Quilt exhibit weaves together the past and present

The Tioga County Historical Society Museum, located at 110 Front St. in Owego, N.Y. welcomes the public to visit their 2019 Quilt Exhibit, which runs through March 16.

On display are quilts from the museum’s collection, along with vintage and modern quilts loaned by local collectors, quilters and artisans.

“We actually have nearly one hundred quilts in our museum collection,” remarked Executive Director, Scott MacDonald.

MacDonald further explained that he is pleased that area residents have generously loaned their handmade quilts for the exhibit. As for the remainder of the quilt display, which features more than thirty pieces, MacDonald said the selection process was challenging since the museum has so many exquisite quilts in their collection.

Visitors to the museum exhibit can view quilts dating from the mid 1800’s to present day, and each is labeled with an interesting explanation of its history.  

For example, a 1915 “Tailor’s Quilt” designed by Anthony Klem, an Owego tailor at the time, is made from scraps of material that were once men’s suits. Part of the museum collection since 1996, the donator indicated that Klem made several of these quilts for his children.

Additional quilts from the museum collection include a tribute to Tioga County’s Bicentennial, a few “crazy quilts,” and quilts with rich history such as the “log cabin quilts” and the one-of-a-kind “Tobacco Flannel Quilt,” among others.

A quilt loaned by Marie Ward of Owego, “Aunt Lizzie’s Flowers and Hearts,” was part of a full size quilt hand-stitched about 1915-1925 by Marie’s Great Aunt Lizzie (Perrine) Kinney.  Lizzie passed away in 2007 at age 103, and by then the quilt had seen better days. Marie decided to send the quilt off to a quilt rehab company in Maine in 2010 that specializes in carefully cleaning vintage items.

The quilt was returned in late August 2011, all vacuum-packed in a “space bag.” Thankfully, that is what saved it from three-and-one-half feet of water during the September 2011 flood. Today, the quilt is carefully stored when not on display. 

Among several quilts featured by local crafters, one called the “Everyday Quilt,” and described as a vintage simple square scrap quilt, was hand-made in the 1950’s and patched and rebound in the 1980’s. Another piece, “Ocean Wave,” is a festive combination of patterns and may even remind visitors that spring is just around the corner.

The Tioga County Historical Society changes their exhibits in two of their galleries upwards of three times a year, and then hosts several permanent items that visitors can enjoy at any time.

For information, call the museum at (607) 687-2460, visit tiogahistory.org, or find them on Facebook. Or, stop by the museum during regular hours, Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.