Document Your Old Quilt For Posterity!

Do you have an old quilt you treasure, and perhaps would like to learn a little more about it? And if so, would you be willing to enter information about it in a database Westside Historical Society is developing for future generations to enjoy and to learn about an important tradition once prevalent on Delmarva? 

Those who made quilts for the purpose of keeping warm also created a beautiful “picture-story” of their lives and times, and historians can learn much from them. This project is one way to tell that story. Each quilt will be photographed and a questionnaire will be completed that provides the information that goes into the database. Information and photos gathered for this bank of information will be available to scholars who study family history of the area as well as the art and cultural history of this art form. Information on how to date quilts, counterpanes, and coverlets and how to care for them also will be available, as well as an exhibit from Westside Historical Society’s collections holdings. 

Reservations are not required, and quilts will be documented in the order in which they arrive. Participants are asked to limit to three the number of quilts per person being entered in the data base, since documentation of each quilt may take 10 to 15 minutes, depending on its intricacy. The fee is $5 for each or $10 for three items. There is no minimum on the age of the quilts being documented nor do they have to be made on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Coverlets and counterpanes also may be brought for documentation. 

The event will be held in the Education Wing of the Methodist Church on Main St. in Mardela Springs; doors will open at 11 am and close at 3:00, Saturday, September 8. There will be no monetary appraisals at this event. For more information contact Sylvia Bradley Director of Westside Historical Society by email at westsidehistorical@gmail.com or phone 410-726- 8047.