2008 Woodie Awards
The Sheldon boasts quilt exhibit
Nicole Lam
Issue date: 5/8/08 Section: Local News
A colorful quilt decorated with detailed embroidery of fall leaves is the centerpiece of the new exhibit at the Henry Sheldon Museum.
But unlike most museum artifacts, this quilt may be touched. One lucky winner of the raffle will win this gorgeous quilt, as the museum attempts to raise money to buy a quilt from the Milk and Honey Quilt Guild of Addison County. Additionally, the exhibition encouraged Vermonters to contribute to the raffle by giving away any old furniture, photos or crafts that could possibly become a part of the museum's antique collection.
The exhibition recalls the spirit of the museum's own namesake, Henry Sheldon. Sheldon, a lifetime collector of Vermont antiques, moved in the 1850s into the red brick house that now serves as the grounds of the museum.
Sheldon's collecting habit began with him buying anything that he thought would tell a story about himself and where he came from, ranging from coins, clothes, portraits, autographs and instruments.
Eventually, his collection imparted priceless history on future generations. For example, looking at Sheldon's collections, we now have the ability to learn about the lives of the woman who brought the second most expensive piano in Middlebury, the artist who finally found peace in painting Vermont's landscapes. Ultimately, visitors are able to learn about Sheldon himself, whose love for the outside world inspired him to collect Egyptian mummies, pipes, wallpaper and Chinese canes.
The new exhibit is called "Piecemakers: Vermont Country Quilts, 1830-Present." Displaying the museum's collection of skillfully hand-woven quilts, the exhibit will be on display from May 6, 2008 to Jan. 31, 2009.
"The foundation for this exhibit took almost five to six years," said Mary Manley, the curator of the exhibit. "It took a lot of researching to put everything together."
With that said, the museum explained what quilting meant for women living during the 1800s, how quilting has changed with the introduction of the sewing machine and the present state that quilting now occupies within communities in Vermont.
But unlike most museum artifacts, this quilt may be touched. One lucky winner of the raffle will win this gorgeous quilt, as the museum attempts to raise money to buy a quilt from the Milk and Honey Quilt Guild of Addison County. Additionally, the exhibition encouraged Vermonters to contribute to the raffle by giving away any old furniture, photos or crafts that could possibly become a part of the museum's antique collection.
The exhibition recalls the spirit of the museum's own namesake, Henry Sheldon. Sheldon, a lifetime collector of Vermont antiques, moved in the 1850s into the red brick house that now serves as the grounds of the museum.
Sheldon's collecting habit began with him buying anything that he thought would tell a story about himself and where he came from, ranging from coins, clothes, portraits, autographs and instruments.
Eventually, his collection imparted priceless history on future generations. For example, looking at Sheldon's collections, we now have the ability to learn about the lives of the woman who brought the second most expensive piano in Middlebury, the artist who finally found peace in painting Vermont's landscapes. Ultimately, visitors are able to learn about Sheldon himself, whose love for the outside world inspired him to collect Egyptian mummies, pipes, wallpaper and Chinese canes.
The new exhibit is called "Piecemakers: Vermont Country Quilts, 1830-Present." Displaying the museum's collection of skillfully hand-woven quilts, the exhibit will be on display from May 6, 2008 to Jan. 31, 2009.
"The foundation for this exhibit took almost five to six years," said Mary Manley, the curator of the exhibit. "It took a lot of researching to put everything together."
With that said, the museum explained what quilting meant for women living during the 1800s, how quilting has changed with the introduction of the sewing machine and the present state that quilting now occupies within communities in Vermont.
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