Quilt talk this Saturday @ Medad Stone Tavern Guilford, CT

Guilford Keeping Society The Art of Quilting-- Old and New  July 2015 Tell friends about this event Time to renew your membership?  Click here Fiber Artist Diane Wright to Speak on Contemporary Quilts     Saturday, July 11 , 2 p.m. As a special feature of Guilford's town-wide summer quilt show, Diane Wright, nationally known art quilter, will speak on "Contemporary Stitches in Time,"  She will discuss the use of antique quilt patterns in the making of contemporary quilts and quilts as art.  Diane has invited friends and fellow quilters from the Guilford quilting group, Sisters in Cloth, to join her in sharing their own contemporary quilts that have been influenced by tradition. Times change, but as Diane says, "It's always been about the hand and the stitch." The talk will take place at The Guilford Keeping Society's Medad Stone Tavern, 197 Three Mile Course. Visitors to the Tavern can also view a display of historic quilts owned by the Society. Since the 1990s, Diane's focus has been on the fabric medium: fabric of all kinds, hand or machine stitched, often embellished with beads, fiber "shards" or found bits. Her work is noted for its use of color, original design, and a variety of fabrics that include commercial, foreign, hand-painted, and vintage pieces. Admission to the program is free but donations are greatly appreciated.  A  Stitch in Time  Guilford Museums' Historic Quilts An Exhibit at All Five Guilford Museums July 1 to July 31 Poke around in one attic and you never know what you will find. Poke around in five attics and things get really interesting. Over the winter, the Henry Whitfield State Museum, Hyland House Museum, Thomas Griswold House Museum, Medad Stone Tavern Museum and The Dudley Farm Museum searched their collections for unique and interesting quilts. So this month you can visit Guilford's five history museums during regular hours and marvel at quilts ranging from the 18th to the 20th centuries.  You'll sense the stories behind the quilts and their makers as you marvel at the craftsmanship of this venerable  art form. Admission to the exhibit is part of the regular fees to enter each museum. With colorful names like Calamanco, One Patch, Carolina Lily, Queen Victoria's Crown and Crazy Quilts and fabrics as diverse as linen, cotton and wool, quilts were utilitarian in use but illustrate the agrarian, social, economic and cultural life of families and communities. Displayed in period room settings, the quilts and coverlets help breathe life into the spaces that Guilford residents lived in; from the early 17th century through World War II. Two additional special programs will be presented in conjunction with the exhibit. On Sunday, July 19,  from 1 pm to 4 pm, there will be a special program in the Munger Barn at The Dudley Farm Museum.  "More Than Just a Quilt," a presentation by Lorraine German of Mad River Antiques in North Granby, will explore quilts "as a form of artistic, sentimental and political expression."  On Saturday, July 25, from 1 pm to 4 pm, there will be a special program at the Henry Whitfield State Museum, Marge Bucholz, quilter and museum volunteer will demonstrate contemporary quilt making while she discusses the changes in quilting over the centuries.