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Stars light up 19th century quilt exhibit at Kemerer Museum in Bethlehem
January 16th, 2015 | In The News
Written by Jennifer Sheehan for The Morning Call
In the mid-1800s, stars were more than just sparkling lights in the sky — they were symbols of faith, hope and the heavens.
A celestial inspiration, stars, including the Star of Bethlehem, became a common motif for quilts in the mid-19th century.
A small collection of star quilts is on display at the Kemerer Museum of the Decorative Arts in Bethlehem in a new exhibit, “Stars of Bethlehem,” that runs to April 5.
The exhibit’s quilts are believed to be from Pennsylvania and date to roughly 1830-1840.
“Our area is very rich in quilt history,” says Beth Bacher, a Jim Thorpe teacher and expert on quilting.
Bacher says quilting was more than just a hobby in the early- to mid-19th century.
“The beautiful thing about quilts is that they are one of the few creative expressions women could do and own,” Bacher says. “Back then women didn’t have ownership of their property or anything else. But they could have ownership of their linens.”
Quilts were crafted and given as gifts on occasions like weddings. They also had a practical purpose — to keep people warm.
Women often gathered in quilting bees and worked together, forming bonds and exchanging ideas.
“These quilts are a great example of a time where everything was done by hand,” says Caitlin Harvey, Kemerer’s curator of the pieces displayed in “Stars of Bethlehem.”
Stars are not easy to quilt. Dozens of small geometric shapes must be fitted together correctly to form the star, then must be sewn with precision onto the background.
Most visitors will recognize one star pattern, the Star of Bethlehem, an eight-point symmetrical star surrounded by smaller satellite stars.
The Star of Bethlehem has deep meaning in Christianity; it was thought to have led the three wise men to Bethlehem, where they found the newborn Jesus.
In the exhibit, a quilt featuring a large Star of Bethlehem pattern is charming in its imperfections. You can see where the quilt had a few repairs and how the shapes necessary to form the star didn’t quite line up.
There’s also a Lone Star quilt, featuring a solitary star against a plain background. It’s unusual to find a lone star quilt from this time. The quilt also features the use of chintz, large floral patterns that were used more typically for furniture fabrics.
There’s another star quilt unusual for the time featuring attached fringe. Harvey suspects it was a show piece or a wedding gift.
Among the historic quilts hangs one that’s a bit more recent. It’s a quilt created for the exhibit by 39 Moravian Academy second-graders. Each student drew something in the center of a quilt square that represented what Bethlehem meant to them. Students drew scenes, some including the Moravian Book Shop and the Old Chapel. The squares were quilted together on a background fabric.
Moravian Academy teacher Diane Taylor says creating the quilt fit with the lessons the students were being taught about Moravians and Bethlehem.
“It goes back to our connection to Bethlehem itself,” Taylor says. “It’s part of our study so we were very eager to participate. It tied in so perfectly with what the kids study.”
Next to the Moravian Academy quilt, there’s also a small interactive activity where children can use geometrical shaped-magnets to form the stars they see on the quilts.
While the quilts are beautiful to look at, Harvey sees this exhibit as having an added importance — preserving the art form.
“Quilts are a very important tradition that’s slowly dying out,” Harvey says.
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‘STARS OF BETHLEHEM’
*What: Exhibit of 19th century quilts with a star motif.
*When: Through April 5
*Where: Kemerer Museum of the Decorative Arts, 427 N. New St., Bethlehem
*Tickets: Pass Into History, starting at $12; $6 for children ages 6-12. Passes are valid for one year and include admission to other Historic Bethlehem sites.
*Tours: Call 800-360-TOUR
*Info: http://www.HistoricBethlehem.org.
