Like A Lovely Puzzle, Scrapbag Quilters’

Latest Exhibit Came Together Beautifully

By Shannon Hicks

An exhibition of contemporary art quilts by The Scrapbag Quilt Artists is on view at C.H. Booth Library until April 15.

“Juxtapositions: Differing Interpretations of Divided Images — an exhibit of contemporary art quilts” offers a collection of just-completed works in fabric (and in some cases a few embellishments like paint and beads) by 15 members of the group.

“This was probably the most challenging project we’ve done so far,” club member Norma Schlager said a few weeks ago when some of the club’s members were putting the show together. Visitors to the library should head toward the Young Adult section on the first floor to view the quilt works.

The idea for “Juxtapositions” came up in October, but was solidified in December when the group divided into teams of three and selected images to re-create in fabric. A number of photos, drawings, magazine clippings, etc were laid out on a floor and groups selected the view on which they wanted to work.

The bigger challenge came next: Each image was photocopied and then cut into three pieces (in one case, an image was divided into quarters), and quilters then worked independent of each other.

The finished pieces were not lined up until earlier this month, when members met at the library to hang “Juxtapositions.”

“The idea was to have the elements match up when we hung the show,” Ms Schlager said.

The good news is, everything lined up beautifully.

“This was very challenging,” said Newtown resident and club member Heloise Wilkenson. “Fortunately most of us work well under pressure.” The ladies who were at the library putting the show together sheepishly admitted that many of them had not started their quilts immediately. Although everyone received their “assignments” in December, it wasn’t until mid-January that some had finally put needle and thread to fabric.

At its most basic definition, a quilt is comprised of two layers of fabric, with a layer of batting sewn between. This definition allows quilt artists a valid way to express their creative process through the use of soft textiles, rich colors, and countless visual textures.

Fifteen artists are represented in “Juxtapositions,” although the club’s roster is much larger. Cathy Allen, Sue Miller, and Heloise Wilkenson created the four-panel quilt “French Lessons” (Ms Miller did two panels).

All other works are made up of three panels. There is “Michigan Shoreline,” which was done by Janet Bunch, Lynne Croswell, and Kelly Chiarandini; “Spring,” by Barbara Crocker, Margaret Clayton-Amey, and Sandra Scott; “‘Shrooms” by Nike Cutsumpas, Martha Nowacki, and Norma Schlager; and “In The Garden,” by Carolyn Cooney, Betty Gemelin, and Peggy Guimarra.

The quilt as an art form has evolved rapidly since the late 1970s; those expecting “Grandmother’s Flower Garden” or “Sunbonnet Sue” are in for a wonderful surprise. Visitors to Newtown’s library are continuously surprised at the beauty created, the memories evoked, and the presentation of ideas offered by the members of The Scrapbag Quilt Artists.

Last fall the group took inspiration from music and designed quilts around a specific song. The result was “A Song In My Heart,” the fifth exhibition presented at C.H. Booth Library.

An exhibition titled “A Page from My Book: Journal Quilts 2002,” consisting of nine monthly quilt pages from each of the original 157 participating artists, was hung at the 28th Annual International Quilt Festival in Houston, Texas. That collection was presented at the library in March 2004.

Previous exhibits have also included “Quilts in Motion,” where 12 members created 20 quilts in response to the challenge to create the illusion of motion in a two-dimensional quilt; “Into The Garden,” a collection of 22 art quilts representing the efforts of 12 members, displayed March 2002; and “Elements of Architecture,” March 2001. In 1999 the group offered “Imagining Emily,” quilted wall hangings inspired by the poetry of Emily Dickinson.

C.H. Booth Library, at 25 Main Street, can be reached at 426-4533.

The library is currently open Monday through Thursday from 10 am to 8 pm, Friday from noon to 5 pm, Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm, and Sunday from 1 to 5 pm.