Monday, March 02, 2020

Busy Bee Quilt


The latest exhibition at the Heidelberg Historical Society is Heidelberg’s Busy Bee Signature Quilt.  This has been a tremendous suess since it opened in November 2019.  Constructed in 1895-6 by members of Heidelberg’s Scots Church as a fundraising project, contributors came from far and wide to participate in the project. 213 hand-embroidered squares record almost 140 legible signatures as well as dozens of initials, decorations and place-names.
The tradition of quilting was often a communal activity where women mainly participated and has a strong tradition in the United States of America.  Akin to the community effort back then, members of the Historical Society have contributed to installing the exhibition since the quilt was offered to their collection in 2018.  Led by curator Margaret Birtley the team have investigated the making of the quilt, researched some of the names on the quilt, designed and installed the exhibition, developed the accompanying website, conducted tours and marketed the event.
Visit the website and check out close up images and add what you know about the people who worked on the quilt.
There wil be a curator's talk on Saturday 14th March at 2.00pm
Visit The National Quilt Register, an online database and central resource for the Australian quilting community. It provides digital access to quilts held in public and private collections throughout Australia including the Busy Bee Signature Quilt.
The exhibition is on now at the Old Heidelberg Court House, Jika Street, Heidelberg. Sunday afternoons through to April 2020.
Quilts : Inspiration for Busy Bees

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