TREASURE HUNT
This weekend, when you make the rolling, scenic, drive to Fairfield for the Farm Chicks Antique Show, enjoy the kiss of autumn in the air and think about those cool nights that are on the way.
We’ve already had some rainy days and cloudy skies. Before you know it, it will be too chilly to sleep with the window open. It will be time to pull out the blankets and quilts and snuggle up for winter.
Vintage quilts are perennial treasures. Whether the piece is an heirloom, something passed down from generation to generation, or just a pretty patchwork quilt picked up at an estate sale, it’s impossible not to appreciate the work involved and the story behind the fabric.
New quilts have a story, too. And, because each one is a labor of love and art, they are almost guaranteed to become heirlooms.
Surrounded by antiques and collectibles, The Wishing Star Foundation, an organization that grants wishes for seriously ill children, will be selling new quilts and quilted items at The Farm Chicks antique show this weekend.
When Wishing Star volunteer Linda Schroeder fell in love with quilting, she started stitching small child-sized quilts that were distributed to ill and hospitalized children.
“Linda’s creations were so beautiful that we held some back for auctions and then we built a fundraiser called ‘Quilts for a Cause’ to sell her works of love,” Paula Nordgaarden, executive director of Wishing Star Foundation, said.
When Farm Chicks Terri Edwards and Serena Thompson offered the group space at last year’s show, the organization sold 70 of Schroeder’s quilts.
Schroeder describes her enthusiasm for quilting as a passion that turned into an obsession.
“I try to do something every day,” she said.”
In addition to Schroeder’s work, volunteers have contributed to the effort and the group expects to have more than 200 quilts and quilted items like wall hangings and table runners for sale.
When you think about it, an antiques and collectibles show, especially one as down to earth as The Farm Chicks sale, is the perfect place to pick up a new quilt, especially one with such power to do good things.
By purchasing one of the handmade treasures at the Wishing Star space, you can bring home something that will become tomorrow’s collectible and in the process you’ll be making a lot of wishes come true.