Phelps County Bicentennial Quilt
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This is the center of the Phelps County Bicentennial quilt. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)
Phelps County Bicentennial Quilt
One of the ways Missouri celebrated its bicentennial in 2021 was to encourage quilters to make handmade quilts.
A group of Piece and Plenty Quilt Guild quilters, Rolla, took on the challenge, making a custom handmade quilt about Phelps County combining printed photos, patchwork, applique and embroidery.
Hand embroidery provided details of a map of the county. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)
Another kind of embroidery, machine-made, helped to incorporate some state flavor such as the state bird, the Eastern Bluebird.
Missouri joins a number of other states with Eastern Bluebirds as the state bird. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)
My small contribution was printing the historic photos of key Phelps County founders onto fabric. Those printed fabric blocks were then incorporated in to the custom handmade quilt.
The founder behind the James Foundation, a patron of St. James, population 2,000. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)
As an implant to this area, it was interesting to see what the quilters decided to include. Working with the Phelps County Historical Society, they incorporated photos of key founders such as Lucy Wortham James and Edward Bishop.
They also celebrated the beauty of the area with a reference to Mark Twain National Forest and the historic Route 66.
My old employer, Mark Twain National Forest, was given a quilt block. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)
The old School of Mines, now Missouri University of Science and Technology, maintains the mascot of Joe Miner, making an appearance carrying a slide ruler.
The individual handmade quilt blocks are each quite unique. Here’s how the Bicentennial custom handmade quilt looks together.
Here is the Bicentennial quilt currently touring the state. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)
The custom quilt is making the rounds around the state as part of the Bicentennial celebration. If you have a chance to go see it in person, it’s worth the trip.
Happy 200th Birthday, Missouri!
