The 50th Anniversary Quilt is Ready!
24 March 2010 by Sasha in 50th Anniversary
You probably know that the Three Rivers Arts Festival is the Pittsburgh region’s largest showcase of visual and performing arts. What you might not remember is that the Three Rivers Arts Festival celebrated its 50th anniversary last summer. To honor this milestone occasion, a group of local quilters including Quilt Pittsburgh and the Three Rivers Quilters created a commemorative 50th anniversary community quilt during last year’s festival in Point State Park. Patty Schreiber was the project coordinator.
This collaborative activity took place on-site so that the public could join in by creating signature blocks or helping the local quilt artists to hand stitch nine-patch blocks. Pittsburghers of all ages and skill levels participated in the first step of the creation of this unique quilt top. Children too young to sew were provided with fabric markers for coloring on muslin squares, so that they, too, could take part in the project.
Many of the local quilt artists displayed some of their exquisite small quilts in the activity’s tent during the event. One of these quilt artists, Erma Henry, hand drew the center of the commemorative quilt; a beautiful design that depicts the city’s “Point.” The quilt’s vibrant, exciting colors reflect the Pittsburgh community’s artistic and cultural diversity, beauty, and uniqueness.
The quilt will be displayed April 15-17 at the Three Rivers Quilt Festival.
More photos of the construction of this quilt during the 2009 Three Rivers Arts Festival are at http://www.QuiltPittsburgh.org