The Vault Cultural Collective is displaying historical and antique quilts as part of their latest exhibit. 

In an interview with Donna Sanden Nelson, a member of the Vaults Art Team, she spoke about the exhibit and the history of antique quilts. 

She says that the idea for the quilt exhibition came from a few different local quilting groups in town but was sparked when the group Quilts of Love in Strathmore were going through a bag of scrap fabric and found two old quilt tops and thought it would be fun to display them in the Vault. 

After that, the art team got to work collecting various antique quilts from community members. 

“We collected the quilts from locals in the Wheatland Quilting Guild, Quilts of Love, and other community members. We were amazed at the treasures that so many people have on display in their homes and thought they needed to be shared,” Sanden Nelson said. 

According to Sanden Nelson, one of the oldest quilts in the exhibit dates back to the late 1800s. 

Many of the quilts were hand-sewn. Different patterns, textiles, and methods help paint a picture of the historical period they were crafted in. 

Quilts

Quilts made of everything from old wedding dresses to flour bags are featured. 

“People worked with whatever they had available. The patterns are phenomenal, and it's totally fascinating knowing some were made from old flour and feed bags,” Sanden Nelson said. 

Fancier and more rare types of quilts are also featured on display, like the cathedral window quilt, which is hard to come by and is treasured for its stained-glass look. 

Each quilt featured in the exhibit has an information card describing where it was made, when, by whom, and who is the owner of the quilt. Each one is a piece of history and tells a unique story. 

Sanden Nelson credits her fellow Vault Arts Team members, made up of Dan Hendricks, Kathy Hendricks, Rhonda Stockwell, and Elaine Wheeler, for their hard work in acquiring the quilts, researching the specific quilt patterns and their history, and putting together the exhibit. 

The antique quilt exhibition is running now until Saturday, March 16, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (except for Sundays). It is free to anyone who is interested. 

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