Quilt Show At Trinity United

Julie Druker | Oct 21, 2015

Quilt lovers got more than their fair share of eye candy at the Trinity Quilters' Heritage Quilt show celebrating the 150th Anniversary of Frontenac County. On October 17 the Trinity United Church in Verona was lined wall to wall and pew to pew with hundreds of quilts, offering guests a close look at a number of heritage quilts from some impressive personal collections.

Front and centre at the show and displayed on the sanctuary's front dais were a number of exquisite pieces from the personal collection of Dr. Peter Bell, the lead family physician who heads up the Sharbot Lake Family Health Team. Bell spoke of the older heritage quilts that he collects, some made of cotton, but most made of wool. He said the latter attract him most because of their deep, muted and rich colours and heavier materials. “I tend to gravitate to these older wool quilts not only because of how they look and feel but also because they were made to be compatible to the life style at that time of early rustic homes, which were cold and where the inhabitants were looking for heavier, warm coloured quilts to keep them warm.”

One spectacular piece in Bell's display was a large sunburst patterned quilt, an old wool quilt from Toronto that dates back to 1886. Bell believes that it was likely made in Toronto but unlike many older crazy quilts, which were made from old worn clothes and/or bed covers, this Toronto quilt, in Bell's words, was “well planned out and was likely created from newly purchased material and used for special occasions”.

A second quilt done in the style of “Dresden Plate” has a number of disk shapes in two rows, with the disks made up of different coloured pie-shaped wedges.

A third piece, one of Bell's oldest quilts, is dated around 1840 and has a central medallion pattern with a central basket that boasts a floral arrangement. Also on display were a number of crazy quilts, many of which at that time were used to demonstrate the various stitch work patterns that could be used to stitch the pieces of the quilt together. One gorgeous log cabin style quilt is especially unique in that the primary pattern is prominent when viewed with the naked eye but when photographed, the image shows the secondary pattern moving to the fore.

One crazy quilt in Bell's collection has roots in Central Frontenac. It comes from the Cronk family of Long Lake Road near Parham and is stitch inscribed with the words “presant from mother to George, 24 Jen, 1912”. It is a unique piece, spelling mistakes and all.

Those who attended the show also had a chance to win three gorgeous quilts created by members of the Trinity Quilters group.