Centennial Quilt Week is Jan. 11–17

January 7, 2009

By Brenda Rader Mross

The Wellington

The Wellington (Colorado) centennial quilt will be presented for limited public viewing Jan. 14 through 17 in the town board meeting room at the Leeper Center, 3800 Wilson Ave., where it will remain permanently on display.

The queen-sized quilt features blocks of photo transfers of historic buildings along with hand-embroidered histories. It was created by members of the Wellington Senior Resource Center in 2004 and raffled off during the town’s centennial celebration in 2005. Winner Rae Todd donated the quilt to the seniors on the condition it be preserved for public display.

B.J. Patterson researched, designed and built the $1,250 wood display case with fluted corners in a style he said was popular in city halls 100 years ago. To avoid fading, he said the quilt hangs behind a piece of museum-grade, UV protected, archival plexiglass. The top of the case is open so the fabric can “breathe.”

Patterson said he hadn’t done a project quite like this in his 30 years in woodworking and encountered no snags in the process. He is the son of WSRC director Trudy Patterson.

WSRC quilt committee chairperson Shirley Rogers is glad to finally see the quilt properly displayed after working on the project since its inception.