Quilt Exhibit Opens at Historical Society

“Whig’s Rose,” quilted by Toni Brodie

Quilt blocks made by the Oregon Coastal Quilters Guild will go on display Friday, July 2 at the Burrows House Museum of the Lincoln County Historical Society, 545 SW Ninth in Newport. The quilt blocks were created in 2009 to celebrate the 150th birthday of the state of Oregon and heighten awareness of the role quilting played in history.

The challenge to quilters was to: research the history of a quilt pattern that existed in 1859; submit the quilt with the documentation or story; make a one-quarter scale replica of that quilt; keep fabrics, prints, and colors consistent with those available in the mid-19th century; and do all the piecing, quilting, applique, and binding by hand. Eighteen quilters answered the challenge producing 21 quilts.

“These quilt blocks are exceptionally beautiful and well crafted, and we are delighted to have the Coastal Quilters share them with our visitors so they can enjoy them,” Loretta Harrison, executive director of the Historical Society, commented.

Names of the quilt patterns are interesting and reflect all aspects of life. “Drunkard’s Path” is thought to have been a statement from the Temperance Movement. “Whig’s Rose” is also a political theme. Other interesting names include “She Did the Best She Could with What She Had,” “Wandering Foot,” “Double Irish Indigo,” and “Delectable Mountains with Variable Star.” Some patterns have more than one name which can make it difficult to track a quilt historically.

The quilters represented are: Jean Amundson, Jean Bishop, Doni Boyd, Toni Brodie, Jeann’e Butler, Evelyn De Paolo, Velma Freudenthal, Shirley Gilmore, Twyla Hoch, Joan Johnson, Marylynn Kleemann, Tina McCann, Wilma Roles, Nan Scott, Paulette Stenberg, Dolores Wagner, Heidi Ware, and Gloria Zirges.

Entry to the museums is free and open to the public. For more information, call the Historical Society at 541-265-7509. The Lincoln County Historical Society includes the Burrows House and Log Cabin museums. The Burrows House Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Log Cabin Museum is open Thursday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Both museums have gift shops. The research library is open Tuesday through Thursday. The Lincoln County Historical Society is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of the history of Lincoln County.