For the last few year, the Lebanon Quilters Guild has been working to make a visual archive of the county’s rich quilting heritage through its Lebanon County Quilt Documentation Project.
The guild is creating a digital database that will preserve images, descriptions, and stories of Lebanon County quilts before they are lost forever. The database will be shared with the Lebanon County Historical Society for their archives, and the guild also hopes to have the data included in the Quilt Index Project at Michigan State University.
To date, the guild has documented more than 400 quilts and recorded their oral histories for posterity.
As the project nears conclusion, the Lebanon Quilters Guild has scheduled two final Documentation Days where anyone with a pre-1970s quilt may schedule an appointment to have their quilt photographed, measured, and described by an expert. Volunteers will also be on standby to record any known history of the quilts and their makers. To get a sense of what questions will be asked, check out the information form here (PDF).
There is no cost to participate and owner information will be kept confidential and not be made part of the permanent archive. (Please note, that unlike Antiques Roadshow, no appraisals will be offered as part of this event.)
Find dates of the final documentation days below. To make an appointment, call 717-866-9124 and leave a message to receive a callback. More information about the project is available on the Lebanon Quilters Guild website.
Public Documentation Days
Saturday, April 23, 2022, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Palm Lutheran Church
11 W Cherry St, Palmyra, PA 17078
Saturday, June 18, 2022, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Friedens Lutheran Church
301 W Washington Ave, Myerstown PA 17067
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