“Quilts of Valor” Quilt Block Kits
In conjunction with the exhibit Quilting Blocks & Binding Threads, the Indiana State Museum has partnered with the Quilter’s Guild of Indianapolis to help reach wounded veterans recovering at Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center in Indianapolis. The museum will offer free kits that contain materials to create a quilt block. Completed blocks should be returned to the Indiana State Museum. The Quilter’s Guild of Indianapolis will piece the blocks together during live demonstrations at the museum. All quilts will be donated through the Quilts of Valor Foundation, which provides handmade quilts to soldiers who were wounded or injured while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan.
These kits are a great service project for all ages and abilities. Request a quilt kit by visiting the Guest Services Ticket Counter at the Indiana State Museum or by calling 317.232.1637. A limited number of kits will be available through June 15.
Special Presentations
Lecture: Signature Quilts
Presented by Xenia Cord
Saturday, April 19 (please note this program has been rescheduled)
1 – 3 p.m.
Cost: Free for museum members, $5 for non-members
Xenia Cord, a prominent local quilt maker, historian and instructor, will discuss signature quilts. Attendees are invited to bring quilts on which names are inscribed to share with the audience following the lecture. White cotton gloves or nitrile/latex gloves are requested for those handling quilts.
Quilt Detectives
Presented by Caryl Schuetz, AQS Certified
Saturday, April 5
2 – 4 p.m.
Cost: Free for museum members, $5 for non-members
Are you interested in knowing more about a quilt in your home? Bring it to the Indiana State Museum and step into the shoes of a quilt detective. Quilt historian Caryl Schuetz will guide visitors through oral evaluations to help solve the mystery of a quilt’s age, design, and fabrics. Visitors will also learn the stories behind the women who made these historical treasures.
Workshop: How to Identify Antique Quilt Fabrics
Presented by Xenia Cord
Saturday, May 17
1 – 4 p.m.
Cost: $30 for museum members, $40 for non-members
To register: Telephone Guest Services at 317.232.1637
Identifying the historic and geographic origins of antique quilts requires understanding the social, historic, and cultural context within which women made them. It also helps to know about construction techniques, patterns, and fabric.
Handouts will be provided, and numerous antique fabric samples, arranged by time period and other meaningful divisions, will be presented. At the end of the workshop, participants will have a chance to test their fabric-identification skills.
Participants are encouraged to bring white cotton gloves or latex/nitrile gloves for handling the fabric samples and quilts. Pencils are preferred for note-taking, and cameras are optional. Participants are welcome to bring artifacts such as aprons, clothing, fabric sample books, or swatches that illustrate cotton prints from before 1950, and antique quilts with cotton surfaces; no crazy quilts or wool quilts.
A Tour and Tea
Groups who reserve a time to visit the Indiana State Museum to see Quilting Blocks & Binding Threads may sign up for a free hourlong tour of the exhibit, led by a docent. Tours are available Monday through Friday from 12 to 5 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. You can also make reservations for an elegant lunch in the museum’s recreated L.S. Ayres Tea Room. To reserve a time for a group visit and schedule a tour, call 317.232.1637.