NW Expo Display in September

Mariner's Compass, c. 1840, Tilton Family, New Jersey

While I continue to work on "Beauty Secrets: 150 Years of History in One Quilt Pattern" opening August 5th at the Benton County Historical Museum in Philomath, I've been presented with another opportunity to show quilts this year. The 11th annual Northwest Quilting Expo will take place at the Portland Metropolitan Exposition Center from September  22-24, and I will be there with quilts.

Tree of Life, c. 1880, unknown maker, Pennsylvania

Last year, I participated in the Latimer Quilt and Textile Center bed turnings at the Expo, and Latimer Board President Carol Weber introduced me to a nice lady named Shellie, one of the show's ringleaders, who was interested in having me speak at the 2011 show. I agreed to speak, and Shellie recently offered me a bonus opportunity to display quilts and do book signings. Since I've never done anything like it, I thought it would be a good experience, and I agreed to do it.

Honeycomb Hexagons, 1842, unknown maker "M.C." Pennsylvania

Shellie and I have settled on having 20 quilts on display, and now I'm beginning to make my selections. I will hold certain quilts for the lectures on Friday and Saturday, and will also hold quilts that have been displayed in the Portland area in the last year and quilts too fragile to display. "Beauty Secrets" will be hanging at the time, so the Rocky Mountain Road / New York Beauty quilts will be at the Benton County Museum.

Princess Feather, c. 1840, unknown maker, Maine

In looking at what would be available and what might appeal to attendees, I'm putting together a group of older quilts, primarily pre-1900 quilts from the eastern United States. These are the quilts we don't see often in Oregon, a state that joined the Union in 1859, well after the eastern territory was settled. Several of my quilts were made before 1859.

Sunburst Diamonds, c. 1830, unknown maker, New England

Until recently, I hadn't realized these older quilts were more rare in Oregon than in other places. Having come from the east coast, maybe I took these quilts for granted. During the time I've been sharing them with groups around Oregon, I've been surprised by the reaction. Many west coasters haven't seen a lot of quilts older than the Colonial Revival or Depression Era. Those later quilts are actually a greater rarity in my collection, but I don't think I got it backwards. People just love the old quilts.

Sprigs of Laurel Medallion, c. 1840, unknown maker, Baltimore, Maryland

So, old quilts it will be - some of the oldest quilts here in Oregon - and I'm delighted to be bringing them to the Expo. The quilts in this blog are just some of the pieces I'm considering, both for display and lectures. The Northwest Quilting Expo will take place September 22-24, 2011 at the Portland Metropolitan Exposition Center at 2060 North Marine Drive, Portland. For more details, click here.