Quilt Discovery Evening set for Aug. 28 at WCU’s Mountain Heritage Center

by Aug 19, 2014Happenings0 comments

CULLOWHEE – Local residents will have an opportunity to learn interesting and historical details about their family quilts as Western Carolina University’s Mountain Heritage Center sponsors Quilt Discovery Evening from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 28.

Nationally known quilt authority Merikay Waldvogel will be on hand to give a presentation and analyze quilts that are brought in by their owners. Waldvogel will examine each quilt’s patterns, fabrics and the techniques used to create the quilt to help owners learn about their family heirlooms.

Nationally known quilt authority Merikay Waldvogel will be on hand to give a presentation and analyze quilts that are brought in by their owners.  (WCU photo)

Nationally known quilt authority Merikay Waldvogel will be on hand to give a presentation and analyze quilts that are brought in by their owners. (WCU photo)

Waldvogel is the author of “Soft Covers for Hard Times: Quiltmaking and the Great Depression” and “Southern Quilts: Surviving Relics of the Civil War.”

The presentation is free, but there will be a $5 fee for each quilt analysis, with a maximum of three quilts allowed per person. Proceeds from the event will help support the museum’s mission of helping local residents connect with the history and culture of the region.

Attendees also are invited to view the Mountain Heritage Center’s exhibit focusing on WCU’s 125th anniversary. The exhibit includes a quilt made by Ella Madison, wife of the institution’s first president, Robert Lee Madison.

Much of the museum’s quilt collection is available for viewing at the national Quilt Index, located on the Web at https://www.quiltindex.org/contributor.php?kid=1F-BB-0.

Info: Mountain Heritage Center (828) 227-7129 or visit https://www.facebook.com/mountainheritagecenter.

– WCU