A Kaleidoscope of Color at Gilfillan Mary Lynne Spazok
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UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY
Summer 2014
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Dazzling daffodils, rainbow roosters, and a kaleidoscope of quilts highlight Gilfillan Farm’s Community Day festivities. On Saturday, May 17, noon until 4 p.m., meet and greet newbie 4-H Blue Ribbon Heifer Max, and tour the house until 3 p.m. where yesteryear quilts will be showcased. Margaret Gilfillan’s favorite quilt was the Rose of Sharon. A beloved motif, its name is cited in the Hebrew Bible and refers to the Tulipa Montana, a bright red wild flower that grows even today on Palestine’s Plains of Sharon. The English adaptation is “rose.” Sewn with future hopes for a good life, cherished quilt patterns often related to the Bible and faith in God. As pioneers migrated to the West, the quilt made the journey folded safely in a trunk. The Rose of Sharon warmly embraced weary travelers with memories of beloved friends and family. Appliqued or pieced, then and now, it is an enviable show piece. Alexander Gilfillan favored a helter-skelter crazy quilt. Primitive quilters used any scrap or remnant available, regardless of its color, design, or fabric type. Worn out clothing, women’s calico dresses, men’s pants and shirts, household linens, and other oddly shaped fabric scraps were fitted and stitched together. The result was a hodgepodge of color with memories associated with each piece. Piecemeal quilts fell out of favor in the early 1900s as America became more industrialized and technology introduced modernism to the home. The Industrial Revolution enhanced the textile industry with the cotton gin, power thread spinners, and jacquard looms. Rich colors and opulent textures adorned a home’s parlor where embroidery skills and fine fabrics were showcased. Chronological as well, quilts often featured bits and pieces of the quilter’s past: a piece of father’s vest, a husband’s tie, lace from a wedding veil, or ribbons commemorating political events. Whether simple or lavish, quilts reflected personal values and the economic conditions of an era. Americans tend to romanticize the life of early pioneers. What dictated a homesteader’s daily routine? Survival! It was grueling and problematic. Shelter was no more than roughly built structures giving little protection from the elements. Fresh food and drinkable water were scarce. With poor diets, sickness knocked often at the pioneer’s door. Keeping the fire going 24/7was paramount to feeding the family and warming the home. The reflection of colonial women quilting before a roaring fire or by candlelight is wistful, but far from the truth. From sunrise to sunset, scorching hot summer days entailed endless outdoor toil, while the frigid, merciless winter months often bequeathed starvation and high rates of mortality. Historian and From Myth to Maturity: the Evolution of Quilt Scholarship author Virginia Gunn
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Left to right are Jan Rodgers and Brenda Applegate
writes “Romanticism has been combined with historical fact as people interpret America’s quilting past. Myths thrive because they reflect dreams, ideals, and values. Folklore continues even when proven inaccurate.” The grit and determination of the American pioneers were impressive. Those who crossed the country to settle in the West faced formidable obstacles including famine, predators, and extended periods of sheer boredom. Entertainment in late 18th and early 19th century America was limited to tales told around the fireplace. Storytellers embellished here and there to motivate weary listeners. Folk legends helped pioneers cope with uncertainty during hard times and inspired the blind ambition needed to conquer the American frontier. Not all quilts guarantee an antique’s road show “wow!” However, for any legacy quilt owner, it is worthwhile to discover its monetary value and social relevance. Because of this idea, the Historical Society of Upper St. Clair invited Brenda Applegate and Jan Rodgers to catalogue the Gilfillan quilt collection. Brenda and Jan are co-directors of The Western Pennsylvania Quilt Documentation Project contributing to the Quilt Index (www.quiltindex.org). Founded in 2009, the project operates under the auspices of the Beaver County Historical Research and Landmarks Foundation. The scope of the undertaking encompasses the ten counties that form Western Pennsylvania. Over 1200 tactile quilts in nine of the counties are documented, while in Greene County a support host is needed to realize an all-inclusive portfolio. Specialized credentials are important when seeking expertise. Brenda Applegate has served as the executive director for the Beaver County Historical Research and Landmarks Foundation for the past 15 years. Her interest in quilting began over 30 years ago with her grandmother’s assistance. Currently, her main interest is in traditional quilt methodology. Brenda earned a B.S. in sociology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Jan Rodgers, an independent textile historian, earned an M.A. from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, in textile history with an emphasis on quilt studies. Sewing and quilting for more than 40 years and serving as a docent at the Carnegie Museum of Art, her personal focus embraces contemporary design. Jan states, “My route to quilt history has taken a completely different course than Brenda’s. One of my great-grandmothers was a seamstress in the