Quilt being created to celebrate county’s 200th anniversary

Stitched blocks in honor of all 10 towns will be done for bicentennial celebration on April 15

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Kathryn DeMarco works on a quilt block celebrating “Family” as part of a bicentennial quilt created by volunteers from the Town & Country Quilt Shop at 10 East Bank St. in Albion.

Demarco also made and sewed the block for “Kendall” where she lives. A group of volunteers met today to sew blocks for all 10 towns in the county. There also are spaces for three other blocks and the group decided to have those dedicated to Farming, Faith and Family.

Carrie Standish of Albion sewed the block for Albion. She works as a secretary at the Orleans/Niagara BOCES and said she was happy to be part of making the quilt for the county’s bicentennial.

“To be involved in something so special and unique is an honor,” Standish said.

This shows the pattern for the quilt, which will be 70 inches by 70 inches when it is complete. The quilters are working to have the project done by an April 15 bicentennial celebration being planned at the Orleans County Courthouse.

There will be a border on top saying Orleans County, and a border on the bottom saying 1825 to 2025.

The quilt is expected to be on display at several sites in the county this year.

Tara Thom, owner of the Town & Country Quilt Shop, is show at the quilt shop with the volunteers in back. Thom opened the quilt shop in 2017.

She discussed the bicentennial quilt with County Historian Catherine Cooper. The design has been in the works for about nine months. Today was an exciting day for the quilters with many of the blocks sewn together.

“We’re all from Orleans County and we wanted to help celebrate the bicentennial and highlight our pastime,” Thom said about the quilters.

The quilting team today included Thom of Gaines, Kathyrn DeMarco of Kendall, Sue Landis of Barre, Carrie Standish of Albion, Brenda Radzinski of Gaines, Gayle Ashbery of Carlton and Catherine Hooker of Middleport who is a Medina native.

Catherine Hooker said they wanted a quilt that looked like one from 1825, with some modern elements. The design is like one from 200 years ago, she said, but they used machine embroidering for the town names and the years they were established.

The different blocks will be connected with star patterns. The quilters will use appliqué for the Orleans County name, and the years 1825 to 2025.

“We wanted it to look historic and present,” said Hooker, who is retired as an operations manager from the FMC Corporation in Middleport.

She is pleased with how the quilt is coming together.

“It’s been a wonderful experience and it’s a way of giving back,” she said. “It’s working with other people, and it brings joy to see what we can accomplish as a group.”

Sue Landis works on the quilt block for Clarendon. She also sewed the block for Barre. Landis has been an avid quilter since she retired as a Spanish teacher from Albion Central School in 2017.

Kathryn DeMarco places the “Family” block on the quilt. She said the three “F” blocks of farming, family and faith highlight three enduring cornerstones of the community.

DeMarco also was a key player in the quilt block patterns that have been displayed on many Kendall barns.