Quintessential Quilts at the Danbury Historical Society

The Danbury Historical Society's exhibit called Quintessential Quilts runs through November 1 and focuses on the amazing collection of handmade quilts in the museum's collection. The exhibition opens with the roots of the craft in the 18th and 19th centuries and moves on to highlight the rising popularity of quilt making as an artistic endeavor in the 20th century.

All the quilts on display were made between the 18th and 19th century by the local citizens of Danbury area and tells a story of the people of this that made them.  

One particularly interesting quilt, crafted by sisters Laura and Flora Morgan of Bethel was made from Danbury hat factory scraps and is known as the "crazy quilt".  This particular piece is believed to have been made between 1875 and 1910. Laura Morgan was employed by a Danbury hat factory and was allowed to bring home silk lining scraps. Together the sisters added these to a variety of velvets: cut, uncut, and voided. The scraps were pieced together on foundation fabric and made nine blocks embellished with beads, embroidery, and sequins. It is thought that this quilt was a gift from these two unmarried sisters to their helpful cousin.

In conjunction with this quilt exhibition, the Danbury Museum and Historical Society is hosting several movies and lectures on quilting. On August 9 at 2 p.m. the movie, Quiltmakers of Gee's Bend will be shown in Huntington Hall; admission is free and the public is welcome to attend. 

On August 16 there will be a quilting fabric swap from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.  There is a $10 admission at the door for this fun fabric exchange. 

The quilting fun continues in September with a free movie on Art of Quilting beginning at 2 p.m. in Huntington Hall on the campus of the Historical Society.

On October 25, a few days before this exhibition comes to a close, there will be a lecture by Sue Reich, a well known quilt expert. The lecture is free and will begin at 2 p.m. in Huntington Hall. The focus of the lecture will be quilts and quilt makers covering Connecticut. 

The Danbury Museum and Historical Society located on 43 Main Street in Danbury  is open Wed. - Fri. 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. and Sat. 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. For addition information visit http://www.danburymuseum.org. 

For area information www.litchfieldhills.com

Historic Quilt Lecture hosted by the Kent Historical Society

A special donation of a historical quilt linked to Kent located in Connecticut's scenic Litchfield Hills has spurred the Kent Historical Society to offer an event dedicated to quilt history.

Sue Reich of Washington, an author and lecturer on quilt history, will demonstrate the use of quilts as a historical research tool as part of the Kent Historical Society’s Sunday Series on Jan. 19 at 2 p.m. in Kent Town Hall. Please call 860-927-4587 for reservations.

Reich has been a quiltmaker since childhood. She lectures widely on many aspects of quilt history, and is a certified American Quilt Society quilt appraiser. She co-authored “Quilts and Quiltmakers Covering Connecticut” and authored “Quilting News of Yesteryear: One Thousand Pieces and Counting,” as well as “Quilting News of Yesteryear: Crazy as a Bed-Quilt”, ”World War II Quilts”, ”Quiltings, Frolicks and Bees” and “World War I Quilts.”

The main quilt that will be discussed is a recent donation to the KHS. It is a signature quilt that dates back 120 years has been returned to town. Embroidered with the date 1894, it belonged to the Rev. Benjamin Mead Wright at the time of his retirement as pastor of the First Congregational Church of Kent in 1896.

The quilt was handed down in his family, where it remained until 2012, when KHS Board members Dick and Charlotte Lindsey met his grandson, Stanley Wright, in Norwalk. Wright felt strongly that the quilt should be returned to Kent. It was on display during that fall at the church and then transferred to the Historical Society. At the time of this recent donation it was assumed that the quilt had been made as a retirement gift for Rev. Wright by his congregation, but close examination by Ms. Reich has now led us to believe that may not be the case. How did she arrive at that conclusion?  Come to the Sunday Series program to find out!

For  information on Connecticut's Litchfield Hills visit www.visitlitchfieldhills.com.

The Kent Historical Society sponsors the Sunday Series every other month September through May. Admission is free, but donations are welcome. For more information, see

www.kenthistoricalsociety.org.