Colusa quilt historian Arlene Arnold will use 26 quilts spanning 250 years to share the often-overlooked stories of women who helped shape American history Sept. 27.

 

COLUSA, CA (MPG) - When Arlene Arnold unfolds an antique quilt, she sees more than fabric, patterns and stitches. She sees an opening to tell the stories of women whose accomplishments often received little attention in traditional accounts of American history.

Arnold, a Colusa quilt historian, collector, teacher and judge, will bring those stories together Sept. 27 during “250 Years of Quilts, The History and the Women Who Made It” at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Colusa.

The program, scheduled from 1 to 2:30 p.m., will combine Arnold’s collection of historic quilts with stories about women who achieved firsts throughout American history. Arnold developed the lecture as the nation marks its 250th anniversary in 2026.

“They’ll see a lot of quilts,” Arnold said. “The oldest one was made in 1770.”

But Arnold said the quilts serve a larger purpose.

“It’s there merely to illustrate the story of the woman that I’m going to speak about,” she said. “And to me, the history is equally as important as the quilts, because all of these women did something first in the United States.”

Arnold plans to display 26 quilts representing decades from 1770 through 2020. She sought pieces that were made during the decades they represent rather than quilts that simply resemble the styles of those periods.

Some provide a close look at materials and techniques that disappeared generations ago. One quilt dates to about 1800 but contains French fabric from the 1750s. Another, dating to 1850, has never been used and features hand stitching and fabrics Arnold said reflect its period.

“Everything is hand done,” Arnold said of the 1850 quilt. “It’s just amazing. You’re touching 1850 fabric.”

Arnold’s interest in quilts stretches back to her teenage years, but she entered quilting during the revival surrounding the nation’s Bicentennial in 1976. With a degree in art, she began working with fabric and eventually started collecting antique quilts.

Her collection grew substantially years later when a canceled vacation left Arnold with time off and $2,000 she had saved for the trip. She discovered antique quilts for sale online and spent much of the money building a collection.

Her first opportunity to publicly combine quilts and history came during a Civil War reenactment in Colusa. Arnold displayed antique quilts as part of the event’s portrayal of women’s lives. That appearance eventually led to invitations from quilt guilds and other groups.

Arnold has since lectured and taught throughout California and presented programs to groups elsewhere. She also helped found a local quilt guild, designs patterns and judges quilts at guild shows and county fairs.

For the Sept. 27 program, however, Arnold said the women behind the history remain as important as the textiles.

Her lecture includes women from different backgrounds and periods, including women who broke barriers in business, government, science and other fields. Arnold said teachers who have attended previous presentations have taken some of those stories back to their classrooms.

“I love sharing the quilts, but I think I almost love sharing the women more because I feel like I get to talk about them,” Arnold said.

She also does not intend the afternoon to resemble a conventional history lecture.

“If people don’t start laughing within five minutes, I’m losing that crowd because I’m not a boring speaker,” Arnold said.

St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 642 Fifth St., is hosting the program as part of an effort to offer more community events. Light refreshments will follow the lecture.

Admission costs $10, with tickets available at https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/250-years-of-quilting-in-america or at the door. For information, contact Jan Pearson at 510-507-2225 or [email protected].