They have long been a part of the very fabric of family life, with elements of family history woven tightly into the cloth.
So it has been for handmade quilts, many created with detailed stitching painstakingly completed by candlelight.
The Bartholomew County Historical Society Museum has kicked off its centennial year celebration — later than expected, because of COVID-19 restrictions — with a free, 11-piece exhibit, "The Great Coverup," running through June 3 at the facility at 524 Third St. in downtown Columbus. The items were part of the society’s first-ever exhibit presented in 1926, with pieces dating as far back as 1860.
"So it seems only fitting to feature these exquisite items once again," said Diane Robbins, the historical society’s executive director.
She’s not exaggerating when she says exquisite.
How does a quilt made partly from a bride’s 1875 wedding dress sound? Sarah Cox Glick’s quilt, from what is estimated to be 1878, includes such from her red and green fabric, colors that were quite popular at the time, according to exhibit organizers.
Historical society volunteer Kathy Leitholt curated the exhibit that will be followed by a related coverlet exhibit opening June 8.
"I really tried to think about and focus on the people who made them," Leitholt said.
Those people’s expertise, in some cases, was as expansive as their creations. Robbins, for example, noticed some of the coverings with stitches incredibly close together — no easy feat amid the art form.
"These are nearly miraculous," Robbins said.
Retired certified quilt appraiser Cindy Claycamp of Seymour has helped the historical society understand what it has in its collection. And a video that the historical society made with Claycamp helps the public understand quilts’ place in society, especially in bygone days.
"Quilts were made first out of necessity," Claycamp said in the video on the historical society’s YouTube.com channel. "And they also were made out of the love of beauty, and also the love of handwork and needlework."
Robbins mentioned that many quilts of yesteryear were symbolic in a variety of ways.
"Oftentimes either the fabric had a special meaning to the quilter, or the pattern carried a special significance," Robbins said.
Back in the day, some quilt patterns came from newspapers that printed them in their publications. One piece in the exhibit is so well done that it won first place in a statewide quilting competition sponsored by The Indianapolis Star.
Historical society visitors who already have seen the exhibit have been impressed, according to Leitholt.
"One lady said she was just in awe," Leitholt said.
What might the creators of these blankets think to see their work still intact — and in a museum no less?
"They probably would be very surprised," she said.
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What: The Great Coverup, featuring a variety of antique quilts, including one dating to 1840, that were part of the Bartholomew County Historical Society’s original first exhibition in 1926. The exhibit kicks off the society’s centennial year celebration lasting through December.
When: Through June 3. Times are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays.
Where: Bartholomew County Historical Society Museum, 524 Third St. in downtown Columbus.
Admission: Suggested donations — adults, $5; seniors, $3; children (ages 5 to 17), $2; children under 5 years old, free; members, free.
Information: bartholomewhistory.org
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