Quilt Show Open At Historical Village

provided to The Santiva Chronicle

The Sanibel Historical Village is exhibiting a quilt show during March. Some 40 quilts will be displayed throughout every building of the Village.

Quilt patterns include Grandmother’s Flower Garden, Dresden Plate, State Flower, Flower Basket, and Churn Dash, among many others.

“The quilts on exhibit will demonstrate the wide variety of materials and patterns used by quilt makers over time, including one quilt made from gentlemen’s silk ties and another from velvet pieces with a deep fringe border,” explained Bonnie Frankel, SHMV board member.

The Quilt Show dates back to when Rutland House, the Sanibel Historical Museum, was the only building in what is now the Historical Village. In 1989, Rutland House went from being open one day a week to five days a week for 10 months of the year. A toy display over Christmas generated interest and excitement over the Museum’s potential, and a Quilt Show was determined to be a positive follow-up. The Museum only had a few quilts in its archives at the time, but several people generously donated family quilts to the collection, which now numbers some 40 quilts along with a number of baby or doll-sized pieces.

Information as to pattern name and time frame will be provided for each quilt when known.

The Sanibel Historical Museum and Village is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. In accordance with the city of Sanibel’s regulations, masks are required inside the buildings at this time. Full guided tours will resume in January after a hiatus due to COVID. They will take place at 10:30 and 1:30 and advance reservations are not required. There is no additional fee for these tours.

The Sanibel Historical Village is located at 950 Dunlop Road (next to BIG ARTS) and there is handicap access. Admission is $10 for adults over 18. Members and children are free. The village has handicap access to all but one building, the tiny Post Office. For more information, call (239) 472-4648 during museum hours or visit the Sanibel Historical Village website.