07.28.07
Statewide Maine Quilt Show Sizzles With Pizazz
The Pine Tree Quilt Guild, a guild that is comprised of members from all over the state of Maine, has succeeded in hosting yet another spectacular show at the Civic Center facility in Augusta, Maine.
Of course, the first place to which Jim and I headed was the room of antique quilts. This year, a small group of antique quilt owners allowed their quilts for children or for doll beds to be placed on display. A quilt for a trundle bed was included in the mix. For those of you who do not know what a trundle bed was, it was a shorter bed that slid under a taller bed during the day. It was often used for children. Many historic sites in the New England area feature examples of trundle beds. Two of those that come to mind quickly are Storrowton in Massachusetts, and Strawbery Banke (actual old spelling of the name), in Portsmouth, NH.
An all-white child’s quilt that was composed of nine-patches and heavily quilted is an unusual approach to a “wholecloth” quilt. Other quilts included early to late nineteenth century pieced quilts, an unusual appliquéd “Boston Pavement” quilt, and some examples of small Redwork quilts, that were tied, not quilted.
One could have spent a much longer time than an afternoon, to fully enjoy the many quilts on display. I have chosen just three of Jim’s photos to share with you.
This quilt is called simply, “Mariner’s Compass” by its maker, Kathy Elders Wiesner. The colors in this quilt caught my attention immediately, and I noticed later that the quilt had also won a ribbon.
“Toy Garden” seen above, was made by Donna Hamill for her ninth grandson. This quilt, as I had immediately recognized, is an adaptation of the “Calico Garden Quilt” originally made by master quilter, Florence Peto, in the 1950s. The original quilt resides in the Shelburne Museum in VT, and Donna used Froncie Quinn’s reproduction quilt pattern in designing this quilt.
“Tribute to Stephen King” by Judy Kenney is a very innovative quilt. King is, after all, a Maine resident, so this quilt seems most fitting for the occasion of the Pine Tree Quilter’s Show.
The show featured outstanding quilts. There were a number of group quilts in which members would take a slice of one photograph and re-create the landscape scene in their own way. The three, four, or five panels were hung together, closely, side by side in the show. This is not a new technique, but can be a very effective one if the quilters in the group are artistically-bent, and of a similar level of quilting expertise.
The 30th annual show continues all weekend. Tomorrow the hours are 9-5 p.m. and on Sunday, you may visit the quilts from 10-4 p.m. The space is air-conditioned, and many vendors are on hand to help you open your pocketbook. We thoroughly enjoyed this year’s show. Congratulations to all who were involved in its planning and execution. Here’s to at least 30 more wonderful years of quilts in Maine!
Patricia Cummings
