exactly do horses drive? Are there special cars?” He reveled in that brief moment during which she considered whether the question might be genuine. Of course the driving was on the part of the humans, who guided the horses as they pulled various sorts of wagons. We strolled the grounds where spectators enjoyed elegant picnics and the women wore extravagant hats, relishing the opportunity to be part of a local event. The categories of competition ran from formally dressed ladies and gentlemen driving grand carriages to commercial vehicles. In this category, the brightly painted Jell-O wagon was entered, driven by Lynne’s daughter, Laura.
Lynne’s wagon commemorates the fact that the product was introduced in LeRoy in 1897. She told us that a carpenter who dabbled in patent medicines trademarked the name; it was not a patent, because there were other gelatin products already being produced. The company that bought the name began an aggressive advertising campaign that made the product hugely popular and profitable. Glen couldn’t resist the brilliantly colored wagon, painted in glossy red and his favorite bright yellow. He posed between the front shafts as if to ready to be harnessed and pull, and I added a somewhat goofy photo to my collection.
I was eager to visit with Carol Frost and her daughter, Marny Cleere. Barn quilts are seldom painted in pastels, as they don’t show up at a distance, but the dark brown of the barn and its position close to the road made for a lovely exception to the rule. When Carol arrived with the Lady of the Lake quilt, the picture was complete.
Nonesuch
Carol Frost and Marny Frost Cleere with Lady of the Lake quilt and barn quilt
Marny said that the quilt belonged to her grandmother, who had left each of her grandchildren a family quilt. It had been pieced in 1867 by Marny’s great-great-grandmother McPherson, using the pink fabric from one of her dresses. The McPherson family was one of many Scottish families who settled the area. “It reminded them of home,” Carol said. The McPhersons were a prominent family; in fact the yellow barn that hosts the Stein family Nonesuch quilt block was a McPherson barn. The barn with the Lady of the Lake pattern is the last one on the complex where it stands.
The McPhersons were prolific diary keepers, and Marny’s father, David, keeps the journals at hand and reads them regularly. Most journal entries are mundane discussions of the farm and weather, success and failure of crops, and the various additions to the homestead, but David chose a few of his favorites to share. Reading the handwritten text of the diary on pages deeply yellowed with age was quite a treat. One of the earliest stories concerns Alexander McPherson, who emigrated from Inverness, Scotland, in 1801 and made his way to the area. A century later, Marny’s great-great-grandfather, John McPherson, tells the story:
On reaching the Genesee River, “They found a good many families who wanted to get across the river but water was too deep at the ford. Grand Father McPherson did not propose to camp there until river went down, so suggested building a raft which they did. After raft was completed Grandfather was the first to use it. When he tried to drive his ox team onto raft one of them refused to venture on the raft, after long coaxing, which was of no avail Grand Father unyoked this ox and put his own shoulder under yoke and with the help of the men at wheels they succeeded in getting onto raft, and were poled across. When the ox saw his mate and cow going from him, he went into the river and swam across, none the worse of his cold bath.”
. . .
Glen and I left the rich history of LeRoy behind and headed east to Schoharie, where quilt trail organizer Ginny Schaum and her husband, Bill, had generously invited us to spend the weekend. Here, the barn quilt community focuses not on history but on more recent events. The area was adversely affected by Hurricanes Irene and Lee in 2011, and a mural project had begun in Middleburgh to revitalize the community and make people feel good about the recovery. More public art was proposed to bring in tourists, and Ginny thought the quilt barn trail similar to the ones she had seen in the Carolinas would fit the bill. “People were overjoyed.” Ginny said.
The ebullient mood was quite evident in Diana Cook’s Garden Party quilt block, which is mounted on a restored former firehouse. I pronounced the block “spectacular” as soon as it came into view. The multiple designs within the block made it look like a cloth quilt and one that would have been fun to create. The block overlooks several garden plots where sunflowers and herbs proliferate.
Diana said that the building has had many incarnations. It was originally a church and then a firehouse, and later an upholstery shop. When Diana looked at the vacant building and saw the big wall between the windows, she thought it was perfect for a mural, and she wanted to move in. “My family thought I was nuts,” she said. “The place was a wreck—needed new everything.” The finished interior includes Diana’s downstairs studio, with living space upstairs and husband Steve’s shop in the basement. Diana showed us one of her quilts, which included half a dozen fabrics of intricate patterns. I could see why the complex barn quilt design appealed to the talented artist.
I admitted to Ginny that I did not know much about Hurricane Irene, the storm that had recently devastated the area, so she filled me in. First priority had been to get people back into their homes. Some had their houses damaged or torn down; some had oil in their basements that mixed with their water. People needed furnaces and hot water heaters and kitchens ripped out, and some buildings were condemned. Ginny said, “I never realized how much I use the local grocery store. When it was gone, I couldn’t get any fresh produce.”
Garden Party
Ginny and Bill live on a mountain so they were not directly affected by the catastrophe, so as soon as they could make it to town, they worked with local churches, delivering food and bottled water to anyone who needed it. “The quilt trail is phase two of the recovery,” Ginny said. “It’s a happy phase to bring people back into the community.” Ginny’s partner in the endeavor, Sharon Aitchison, grew up in the area and was invaluable. As Ginny said, “She just knows this infinite number of people.”
Stitched and painted crazy quilts
I adore crazy quilts, so the opportunity to meet a renowned designer was especially exciting. Betty Pillsbury’s quilt block is an exact replica of one of her sewn creations. Betty explained how she became a crazy quilter. “Adjective on the quilt, not the quilter,” she laughed. Betty taught herself to embroider when she was eight and learned new stitches from magazines. She practiced on jean legs and pillowcases and said, “I bugged my mother for floss and needles.” Betty saw an article about crazy quilts about thirty years ago and has been sewing them ever since, eventually winning numerous awards and teaching the art to others.
The quilt that served as the model for Betty’s painted quilt originated as a line drawing in a book of 1880s Victorian quilts. Betty stitched and embellished the quilt and when a barn quilt was suggested, she wanted to paint the design as well. Betty also helped to create a community crazy quilt, another way to bring together those who were devastated by Irene. She pieced the blocks and residents could come by the library or Betty’s home to add their own flair to the embroidery.
Betty is an herbalist and she took us out back to see her garden. I was fascinated by the mushrooms sprouting from logs lying on the ground. Betty explained that the hardwood logs are drilled and then dowels of sawdust and mushroom spawn inserted, and before long the rewards pop forth. Betty offered me some mushrooms for dinner, but of course I didn’t plan on cooking anytime soon. I thought they were beautiful,
