WINCHESTER: THE STORY OF A ONE-OF-A-KIND ART QUILT

 

In 2019 the Henry and William Evans Home for Children board of directors commissioned a quilt featuring the art work by the Evans Home children.  The raffle of that quilt proved so successful a decision was made to commission a quilt for 2020.  For this new quilt a motif was chosen to celebrate the long history of Winchester and its many historic buildings.  Kathryn Gray, maker of the 2019 quilt, was asked to take on the challenge.

 

Once a decision was made as to the buildings to be included, Abigail MacKnight, local artist was asked to produce line drawings based on photographs.  These drawings became a guide for shaping the many individual pieces of fabric forming each block.

 

Since the quilt would be presented (in 2020) and awarded (in 2021) at the Evans Home Fall Gala (take off “s”), a warm, fall color scheme was used.  Using the internet to research colors and textures, Kathy dove into her considerable fabric stash to find the best match for each building and its surroundings.  Kathy then used fusible applique techniques to produce 12 individual blocks.

 

These blocks were assembled with borders and sashing to form the quilt top.  The next step was to mate the top with batting and a backing fabric in preparation for quilting.  During quilting each block received a distinctive pattern to accentuate features of the building.  Continuing with the autumn theme Kathy then chose a leaf pattern for quilting the borders and sashing.

 

With the Virginia lock down in place, Kathy had plenty of time to devote to each site. The quilt came together in late August and was completed in September 2020. It was presented to the board on September 9, 2020.

 

A note about art quilts: Unlike quilts made for everyday use on beds or sofas, art quilts are usually hung on a wall mounted on a rod to support the weight. This quilt has a rod pocket on the back and measures 63” x 73”.

 

Raffle tickets for this stunning art quilt will be available for purchase throughout the year. A single ticket costs $10 and 3 or more tickets are offered at as discount of $25 for each set of 3. The drawing will be held at the Evans Home Fall Gala in 2021. The winner is not required to attend the actual drawing. 100% of the proceeds will benefit the Henry and William Evans Home for Children. 

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Tickets can be purchased online via PayPal using the link below or at the Bank of Clarke County (2555 South Pleasant Valley Rd, Winchester) where the quilt is on display. We will contact you by email and/or phone if you are the lucky winner!

 

For more information, please contact the Evans Home at 540-662-8520 or www.evanshome.org   A very special thanks and gratitude to Kathryn Gray, quilter extraordinaire and Abigail MacKnight, talented local artist.