My parents had a cabin about a half-hour from where we lived. It was their getaway place and we spent most of the summer and some winter weekends there.
The cabin was quite large with a wraparound screened-in porch. The porch was stocked with many rocking chairs, a large table where at least 20 people could sit down for a meal or, if it were a very hot summer night, sleep in a nice breeze.
The cabin was situated above a creek that was suitable for rowing boats, fishing or swimming. At night, you could hear the bullfrogs croaking and the crickets chirping. It wasn’t always easy to sleep with nature’s orchestra preforming every evening.
What made it easier for us kids to sleep were the many quilts covering beds and stacked in closets. There was one I always wanted and usually got. It had patches from many different materials, including velvet. It was as colorful as Joseph’s coat of many colors. I’d wrap up in it on a cold night and sleep like a baby. I guess that’s where my love of quilts got started and continues to this day.
Quilts can signify and are named many different things, such as the wedding ring quilt. One of my neighbors collects quilts that show a story of an event or struggle, such as the AIDS Quilt. She hangs them on a large wall in her living room, changing them from time to time. They are beautiful and show a tremendous amount of work by someone or several someones to document passing times.
If you like quilts, you will want to got to the 12th Annual Franklin County Quilt Show, Saturday, April 11 from 9am to 4 pm, and Sunday, April 12 from 10am to 3pm in St. Albans, Vermont. More than 100 quilts will be presented, with awards given for people’s choice and the mayor’s award. A silent auction will be held. There’s no cost to attend.
Special exhibits will include Purple Heart quilts, breast cancer quilts, a 2010 charity quilt for the Franklin-Grand Isle Habitat for Humanity, and charity quilts for numerous local organizations in Franklin and Grand Isle counties.
For more information go to Franklin County Quilters Guild, 802-326-3135.
Check our Antiques & Collectables Events Calendar for New York and New England.
