Quilt exhibit shows history of quilter, village and craft
One of the largest collections in the Arlington Heights Historical Museum is its textile collection, including among other things, more than 50 antique quilts.
Nearly half of those opened recently in the museum's newest exhibit, "Quilted Heirlooms," running through Aug. 17 in its Heritage Gallery.
After years of being stored in the museum's climatized buildings, they emerged to see the light of day.
"They all represent some form of history, though a bunch of them have never been displayed before," says Mickey Horndasch, museum curator.
About 25 quilts make up the show, including many from the 19th century. The oldest dates from 1865, and Horndasch proclaims the full size quilt, done in the "thousand pyramids" pattern, to be in nearly mint condition.
"We have many of the early patterns represented," adds Beverly Ottaviano, education coordinator, "including the bear claw, bird stencil, log cabin, and pyramid quilts."
Others, like the so-called "crazy quilts" that date back to the late 1800s, and are located near the front of the exhibit, show a little bit of their age, especially in the squares featuring silk materials and threads that have frayed with time.
Horndasch explains that the crazy quilts were popular during the Victorian Era, and with their eclectic mix of materials - ranging from satin and silk, to embroidered cotton - as well as images sewn in, they represented the quilter's prosperity and station in life.
The exhibit even includes a pillow top featuring the crazy quilt pattern started by Lizzie Muller, whose home and pop factory are part of the restored buildings on the museum campus.
One of the more unusual pieces is the "cigar quilt," and accompanying smoking jacket, made of original silk cigar bands, stitched together and lined, again dating back to the late 1800s.
Horndasch saves one corner of the exhibit for commemorative quilts, which relate directly to the village's history.
They include a large one done by the congregation of the First United Methodist Church, as well as baby quilts made by members of the First Presbyterian Church, made for every baby baptized there during its 150th anniversary year.
While Horndasch can relate most of the quilts to their donors, and approximate their age, she cannot give much detail about the quilter in many cases, and that remains her frustration.
However modern technology seems to be solving that problem. A few of the more recent entries include panels on the back with printed text on them, presumably transferred on the material much like the process done to a T-shirt.
They document history about the quilt and its maker, as well as the time period about when it was completed, helping future generations preserve the past.