New quilt exhibit mixes art with family history

Thursday, February 15, 2007

By LIN RICE ThisWeek Staff Writer

A handmade quilt can do more than just keep you warm -- it can also tell a story.

For Debbie Bennati, her collection of quilts made by her grandmother tells a story nearly 100 years old.

Bennati, along with other collectors, will have her family's quilts on display this month at Gallery 202 as part of the Winter's Warmth exhibit. A collection of vintage quilts, most dating back to the early 1900s and some possibly older, will line the gallery's walls from Feb. 3-24.

A former teacher at McVay Elementary School, Bennati began collecting memorabilia years ago when she began teaching students about the Underground Railroad in the district's historic cabin.

"After doing that for about five years, my dad called me up one day and said 'I have a special quilt for you,'" she said.

The gift turned out to be a quilt that her grandmother, Emma Hall, had received while she was a teacher in a one-room schoolhouse in Chesapeake, Ohio.

"It was an autograph quilt," Bennati said. "Back then, if someone was about to travel across the country, their friends would make them a quilt with all of their names on it for the owner to remember them by."

Bennati said if a woman teacher became engaged, she had to give up her position, so Hall's students made the quilt for her after she married. The quilt is dated 1913-1914, and is embroidered with the names of each of the students and the town.

Another quilt passed on to Bennati may have been crafted as a sign for fleeing slaves on the Underground Railroad. Although a little tattered around the edges, a pattern of blue stars can still be seen on the quilt, which Bennati said was used at the time to signify a safe house.

"The pattern and colors were meant to signify the North Star, and people would hang them on the line or over a fence to let others know that the home was a safe place where slaves could stay," she said.

Bennati recalled other memories her family shared with her about her grandmother and her quilt collection. Her father, Charlie Hall, once told her that his mother made many of the quilts as an essential part of country living; oftentimes, he would wake up on a cold winter morning with a dusting of snow covering his bed (country homes weren't as weather-tight as modern versions, he said) and a layer of thick, homemade quilts allowed him to sleep warmly.

Bennati said her aunt, Alice Cameron, mentioned that the quilts, often made out of bits of old coats and suits, were so heavy she had a hard time crawling out from under them in the mornings.

Gallery 202 president Renee Kropat said in addition to Bennati's quilts, the Winter's Warmth exhibit also includes a quilt taken from a home in New Orleans that was hanging on the wall when Hurricane Katrina hit. Although the home was destroyed, the quilt's owners ripped it off the wall to salvage it. Now cleaned, it still bears evidence of being soaked in mud and debris.

Kropat said that as part of the exhibit, a vintage clothing fashion show will be held at the gallery, 38 N. State St., on Feb. 23. The "Fashion Dolls" show will include a runway presentation of vintage clothing, original art and jewelry for display and sale.

The Winter's Warmth exhibit is open from noon to 8 p.m. Wednesday, noon to 4 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday or by appointment.

< b>lrice@thisweeknews.com