Like a book, a quilt can tell a story. Quilts are sometimes made from familiar items, such as old shirts or dresses, imparting the story of a family. Quilts give us information about a particular time period, providing us with the story of an era. Quilters have been known to sew messages into quilts, or to use imagery on a quilt to communicate, disclosing a secret story. What books deliver verbally, quilts can deliver visually.
Valley resident and longtime quilter Nicole McCollough is combining her love of books with her love of quilting to organize a “Quilts and Books” quilt show and auction to benefit the new Winthrop library, scheduled to open in 2022. All quilters in the North Central Regional Library service district, as well as long-time Methow Valley visitors, are invited to create and donate book-themed quilts for the auction, or to enter book-themed quilts in the show (although the number of exhibit-only quilts will be limited).
Nicole, who was inspired by her college roommate to learn quilting, says that she saw a quilt that fellow quilter Jane Weagant made for her granddaughter: a little girl reading a book, surrounded by fairy tale characters. “I’m in a book club,” says Nicole. “I saw that quilt and a light bulb just went on to combine books and quilts.”
When Nicole moved to the Methow Valley from Alaska six years ago, she joined the Wednesday quilting group at the Quilting Hive, where she got to know other local quilters. Since then, she has made several trips to Sisters, Oregon — the quilting mecca of the American West and host of the world’s largest outdoor quilt show and sale.
Local quilter Nicole McCullough is organizing a “Quilt and Books” show and auction to benefit the new Winthrop library.
As an avid reader and library volunteer, Nicole encourages a broad interpretation of the “Quilts and Books” theme, saying that both literal and metaphorical book-themed quilts are welcome. “I do a lot of improvisational quilting,” she says, as contrasted with traditional quilts with a specific pattern. “Use your imagination. If it’s a book that gave you a certain feeling, make a quilt that conveys that feeling.”
Quilts entered in the auction and show should be no larger than 52 inches by 72 inches, but they could be as small as poster-sized as well, Nicole says. Kathy at Methow Quilting, the longarm quilting shop in Winthrop, has generously offered her time to quilt as many of the quilts donated to the library auction as she has time for. You can contact her at (425) 478-3897 once your book quilt is complete.
Those interested in entering the “Quilts and Books” quilt show and auction should contact Nicole at alaskanicole@gmail.com for more details and a timeline.
