MORGANTOWN — During the holiday season, thousands of travelers drive by the West Virginia Welcome Center on Interstate 68 in Bruceton Mills.
Serving as a quick restroom stop, snack break or place to stretch the legs, the center now offers a history lesson. Debuting this year, an exhibit filled with dozens of quilts showcasing Appalachian heritage and culture welcome people from all over.
The Mountain Heritage Quilters Guild is the organization behind the celebration of Appalachian pride. As the second oldest quilt guild in West Virginia, the Mountain Heritage Quilters Guild created and added the unique exhibit of wall quilts for traveler’s enjoyment, as well as a way to say “Welcome to West Virginia.”
Six wall quilts are hung to represent West Virginia’s warmth and friendship, being integrated into a display of state artifacts.
Debbie McAteer, the special exhibit chairperson of the Mountain Heritage Quilters Guild, enjoys browsing through the local artisan exhibits housed within the center. After a photo shoot McAteer and her husband had at the Harley-Davidson booth, she noticed a blank overhead space, perfectly sized for wall quilts. Shortly after, McAteer spoke with Michelle Swinehart, adventure advisor of the center, checked in with her Quilt Guild friends, and the sewing began.
The quilt themes and quilting styles reflect the state’s natural beauty, depicting West Virginia’s history through diverse representation. McAteer’s quilt, named “WV RFD,” heralds West Virginia’s role in establishing America’s first rural mail delivery route. Both machine thread painting and big stitch hand-quilting were used to embellish the fabric panel, designed by Debra Gabel.
President of the guild, Lynda Sago, pieced together “The West Virginia Star,” featuring the state’s official quilt pattern. It was machine-quilted in threads to coordinate with the blue and gold fabrics in the star.
Cathy Maxwell created an original design using a WVU T-shirt as the focal point to express Mountaineer pride. The quilt, named “Celebrating WVU,” was created by Maxwell using T-shirt quilting and hand-quilting techniques.
Donna Merrifield incorporated an applique landscaping method to capture the essence of the rural West Virginia hills, “for all those who love West Virginia,” she said. The quilt is named “My Home Among the Hills.”
Jeannie Zinn paired a modern screen-silked “Almost Heaven” with a traditional pieced “Friendship Star” to create a blue and gold piece, quilted by Rhonda Braham.
Sue Morris highlighted the state’s wild and wonderful wildlife on her machine-quilted, hand-painted cardinal, the official state bird, in her quilt named “West Virginia Cardinal.” The cardinal was part of a West Virginia wildlife fabric panel designed by Tina J. Richmond.
Sago encourages all travelers to experience the beauty of the quilts, intending to reflect the magic of traveling the state’s country roads.
“West Virginia is a place you experience,” Sago said. “The vivid mountain scenery at the welcome station is just a glimpse of the wonders that await visitors to our Almost Heaven … a must-see exhibit.”
The Mountain Heritage Quilters Guild is an extended family for all members, reflecting the neighborly spirit known of West Virginian natives. Starting in 1987 by Martha Offutt of Fairmont, the nonprofit organization helps members with quilting through regular meetings and workshops, encourages learning and appreciation of the art of quilting, and preserves the heritage of quilting within the community and state.
Sago’s admiration for quilting began in her family roots, providing memories of her, “Mom-Mom” quilting with friends on her front porch and framing the finished products. By continuing her legacy, Sago found “the most kind, supportive and talented individuals you would ever want to call your friends.”
Those feelings are mutual for McAteer.
“Once a month, our formidable, diverse group of quilting artisans comes together to collectively create beauty, warmth and comfort for our community,” McAteer said. “We laugh and learn together … (The guild is) carrying on an important Appalachian tradition, a tradition worthy of exhibition.”
The Mountain Heritage Quilters Guild meets at 6:30 p.m. the second Friday of each month at the YCWA, 2019 Pleasant Valley Road in Fairmont. Quilters of all experience levels are welcome. For more information on becoming a member, or on the quilt exhibition, call 304-366-4480 or visit https://sites.google.com/site/mountainheritagequiltersguild.
Newsroom@DominionPost.com
