member, it went into the stash of fabrics that would be cut and used in a quilt. Muslin fabric from flour sacks, calico, muslin yardage; just about anything that could be sewn into a quilt was. Quilt patterns number in the 10's of thousands. Some were regional, some were passed down from generation to generation. Pattern's were shared among women all over the country; mailed back and forth and, sometimes, called by names that were used for several different patterns. It could be quite confusing! Names like Grandmother's Flower Garden, Goose Tracks, Nine Patch, and Morning Star leave you imagining just what that pattern might look like! It was the act of gathering together as a community of women and working on these projects that gave them a social outlet. Something we 
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