The thousands of women and their families who braved the dangers of the Oregon Trail in the mid-1800s left an amazing legacy in their quilts. This program will feature true stories of intrepid women quilters who braved the westward migration of the 1800s. Learn how women coped with harsh frontier conditions and kept their connections to home through their quilt-making. To lessen the boredom of walking beside a wagon 8 hours a day, women often quilted as they walked. Few belongings were taken on the trail but quilts were essential for warmth and bedding. They also served as insulation for wagons, buckboard padding, protection of valuables, and often served as burial cloths for family members lost along the way.
Included in the lecture are: preparing for the journey west, friendship quilts, utilitarian quilts, new patterns from the trail, and fabric diaries from the trail. Excerpts from diaries will document the fortitude and amazing spirit of pioneer quilters, including one woman who survived the trek west, settled in Oregon and during her lifetime completed 14 quilts and raised 9 children!
$12, includes admission to all Museum exhibits. $5 for members.
At left, Friendship Quilt made in 1969.
Susan Olds: Art historian, artist and curator with over twenty years of professional experience in the arts. Susan earned a B.A. in art history with honors from the University of California, Irvine. She attended graduate school at Cal State Long Beach where she continued her studies in art theory and contemporary art. Susan’s teaching experience includes over twenty years of presenting art lectures in the Seattle region. An independent lecturer since 2004, Susan currently presents art and literature lectures and workshops through the King County Library System, Kitsap Public Libraries, the La Conner Quilt Museum, Eastside Fine Arts Association, Museo Art Academy and artEAST in Issaquah, Washington. Since 2008 Susan has been a member of the Up Front Gallery, an artist co-op in Issaquah where she teaches art workshops and exhibits her mixed media art.
