FROM NOW THROUGH SEPTEMBER
From now through September, the Ben Ferrel Platte County Museum in Platte City is featuring the exhibit “Crazy Quilts and the Creative and Courageous Women Who Made Them.”
Twenty quilts are displayed with stories representing our region and the nation from the 1880s to the mid-1900s.
A spokesperson with the Platte County Historical Society which owns and operates the museum, explains, “We wanted to tell not only about the quilts as works of artistic self-expression, but about their creators and their lives. The quilts are full of beautiful details that tell these stories – each quilt uniquely personal yet also representative of its historical moment and a crazy quilting trend.”
One of the quilts on display was pieced from fabrics sold at the closing of the 1876 centennial exposition, an event that featured Japanese art and British embroidery which helped launch the crazy quilt fad.
Another quilt was made by several young girls living on farms near Weston who appear to have been mentored in the sewing arts by an older woman who was a pioneer settler in this region.
Many quilts incorporate historical silk ribbons like one from an 1844 presidential election and another from a society that gave aid to Civil War soldiers.
Several quilts from the 1900s have interesting local stories. One was made by Lucile Jones from ties worn by her husband, Max Jones who was owner/editor of The Landmark Newspaper and served as Platte City’s mayor (quilt on loan from Anne Jones of Weatherby Lake); several others are pieced out of suit fabrics from a woman who worked in Kansas City’s Garment District.
The Platte County Historical Society further notes that, “Not only can visitors have fun exploring these quilts, but we have a scavenger hunt for kids as there are many details in these quilts that they might enjoy finding like kitty cats, owls, spider webs and flowers, as examples.”
The museum at 220 Ferrel Street, Platte City, is open on Thursdays and Fridays from 1-4 p.m., and on Saturday July 19 and August 16 from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
A finale showing with guided tours and refreshments will be held on Sept. 25 from 5:30-8 p.m.
Additional weekend openings will be posted to Facebook or visitors can call (816) 431-5121 for updates.
Closed July 4th and Aug. 8.
Tours also available by appointment. The exhibit fee is $5 for adults, free for children.
