Quilts weave local holiday history

Author: Nicole Lam

This winter, the Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History in downtown Middlebury is featuring the quilt exhibit "Piecemakers: Vermont Country Quilts 1830-present." While many of the quilts date back to the 1800s, there are a few unique, modern quilts that immediately catch the eye.

Crafted by various Middlebury women throughout history, the quilts are a symbol of loyalty and love for the community. These preserved masterpieces are not just decorative; they hold a great deal of historical significance as well. While admiring the beautiful quilts, it becomes apparent that while so much about Middlebury has changed over the years, there are still some things that remain the same.

For example, there is the Bicentennial Quilt sewn in 1976 by the women of the Congregational Church of Middlebury. The quilt consists of 30 blocks sewn together, with each block featuring various hallmarks of the community, including the Waybury Inn, the Charter House, the Old Chapel, the Middlebury Inn and Lake Dunmore.

For the women who created these masterpieces, the quilts hold memories of friends and familes. Made in 1846, the Signature Quilt consists of a series of farewell notes written on squares and then pieced together. Among the many delicate scripts is one embellished with the words: "Forget me not. To make a kind remembrance to a dear friend." The script concludes with, "Friendship, a sum whose value is seldom duly appreciated.

But upon comparing the Appliqué Tulip Quilt of 1840 to the Weeping Lady Liberty Quilt of 2001, one recognizes how much America, and more specifically, Middlebury, has changed. The Appliqué Tulip Quilt is covered with soft red flowers and birds pitched against a white cotton background. In contrast, the Weeping Lady Liberty Quilt stands out with its bold splash of wild shapes pieced together to form faces, giving the illusion of many masks moving in and out of the quilt.

Crafted by Susan Damone, a local Middlebury quilter in response to Sept. 11, the artwork depicts Lady Liberty's hollow eyes, poignant smile and chaotic shapes and colors cover her face. Enveloped in the silence of the room, one is amazed by the powerful emotion emanating from the delicate threads.

Damone has transformed the standard image of Lady Liberty. She has lost her glory. By holding this contemporary quilt against a traditional quilt, the Museum seeks to demonstrate to visitors how the suble colors, patterns and most of all, the themes of modern quilts have moved forward.

The powerful inspiration from the quilt exhibit softens as one moves on towards the new exhibit held specially for this holiday season. The big showcase is the train exhibit located on the second floor. A towering train set with four different railroad tracks hearkens the festivity of the changing seasons. The trains slowly chugs along a beautiful, painted background that progresses from a scene from Middlebury's late summer to a layout of winter mountains, evergreen coniferous trees, and reindeer.

In addition, all around the room are canvases of the Brandon Station in 1948 and the morning round-trip train known as the "Tin Can" that came by to pick up travellers at Middlebury on its way to Burlington in 1947.

Aside from the train display, the curator has set up a tiny wooden desk that holds Christmas cards that Henry Sheldon himself wrote in the 1800s. The photograph exhibit on the first floor presents a whole range of enlarged black-and-white photographs taken in the early 1900s.

The images recall the tragic impact of the "Big Storm" on Main Street as well as the joyful, precious moments of children sledding down the Middlebury Town Green, skating on Otter Creek, and reindeer sleigh-riding in front of the Porter House and Middlebury College.

Usually, the Henry Sheldon Musuem only displays its original collection of Henry Sheldon's artifacts. Some of these objects are coins, landscape paintings, autographs, a grand piano and textiles. However, this season, the Musuem has created a special holiday theme by linking the quilting exhibit with the winter photographs, the Christmas decorations and the train display.

Everything in the Museum reminds visitors of cozying up with a warm quilt during the holidays while thinking back to memories of childhood fun with family and friends. The winter exhibit will be on display from Nov. 28 through January 2009.