Memories on Muslin: 1934 Athelstan Quilt Blocks & Depression-Era Quilting

Memories lay hidden on a closet shelf. Memories of friendships and neighbors from eighty years ago. Stitched forever in time on inexpensive muslin squares. Pieced together with fun calico's and ordinary feed sack cloth, embellished with hand stitching, the women and young girls from this small farming community left traces of their lives behind. They didn't realize that the hours they spent creating these simple quilt blocks of Sunbonnet Sue and Overall Bill would surface so many years later, long after their earthly passage was complete. Come take a peek at these pieces from the past - a set of vintage quilt blocks. Created in Athelstan, Iowa in 1934, they never made it into a finished quilt. But they made the trek - from Iowa to California to Texas and back to Iowa once again, forging new friendships along the way. Join us as we celebrate the lives of the women and young girls that created these squares and we pay tribute to the remnants of the town where these began. There's some history of the people and the town of Athelstan, along with post-Depression quilting tidbits and the history behind Sunbonnet Sue's.