Quilt show continues today at Putnam library | Palatka Daily News, Palatka, Florida

Darlene Walker talks about the intricate beadwork she did on some Christmas panels that are being featured at the quilt show that runs through noon Saturday at the Palatka Headquarters Library. (SARAH CAVACINI/ Palatka Daily News)
Positively Putnam FL

Homemade quilts in a variety of colors and designs will be on display in Palatka through noon Saturday for people to view.

The quilt show will open 9:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. today and 9 a.m. – noon Saturday at the Putnam County Headquarters Library, 601 College Road in Palatka.

Some of the quilts date back more than 80 years and are family heirlooms that have been donated for display, according to their descriptions.

Darlene Walker brought in her Great-uncle Willie’s quilt that dates back to about 1900. She said her great-uncle was born in 1886 and his mother made it for him while he was working on the family farm in New York.

“He’d take his quilt, his tools, stuffed them in a car he had and he’d go around (the farm),” Walker said. “He’d help with the planting. And then he’d help with any work that needed to be done. And then he’d help with the harvesting.”

The quilt, which his mother tied together, was not made to be pretty or put on display, Walker said. Quilts used to be made for function, and her great-uncle’s quilt was made to withstand freezing New York temperatures.

She said the quilt has been passed down in her family and she used to try to keep it on her bed at home. But that is not easy in Florida, Walker said, because the quilt is so heavy.

“(My husband and I) were going to sleep under it, and it lasted two days,” Walker said. “If I wanted to roll over, I had to lift it up, roll over and it’d fall back down on me. And I’d feel like I was squished.”

Walker quilts but also does beadwork on fabric panels that are on display at the quilt show. On Thursday, she worked on another winter-themed panel in the library.

Other people will also have quilts in the show, and art enthusiasts can check out a quilt that was pieced together for a doll cradle, among other intricate displays.

For more information about the quilt show, email darlene.mwalker@gmail.com or call Library Director Stella Brown at 386-329-0126.