Join the Des Plaines History Center, 781 Pearson Street, as it welcomes local quilter and author Kathy Tracy to be its February Coffee Talk guest speaker Thursday, Feb. 13, from 1:30-2:30 p.m. A $3 donation is suggested for this event.
Tracy has written several books on quilting, including The Civil War Sewing Circle, Remembering Adelia, and Prairie Children and the Quilts. She says that quilting has played a part in America’s history for centuries and looks forward to sharing her love of this folk art with others. She plans to bring a selection of large and small quilts that have been featured in her two latest books.
The Civil War Sewing Circle focuses on the role of quilting and relates how women quickly organized groups to send blankets, quilts, and clothing to support the enlisted men. Such action, according to Tracy, led to important changes in women’s roles and had a big impact on the women’s rights movement after the Civil War.
Remembering Adelia was inspired by the diary of Adelia Thomas that Tracy found in the collections at the Des Plaines History Center while conducting research for another book.
“Upon glancing through the diary,” Tracy writes on her website www.countrylanequilts.com, “I discovered that Adelia was a quilter, and I became fascinated with her journal entries about daily life on a farm in northern Illinois in 1861, the year the Civil War broke out. I knew I had to tell her story and design quilts to go along with it.”
After the talk, guests are invited to stay and view the History Center’s new quilt exhibit, “Wrapped in Comfort and Community.” For more information, call the History Center at 847-391-5399 or visit www.desplaineshistory.org.
The Des Plaines History Center gratefully acknowledges operating support from the City of Des Plaines, the Des Plaines Park District, our members, and other contributors.
