The Sheldon boasts quilt exhibit

Author: Nicole Lam

A colorful quilt decorated with detailed embroidery of fall leaves is the centerpiece of the new exhibit at the Henry Sheldon Museum.

But unlike most museum artifacts, this quilt may be touched. One lucky winner of the raffle will win this gorgeous quilt, as the museum attempts to raise money to buy a quilt from the Milk and Honey Quilt Guild of Addison County. Additionally, the exhibition encouraged Vermonters to contribute to the raffle by giving away any old furniture, photos or crafts that could possibly become a part of the museum's antique collection.

The exhibition recalls the spirit of the museum's own namesake, Henry Sheldon. Sheldon, a lifetime collector of Vermont antiques, moved in the 1850s into the red brick house that now serves as the grounds of the museum.

Sheldon's collecting habit began with him buying anything that he thought would tell a story about himself and where he came from, ranging from coins, clothes, portraits, autographs and instruments.

Eventually, his collection imparted priceless history on future generations. For example, looking at Sheldon's collections, we now have the ability to learn about the lives of the woman who brought the second most expensive piano in Middlebury, the artist who finally found peace in painting Vermont's landscapes. Ultimately, visitors are able to learn about Sheldon himself, whose love for the outside world inspired him to collect Egyptian mummies, pipes, wallpaper and Chinese canes.

The new exhibit is called "Piecemakers: Vermont Country Quilts, 1830-Present." Displaying the museum's collection of skillfully hand-woven quilts, the exhibit will be on display from May 6, 2008 to Jan. 31, 2009.

"The foundation for this exhibit took almost five to six years," said Mary Manley, the curator of the exhibit. "It took a lot of researching to put everything together."

With that said, the museum explained what quilting meant for women living during the 1800s, how quilting has changed with the introduction of the sewing machine and the present state that quilting now occupies within communities in Vermont.

In the 1800s, many quilts were created by mothers for their sons, wives for their husbands, sisters for their siblings. Quilting was a form of communication for many women to express their love and appreciation for family and friends. One quilt was created by a woman who sewed up numerous patches adorned with delicate calligraphy on each one of the patches.

Quilts were given as wedding gifts from friends with many heartwarming words and poetry such as one that wrote "When this you see remember me" dated on March 11, 1862 by Sarah E. Hungtington in Middlebury. Eventually, a quilting culture grew in Vermont as women found a sense of community in creating artwork together for loved ones.

"This quilt collection is a beautiful treasure because we are able to tell a very detailed story about the people who made these quilts," Manley said.

Although sewing machines were invented during the Industrial Revolution in the late 18th and 19th century, many women still preferred quilting by hand. Not only did sewing machines not produce the same delicate needlework, but it took away the tradition. A quote from a woman's diary displayed in the museum explains her 'nostalgia for the ways of their mothers and grandmothers.'" However, sewing machines eventually became more prevalent as women found they could obtain more leisure time. Quilting changed from a necessary duty to a pastime in creating beautiful masterpieces to decorate the house. Therefore, the many quilts on display were meant to be admired and valued for their careful needlework and creativity in using daily common items like baskets, trees and fruits as patterns.

Even in contemporary history, women continue to quilt together as a social group to share their thoughts and feelings. In 1976, the Women of the Congregational Church in Middlebury sewed the large Bicentennial Quilt, which is made up of patches that display the Old Chapel, College Street, Middlebury Inn, Lake Dunmore and Ilsley Public Library - famous everyday sites that make the town in Middlebury close and connected as a community.

Looking at the Bicentennial Quilt, one can see that the town has not changed much. Ilsley Public Library still looks exactly like the stitched pattern, with the stone white steps going up to the big columns looming over the entrance. Even among Sheldon's collectibles, paintings of Middlebury landscapes such as one titled "Middlebury Falls" by James Hope (1818-1892) show that Middlebury Falls is still running and the wooden bridge over Otter Creek still stands strong and stable. Maybe with the exception of the textile mills, factories and stone cotton mills that surrounded the Falls before the fire that now has been replaced with more modern brick houses, much has not changed in the past 100 years.