April 25, 2011

With the one year anniversary of the PA Quilt (and Rug) Trails approaching, it is rewarding to see how far we've come to make this community project a reality. Eleven months ago, as an intern for Community Partnerships RC&D in Lewistown, PA,  I was instructed to make a quilt trail. The first month or so I spent researching quilt trails and driving around discovering many hidden jewels and beautiful vistas of central Pennsylvania. Although, at the time, I had been a central PA resident for twenty-two years I discovered lovely forests , rustic farmlands, sleepy small towns, museums, and charming down towns that I had not known about before.


Although Hunters Valley Winery is often credited as the first quilt of the PA Quilt (and Rug) Trails, there were actually two quilt square commitments within days of each other. The Sewing Shanty of Selinsgrove, with its beautiful inlaid wood quilt square, created in remembrance of a family member, was hung within days of Hunters Valley Winery.

Today there are four squares in various states of being created. One "Trail Rug" is to be hung this summer at the Tuscarora State Forest Ranger Station in Blain, PA. It is the first Trail Rug of any of the quilt trails throughout the nation!

Next year promises to be just as exciting with more squares, a newly designed brochure and the completion of an official PA Quilt (and Rug) Trails map. The year after? Book, photo contests, PA Quilt (and Rug) Trails official tours? Who knows the sky is truly the limit.

April 20, 2011

The latest Federal budget cut has eliminated Federal partnership with all RC&Ds. Some RC&D will no longer be able to function without this partnership. Because of great community support and a dynamic board, Community Partnerships RC&D will continue to function as a non-profit organization.

So what does this mean in terms of the PA Quilt (and Rug) Trails?

Currently the PA Quilt Trail (and Rug) will continue as is- the future however, in this time of economic turmoil, is uncertain. Now is the time most needed to show your financial support of this great community project. While sponsor fees pay the costs of the squares themselves, Community Partnerships RC&D will federal assistance have been paying administration costs and all other expenses related to this project.

Please, please, please! Donate now via PAYPAL. check, cash, etc. Any amount small or large is greatly appreciated.

April 11, 2011

Last week I was putting together a presentation about the PA Quilt (and Rug) Trails for the board of Community Partnerships RC&D. As I collected photos to use in this presentation I was reminded of the beauty of Quilt Trails which are now throughout over half of the United States.

As I looked through Quilt Trail photos, I was reminded of how much fun following a quilt trail could be. And it doesn't have to be done all at once. Grab a buddy or take a drive alone and go find a square in your own neighborhood. By following these delightful treasures one can discover the beauty of the area while being reminded of it's cultural side. To me, a Quilt Trail is a well designed "Scavenger Hunt" with the path of finding the treasure (Quilt or Rug Square) as much a part of the fun. 

Post your quilt trail photos here from the PA Quilt Trails and beyond!

March 26, 2011

March 13,2011

Although there are many behind-the-scenes PA Quilt (and Rug) Trails, I have neglected posting. Writing things such as today I made three phone calls and wrote five emails are less than glamours and not (I'm guessing) any part of what you want to read about here on this page.

As you may or may not know I am currently administering the PA Quilt Trials 2,300 miles southwest from central Pennsylvania in the small border town of Bisbee, Arizona. This is not suggest to that I have lost the passion for Pennsylvania. I lived in central PA for most of my adult life. It is a wonderful place full of beauty and family values that can be enjoyed by its residents and visitors alike. It was just my time to venture a bit out of the fold.

Despite the lack of rain, trees here in southeast Arizona have begun budding, birds and bees are plentiful, and the loveliest warm, breezes mixes with the heat of the sun making for a perfect temperate day.

Pennsylvania is a temperate rain forest. Rain gear is a part of every person's wardrobe. You can wake up with the rain, eat lunch during a rainstorm and at night peel off your wet clothes, drenched as you carried packages from your car to the front door. Believe my frustration with the rain and cloudy days was a major motivator in having me move to a locale with opposite weather conditions.

Unlike Arizona though, you can count on the rain to spur the flowers and plants into action creating an environment of green oxygen producing, air cleaning plants. Pennsylvania in the spring is a miracle to behold. Spring rains brings not only flowers but mushrooms (morals!!!) fungi, moss and grass. Spring rains are cleansing with a smell that is as intoxicating as any flower.

Come to central Pennsylvania this spring and follow the PA Quilt (and Rug) Trails.

March 2, 2011

All through my life, I have found that the unsung "heroes" are an integral part of every experience. As a patient in a hospital, the nurses and tech support people are the unsung heroes, in schools: librarians, aides and maintenance people. For the first "Trail Rug" of the PA Quilt Trails it is our painters.

There's a lot of buzz around the newest addition to the PA Quilt Trails. The Tuscarora site will be host to the first Trail Rug in the entire country. Rug Hookers, often slighted from attention from ever popular needle crafts (crochet, knitting and quilting) will get a visibility long overdue. And in the background and making things happen is a group of painters from the Locust Grove Rehabilitation and Retirement Center in Mifflin, PA.

Under the Direction of Frida Durio, residents are adapting an original Magdalena Briner hook rug pattern to be painted on a large scale. Translating one medium (yarn) to another (latex paint) is a challenge but Frida and the residents have embraced this challenge. By mid summer central Pennsylvania will have another visible testament to the beauty and ability of community projects such as the PA Quilt Trails.

February 22, 2011

In October, Gene Odato, District Forester, met with Kathy Wright, Director of Rug Hooking Week at Sauder Village, while she was doing research in Perry County for an upcoming publication and exhibit on Magdalena Briner Eby’s hooked rugs. Gene was inspired by the story and hooked rugs; he was even more intrigued to learn that Magdalena had once lived on the property that is now the Tuscarora State Forest. His interest led him to contact Sharon Lee of Community Partnerships RC&D administrators of the PA Quilt Trails to inquire about a “Trail Rug” for the State Forest.

The Quilt Trail, a national project commonly referred to as “Quilt Trails”, creates squares (usually 8’ x 8’) which mimic the design and colors of a particular quilt square and then mounts them on structures across the countryside. Gene then contacted Rug Hooking Magazine’s Editor, Debra Smith, who also lives in Perry County. The magazine was very enthusiastic about the project and generously offered to sponsor the “Trail Rug”. The first “Trail Rug” of the PA Quilt Trails will be unveiled summer of 2011 at the Tuscarora State Forest District Office on Route 274 in Perry County, Pennsylvania.

The “Trail Rug” design for the Tuscarora State Forest was selected from one of Magdalena’s hooked rugs from the late 1800’s to early 1900’s and which now belongs to one of her descendants. The unveiling of the “Trail Rug” will not only commemorate the craftsmanship of this creative Perry Countian but also the strong Pennsylvania connection to the folk art of rug hooking.

Magdalena was born in Perry County, Pennsylvania in 1832 where she designed and hooked rugs from about 1850 to the early 1900’s. These rugs were created for utilitarian purposes and used throughout the home as floor mats. The materials used were mainly old clothing as nothing went to waste at that time. Today Magdalena’s hooked rugs are treasured and highly sought after by avid collectors of American folk art and antiques.

An exhibit and publication featuring the life and hooked rugs of Magdalena Briner Eby will debut August 17-20, 2011 at Rug Hooking Week at Sauder Village in Archbold, Ohio. This exhibit and publication are the culmination of many years of research and planning by Evelyn Lawrence, respected rug hooker and teacher, and Kathy Wright, Director of Rug Hooking Week at Sauder Village.