Join Us for a Celebration of Democracy in Creating Our Community Quilt
Embark on a journey through time and stitch together the fabric of our shared history! In anticipation of the upcoming Smithsonian traveling exhibition, Voices and Votes: Democracy in America, on view at Preservation Long Island’s Exhibition Gallery from March 23 to May 3, 2024, North Shore Quilting and Fiber Art and Preservation Long Island invite you to be part of a unique and collaborative experience—the creation of our very own community quilt.
Preservation Long Island’s mission is to celebrate and preserve Long Island’s diverse cultural and architectural heritage through advocacy, education, and stewardship of historic sites and collections. We were inspired by Preservation Long Island’s pieced quilt with signature blocks which dates back to about 1862. It is comprised of handstitched, appliquéd, printed cotton daisy blocks that were signed by members of various families from the North Shore of Long Island. This quilt descended in the Onderdonk family of Manhasset and is signed by members of the local Dutch Reformed Church.
Signature pieced quilts became popular during the mid-1800s, partly stimulated by the increasing availability of inexpensive printed cottons. They are typically composed of cotton pieces sewn together and signed by men and women in communities or church congregations to commemorate life events, such as births or marriages, or to support a cause, like political events of the time.
In this spirit of community collaboration, North Shore Quilting and Fiber Art is sponsoring the making of a contemporary signature quilt. Crafting this quilt together is not just about making something beautiful, it’s about forging connections, celebrating diversity, and preserving the stories that make our community truly unique. Upon completion, the community quilt will be featured alongside the Voices and Votes exhibition and will also be accessioned into Preservation Long Island’s permanent collection. Join us in the making of Long Island history and celebrate creativity, unity, and shared effort.
What to Expect:
If you would like to participate in making a block, you may handsew or machine sew one of two options-- the daisy block or the economy block. We will kick off the project with an in person reception hosted by, Preservation Long Island in their Cold Spring Harbor location. January 12 at 5:30 pm. You can pick up your kit and get to meet others participating. You may join us for an in-person sewing session at Preservation Long Island or you may sew your block at home and dropoff at North Shore Quilting and Fiber Art.
See the Schedule of Events for more details.
To participate, please complete the form below.
https://forms.gle/MLaj95sZTKBCV86n7
Link to Economy Block Tutorial
https://northshorequilting.com/blogs/news
Register for the January 12th Reception
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Look for tutorials and block details on the North Shore Quilting and Fiber Art blog.
