Quilt show to return to Delhi
Sep. 8—After a three-year hiatus, the Delaware County Town & Country Quilters quilt show will be held Sept. 10-18 at the Delaware County Historical Association in Delhi.
The show was scheduled to be held in 2021, but was canceled at the last minute when COVID-19 cases spiked in the county, Rebecca Wasserstrom, president of the quilt guild, said.
Quilts were hung throughout the museum's large exhibit space by members of the quilt guild and DCHA staff Wednesday. Members were back Thursday, attaching cards describing the quilts' style, maker and the story with straight pins or clothespins.
Quilt guild members Eloise Henault and May Falknor were this year's co-organizers of the quilt show. Henault said there are 44 quilts in the show, including nine of her own.
Henault creates "mystery quilts," which use different quilt patterns as letters to spell out a famous quote or saying. The top of the quilt lists the alphabet in order so people know what pattern corresponds with each letter. For example, apples stand for the letter a.
Henault said she was busy during the pandemic creating quilts that corresponded with her mood, things happening in the country or quotes by famous people including Jimi Hendrix, Amanda Gorman, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Dr. Seuss, Emily Dickinson and Mark Twain.
She said she also quoted herself in one of her quilts: "I want to run away from home but there's no place to go." She said that a lot during the pandemic, she said. So much so, that her husband created a model house with her quilting in one of the rooms with the saying attached to the roofline of the model.
Henault also created one mystery quilt in memory of former quilt guild president Maureen Kennedy. The guild dedicated a memorial corner to Kennedy, who was president of the guild from 2008 to 2015. Kennedy died within the last year, Wasserstrom said.
The corner includes quilts and quilted jackets created by Kennedy, as well as quilts made in her honor by fellow members.
"She worked at the Elijah's Closet thrift store and would bring games, fabric and unfinished projects to our meetings," Wasserstrom said. "She was always coming up with new games for us to play."
Some of the fabric Kennedy brought to a meeting is on display at the show. Falknor created placemats and a table runner out of Christmas-themed fabric, Wasserstrom said.
Falknor hand stiches all of her quilts and is known for her appliqués, Wasserstrom said. She created one quilt in the show using leftover quilt fabric from projects the quilt guild was working on and only bought fabric for the binding, Wasserstrom said.
"She doesn't use machines or quilt hoops," she said. "Her husband, Frank, holds the quilt while she stiches. She's 95 and he's 93."
The guild will raffle off a quilt that was handsewn during the pandemic. In addition, there will be a boutique where quilters can buy 2.5-inch jelly rolls, 5-inch charm packets, 2.5-inch squares, quilts and pillows, she said. Carol Davis, who owned A Quilt of Many Colors in Walton, will have a sale in the Toll House on the grounds.
Quilts will be on display from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Delaware County Historical Association at 46549 state Route 10 in Delhi, Sept. 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18.
For more information about the quilt guild, call Wasserstrom at 607-746-3733.
Vicky Klukkert, staff writer, can be reached at vklukkert@thedailystar.com or 607-441-7221.
