Alton Historical Society to host discussion on history and stories of New England quilts

ALTON — Pamela Weeks with NH Humanities will present on New England quilts at the Alton Historical Society meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 19, in the Alton Gilman Library, 100 Main St. at 7 p.m. 

Quilts have been the focus for more than half of Weeks’ life. She started making quilts at the time of the US Bicentennial craft revival and by the mid-1980s was designing her own work. In 1991, a class on reproducing antique quilts hooked Weeks on quilt history. Her first book was published in 2011 on “Civil War Quilts” made for soldiers, her second “Deeds Not Words” in 2019, and “Portable Patchwork” was published in 2020.

As the Binney Family Curator of the New England Quilt Museum, Weeks works with quilters, collectors, institutions and co-conspirators to plan exhibits and she continues research on the quits in the museum’s collection.

Quilting is more than an American art; countries around the world with cold weather use quilted fabrics for warmth.

Weeks will be bringing samples from her collection and will speak about the materials used, the fads of the day, and the colonial revival. 

Audience members may bring one antique quilt for identification and/or story sharing.

For more information contact sandy2@metrocast.net.