A feast for the eye for all who love the homespun beauty of quilts can be seen at seven local arts and cultural institutions on the Norwalk Quilt Trail, on view through mid-November.
In a series of exhibits, the Quilt Trail spotlights 100 quilts made and collected in Norwalk. Together, the colorful quilts tell the story of the life and the changing fortunes of the area, from the early 1800s to the maritime era in the mid-1850s to 1900s machine age to the present.
The settings for the exhibits also represent many eras †from the Rowayton Historical Society’s Pinkney House, circa 1820, to the Stepping Stones Museum for Children, the list also includes the Norwalk Historical Society, the Norwalk Museum, Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum, the Sheffield Island Lighthouse and the SoNo Switch Tower Museum.
Each exhibit has a story to tell on a variety of themes.
At the Rowayton Historical Society ( www.Rowaytonhistoricalsociety.org or 203-831-0136), “A Common Thread: Family History Told Through Quilting” illustrates how quilts chronicled family life, telling stories of family love, loss and community in embroidered, patchwork and appliqué quilts, including a signature quilt from one of Norwalk’s oldest families.
“Collected & Cherished,” quilts made and collected in Norwalk featuring pieces made from 1850 to 1950, including log cabin designs in silk and baskets and wreath designs in cotton, is at the Norwalk Historical Society ( www.norwalkhistoricalsociety.org or 203-846-0525).
“The Craze of Crazy Quilts,” a display of a style popular in the late Nineteenth Century, is on view at the 1864 Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum ( www.lockwoodmathewsmansion.com or 203-838-9799), while “Against the Elements: Keeping Warm at the Lighthouse” is at the Sheffield Lighthouse ( www.seaport.org or 203-838-9444) with vintage quilts from private collections along with three quilts that are permanently on display in bedrooms of the ten-room 1868 lighthouse keeper’s home.
“Quilts Made by Norwalk Children from the 1970s to Today” is on display at the Stepping Stones Museum for Children ( www.steppingstonesmuseum.org or 203-899-0606) while “Trains, Planes and Automobiles,” featuring quilts with transportation themes showing the impact of transportation technology on American life will be at the SoNo Switch Tower Museum ( www.westctnrhs.org or 203-246-6958).
For more information, www.norwalkquilttrail.org .
