Small Quilt Exhibit

Last Thursday, on the spur of the moment, a friend tracked me down at the YMCA and asked if I was interested in going to the quilt exhibit in a nearby town that afternoon with another friend. The timing was good and so we went!

The Museum of Early Trades & Crafts in Madison, NJ, was originally the James Library built in 1889 by philanthropist Daniel Willis James. 

The interior boasts 20' high ceilings, 7 chandeliers, 56 stained glass windows, 3 fireplaces, and stencilled and hand-painted brick walls. 

The current exhibit Narrative Threads: New Jersey Quilts & Textiles features several quilts and artifacts pertaining to quilting. Love these madder blocks!

The displays are all behind glass making it a little difficult to get good photographs but this quilt 'spoke' to me right away. It is from the museum's collection and represents an example of a pieced quilt comprised of many small pieces of fabric that are stitched together to make a large quilt. And since this is a 'learning' museum, there are questions on the story cards e.g. "How many different types of fabric can you see?" 

A simple tied One-Patch.

This lovely quilt contains 30 pieced Pine Tree blocks. At the base of the tree trunk on the right are the initials 'JAS.'

An example of a quilt made by a child who was learning how to sew. 

Downstairs this beautiful c. 1830 medallion quilt was displayed high above a fireplace. 

A detail.

This strippy was displayed behind a sheet of clear vinyl which prevented visitors from touching.  

Lots of wonderful early fabrics . . .

. . . and a nice combination of simple 9-patches and border strips :)

Have a great week!




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Copyright 2019, Barbara Schaffer