Get Your Fabric and Art Fix at The Iowa Quilt Museum in Winterset
Someday when I decide to slow down a bit, I want to learn how to quilt. I have said that for at least 20 years, so maybe someday I will actually do it. I just adore the artistic aspect of quilts. They are blank fabric canvases and you can create a thousand different masterpieces with them, depending on the pattern, the fabric and even the quilt stitch. The possibilities are endless. You can even tell a story with them, as folks did on the Underground Railroad.
While I have successfully made two smaller quilts with lots of help from my mom and taken a class or two, I am mostly content right now to view quilts at shows and museums. In fact, I went to one of my favorite quilt museums yesterday - the Iowa Quilt Museum in Winterset, Iowa. The link is below. ⬇️
The Iowa Quilt Museum is in the former JC Penney building on the square in downtown Winterset. There are two levels to the museum. The first level is the entrance, gift shop, and museum. The second level has some Winterset-related exhibits and displays, such as a replica Francesca’s kitchen from the book/movie The Bridges of Madison County. This was the second time I had been there and didn’t know that replica of the movie set was up there. I will have to view that another day as I needed to be on my way to another destination before it closed.
The newest exhibit, called Threads of Life:Portraits and Pets Woven in Fabric, was curated by Diane Murtha. It is a unique quilt exhibit and is unlike any I have seen before. Exhibit are changed about every three months at the museum. This exhibit will run until September 15. You get to vote for your favorite quilt at the end of the exhibit.
Here are a few examples of quilts currently on display. ⬇️
The Iowa Quilt Museum also has a colorful and fun gift shop with jewelry, quilts, and quilt-related items.
While you are in town, be sure to stop by the Madison County Visitor’s Center, also on the town square. There are a number of other fun things to see and do in the area, including visiting a beautiful city park, a state park, and historic covered bridges.