Sunday, September 12, 2010

Shelburne

Shelburne Museum is home to one of the finest quilt collections in the US. I have tremendous admiration for quilters and quilting. It takes time, patience, precision and skill to execute these complex designs.

crazy quilt

Our visit to the Shelburne coincided with two special exhibits involving quilts. The first was a wonderful display of the Museums crazy quilt collection, the first time they've come out of storage in over 10 years.

crazy quilt (6)

I am by no means an expert on quilting and all the variations thereof. I am fascinated by the seeming randomness of crazy quilt 'squares', the variety of materials used, the wonderful stitch embroidery and embellishments. These elements add up to a much more direct and personal narrative than the traditional quilts. It really appealed to me, and I could imagine trying my hand at something similar.

crazy quilt (9)

There were lots of traditional quilts on display as well. Some incorporated embroidery,

embroidery with quilting

some were made with tiny triangles that radiated out from a center square,

triangle quilt

some had blocks made with duck feet.

ducks foot

The second big exhibit involving quilts was deeply moving as it involved Alzheimer Disease.

alzheimer quilt story

Quilts made by quilters who have experienced Alzheimers', telling stories through quilts. To say I was choked up is putting it mildly. The stories attached to these quilts blew me away. I had to sit down and get a grip after going through this exhibit.

Gaps - Alzheimer Quilt

Alzheimer Quilt (2)

Alzheimer Quilt

We spent a day and a half going through this amazing Museum consisting of nearly 40 buildings, some historic and relocated to the Museum's grounds, others built in situ to house special collections. The variety and breadth of folk art, craft, tools, fine art and all things handmade was astounding. Well worth a visit especially for those involved in any form of craft.

2 comments:

Gale Bulkley said...

Wow. You've been busy writing posts this last weekend. The glimpse into this museum is wonderful, and Triple S is a beauty.

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