MEREDITH _ A century-old shoo-fly pattern quilt donated to the Meredith Historical Society by Emily Marlin will be raffled off to raise funds for the organization during a showcase of locally made quilts.
Meredith Quilts on Exhibit will be held at 7 p.m. July 2 at the Charlotte Valley Presbyterian Church, Elk Creek Road, East Meredith.
Quilts, spreads, an 1840 handmade linen sheet and nightdresses made for a wedding in 1873 that all have connections to the town of Meredith will be displayed, said show organizer Bernice Telian on Friday.
Telian said the show includes an 1884 crazy quilt and two signature quilts, but other quilts made in Meredith are being sought.
Gretel Bachler of the historical society said she is bringing a quilt made by the late Pearl Johnson for the birth of Bachler's son, Paul Todd Bachler, in April 1969.
"Pearl was the Meredith town historian before Bernie Telian," Bachler said. "She walked from her farmhouse to my farmhouse carrying this beautiful quilt. The long walk was part of the gift."
Bachler said the eight-pointed star quilt is made of multi-colored blocks separated with aqua blue material.
"At the time, I didn't ask Pearl if the patterned pieces of material were from her dresses, but it looks like they were," Bachler said. "It is so special to me know that I wish I had asked."
Bachler said she hopes to gather the stories behind the quilts on display.
Marlin said she is not a quilter but loved collecting scrap quilts and once had more than 100 quilts. She said she has donated several to benefit local organizations.
"Scrap quilts were utilitarian quilts that were used in homes and were made of scraps from the family's clothes," Marlin said. "I love them because they have that feeling of age and of having been lovingly used."
She said the shoo-fly pattern quilt was done by hand and is of particularly good quality with small, fine stitches.
"I am originally from Pennsylvania, and the greatest percentages of my quilts are from there," Marlin said. "So I won't be showing any of my other quilts, because even though many were purchased locally, I can't document that any of them were made in Meredith."
Telian said the linen sheet she is exhibiting is made of flax grown in the Meredith area. It was made in 1840, before her great-grandmother's wedding, and bears her initials in one corner.
"For years, I thought it was a tablecloth," Telian said. "But I remembered my mother telling me how old it was, so I took it and had it appraised and discovered that it is a fine example of a hand-woven linen sheet."
Telian is also exhibiting two nightdresses that are more than 136 years old. They belonged to Jennie Kemp and were made for Jennie's marriage on March 18, 1873, to Lyman Stilson Graham.
"As late as 1855, Jennie's family was still living in a log cabin on Kemp Road off of county Route 14," Telian said.
The quilt show is one of a series of events the Meredith Historical Society has planned this year.
Tickets for the shoo fly quilt will be available at the quilt exhibit, from Meredith Historical Society board members, at the group's exhibits or by mail from Bernice Telian, 10413 County Highway 14, Delhi, NY 13753. The drawing will be at the exhibit, and ticketholders need not be present to win.
