One of the most pleasant events I’ve been to in a long time was
the Spring Quilt Show May 19 at the historic Hersman House on
Church Street, just off of Monterey and the downtown area.
One of the most pleasant events I’ve been to in a long time was the Spring Quilt Show May 19 at the historic Hersman House on Church Street, just off of Monterey and the downtown area. It was a warm spring day, the kind that makes you want to sit on the veranda and sip lemonade in the shade, which is just what many of us did. Members of the Gilroy Branch of the American Association of University Women served cucumber sandwiches and divine lemon drop cookies that melted like liquid sunshine on our tongues. The AAUW displayed beautiful handmade and heirloom quilts, charging a $10 entry fee in order to raise money for scholarships to send young women to college.
More than 100 quilts were displayed inside and out. It was quite a treat to have the opportunity to tour the inside of this private 1917 historic Craftsman home, a perfect setting for displaying antique quilts. Many quilts at the show were made by the cooperation of more than one person, such as “Indian Summer,” which was crafted in fabric colors of goldenrod, raw sienna, brick, and turquoise. It seemed almost three-dimensional. I would have sworn I could touch the pieces of turquoise jutting out of the fabric if I had gone up close enough. It was pieced by our hostess, Bonnie Colbert, but quilted by Noni Gamino, and displayed by owner Mary Cook.
Using the sewing machine as an art tool, these quilters conjured imagination. My favorites included a quilt made with fabric that looked like stained glass, and “Fish Bowls,” which gave the impression of looking directly into many rows of fish bowls all at once.
Suzanne Barrett of San Martin talked about sitting under a quilting frame as a kid. “It was an honor when the older women allowed the younger ones to iron the little strips of cloth for the quilts they were making,” she said. Women would talk about what was going on in their lives as they worked together on quilting projects, and this is still true of the many local quilting groups in our area. But don’t be deceived – the women who meet as “Seam Rippers,” “Piece By Piece,” or “Bobbin Babes” are engaging in more than quaint old-fashioned tradition. They are each others’ outlet, therapy, support, and advisory committee. When they share common threads, they are quilting more than mere squares of fabric – they are quilting strong bonds with each other.
Every quilt has a story, and the one that moved me most was scientist Margie Enger’s red and aqua polka-dotted and flowered quilt in a traditional fan design. It reminded me of my grandmother’s beautiful quilts. She was a farmer’s wife who lived in Oklahoma from 1906-1986. She used whatever scrap pieces were left over from sewing clothes for her family. Each square held a memory: “That’s the dress I wore at Easter when I was 5!” my mom would exclaim at the sight of a light green patch, or “There’s your grandpa’s work shirt,” when she came across a rougher denim square. Her quilts were always a plethora of patterns, colors, and designs – a hundred memories all woven together.
Margie’s quilt had this story pinned to it: “The original quilt was hand-pieced by my great aunt. She was mentally handicapped, and her role on my great grandparents’ dairy farm in Baron, Wisc., was to make quilt tops. During the Depression in the 1930s, my grandmother and Aunt Mabel would quilt the tops and sell them. My grandmother gave my mother this top in the 1950s. The top was found in the ’90s, stored in a chest. I sent the top to my Great Aunt Emma in Wisconsin. She found a younger woman (in her 80s) to add the navy borders and back, and then hand quilt the layers.”
There is wisdom to be gleaned from quilters: when life gives you scraps, make quilts! And this saying can be applied to more than just quilt-making: “To quilt is human – to finish divine.” The AAUW not only pieced together a beautiful show and the creation of one of Gilroy’s most enjoyable spring afternoon events, but made it a benefit for a good cause as well. I hope they will consider hosting a repeat of this successful event next year.
