Catherine Whall Smith . . . knows it’s happening!

It happens every year – The Farmington Valley Quilt Guild is sponsoring Connecticut Hang-A-Quilt Day on June 18, 2022 – 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM . It is the perfect open air quilt show! Hang a quilt outside your house — on your garage, clothesline, fence, tree or chair. Ask a local business if you can display a quilt for the day. Post a picture on social media with the #CTHangAQuiltDay. There is no pre registration required. I’m not sure which quilt I will hang, but I still have time to think about that.

My focus recently has been on “which” one of my QUILTS I will hang at the local Chaplin Library. (shown below) My quilt for June is “Blue Blood” (48H x 48W) It is part of my Transfusion series that started several years ago. It has been shown at the Mystic Museum of Art, Mystic CT.

The 12 x 12 house quilt on the chair to the left is the old Chaplin Grange, now a private home.

The Grange,  Chaplin, Connecticut

When we first moved to Chaplin in the 1970’s we had the opportunity to experience a REAL TOWN Meeting.  At that time the town meeting was held in the Grange on rte. 198.  Besides the annual town meeting the building was used for other events including Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, the Pine Wood Derby, and several square dances. Today that building has been turned into a home.

Between 1820 and 1850, approximately 25 homes, a tavern, a general store, a dry goods store and a merchant’s store were built adjacent to the church along a curved portion of the major north-south route that paralled the Natchaug River. The majority of the houses that line the Chaplin Village street were built within a single thirty-year period. In 1822, the residents of this village negotiated with the towns of Mansfield, Hampton and Windham to incorporate Chaplin, named in honor of the town’s benefactor.

Chaplin Street, as it is now called, became a mile long cut-off when State Route 198 was straightened in 1929, thus leaving most of the village homes intact and creating a unique study in time in northeastern Connecticut. In July 1974, Chaplin Village was designated a Historic District to preserve the character of the buildings and their settings for future generations.

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Oh and don’t forget Monday, June 13th isNational Sewing Machine Day“. Thomas Saint received the first patent for a sewing machine design in 1790, but he never advertised it. In 1874, William Newton Wilson found Saint’s drawings in the London Patent Office, made some minor adjustments, and built a working model. Others, including Isaac Singer and Elias Howe were instrumental in the sewing machine’s later development. Today you can adopt a toy sewing machine through The Mill Museum and help us to preserve the history of these unique antiques. You will receive a certificate of adoption with a historical information sheet, a matted print of the machine of your choice, and a lace ornament you can treasure. Go to https://millmuseum.org/adopt-a-sewing-machine/ for details.

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NOTE: Hopefully the rain will hold off this Saturday for the Arts In The Garden Weekend June 11 & 12 from 10am-5pm. Outside at Barbara Lussier Gallery Daffodil Hill Farm, 22 Harrisville Road Pomfret, Connecticut 06258.  860-805-3182
– Paintings, Pottery & Jewelry Join celebrated artists in the garden Barbara Lussier paintings, Cynthia Saari Jewelry, Christine Tanson Pottery. Tour the farm and gardens, See you there!!

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About Catherine Whall Smith

Fiber Artist working with contemporary textiles.
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