June 1, 2012 — Most of you know about the Foothills Quilt Trail Group and the hard work they are doing to preserve our wonderful quilt heritage. Their efforts make it possible for us to enjoy the display of beautiful heirloom patterns that have been hand painted and placed on barns and other structures throughout Rowan County. You may not know, however, about their partnership with YOUR Rowan County Public Library.
The Foothills Quilt Trail Group has donated a glass display case which is located in the library’s vestibule. Each month, the Quilt Trail Committee selects a quilt to be displayed in the case, and the quilt is accompanied by a brief history of the quilt, information about the pattern, and a photograph of the quilter and/or the owner of the quilt. A notebook history of the quilts that have been displayed is located on the stand beside the display case. You may also view the display history online by going to the library’s web site—rowancountylibrary.org and then clicking on “Photo Gallery” and choosing to sort by the album title “Foothills Quilt Trail Committee Quilt Display.”
If you have a quilt you would like to have displayed, stop by the library and pick up a quilt application. The applications are located on the stand (which, by the way, was also donated by the group) beside the display case. Complete the form and leave it in the tray.
While you are enjoying the display, be sure to pick up a copy of the beautiful Foothills Quilt Trail brochure which features photos of the 95 painted patterns displayed throughout Rowan County along with a map of the trail. You may want to look through the brochure while sitting on the lovely quilt square bench that was painted by artist Nona Camuel and also donated by the Foothills Quilt Trail Group. Go down the hallway and take a look at the fabulous quilt pattern clocks in the Community Room—made by Walt Rybka and donated by the Group.
Of course, the library is the place to learn more about quilts and quilting. We invite you to come on into the library and browse through the 67,000+ items in the collections. Then, continue your art appreciation journey by borrowing a catalog from one of our circulation desks and strolling throughout the building to view the library’s art collection, all the works of Rowan County artists.
We are grateful to the W. Paul and Lucille Caudill Little Foundation for the funding which made both the Foothills Quilt Trail and the Library Art Collection projects possible.
