From the gorgeous, stark white baby quilt sewn for me by a family friend to the bright and colorful quilt gracing my college roommate’s bed that her mother made from old summer camp t-shirts, I have always admired the creativity and craft of handmade quilts. In addition to being a vehicle for passing down memories and stories in a very practical form through friends and family, quilts are perfect to curl up under on a crisp evening with a cup of tea and a good book.
I’m particularly enamored with the current collection of quilts on display on the first floor of Parkway Central Library. Made by members of the local quilting guild Quilters of the Round Table, each quilt is inspired by a different book, from Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods to Alice Walker’s The Color Purple. I encourage everyone to stroll through the exhibit, "The Quilt and the Book," and admire the handiwork of these quilters.
Quilters of the Round Table is an outgrowth of the First African-American Quilters Conference held in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The Guild strives to establish and promote educational endeavors through quilting by and for African-Americans and other quilters. They also aim to create, stimulate, maintain, and record all matters pertaining to the making, collecting, and preserving of quilts. For more information, you can visit their website, qrtphilly.com.
If you’re feeling crafty yourself and are unsure of where to begin, the Free Library has quite a number of books in our catalogue on quilting for all skill levels. Here’s just a sampling:
Quilts A-Z: 26 Techniques Every Quilter Should Know
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