Billings Farm & Museum will host its 37th Annual Quilt Exhibition, transforming the Historic Barn with artfully crafted quilts from June 3 – July 23.
The annual exhibition presents this unique and vibrant artform while reflecting on the historical significance of quilting in rural American heritage. The display will feature juried quilts made by contemporary Windsor County quilters, a locale that boasts a richness and breadth of creative talent and harbors a strong quilting community.
Challenge Quilts will also be on display. A quilt challenge requires specific design and construction rules agreed upon by guild members, with the goal of improving their quilting skills. For 2023, the Heart of the Land Quilters Guild members will present their challenge quilts with a “Beatles” theme. You don’t need to be a fan of the iconic band to appreciate the artistic possibilities of the lyrics, songs, and album titles!!
In addition to the array of juried and challenge quilts, guests can test their eagle eyes with our Quilt Exhibition Scavenger Hunt and explore other hands-on quilting activities.
Historic Quilts from the Billings Farm collection will be on display in the 1890 Farm Manager’s House and the Visitor Center lobby. They range in date from the 1870-1900s and the techniques and patterns used are examples typical of the late 19th century.
Vermont’s Quilting Heritage
Quilts have been a part of American rural life for over 300 years. They are colorful testimony to the fact that farm life, while sometimes austere, held celebration. The women who settled in Vermont during the late 18th century brought with them the hand skills, thrift, imagination and traditional designs which would develop into a distinctive American art form: the patchwork quilt.
Vermont quilters of today carry on the heritage and ever evolving tradition. Much of the contemporary work of Windsor County quilters is composed of patterns handed down from earlier generations and executed by hand; some adapt the traditional craft to more modern expressions and materials. All require skill, patience, and imagination.