Cumberland woman's quilt voted 'People's Choice'

LINCOLN - Alice L. Davidson of Cumberland worked on and off for 30 years on her "window pane" quilt and showed it for the first time on Saturday, Oct. 24, at the Footsteps in History Quilt Show held at the Blackstone Valley Historical Society. Davidson was thrilled when she learned that she was voted the "People's Choice" of the show.

She started the quilt that is built of many squares of hand stitched "panes" and then had to put it aside when life interrupted her handiwork. She beamed when other quilters asked about her technique and choice of colors and fabrics. Standing over the large quilt, she pointed to a square of pink fabric and said, "That was my daughter's favorite dress." Other squares evoked aprons, dresses and other garments that had been in her family. Still other panes were of fabric she bought because she loved the tiny prints she would find in the selection of calicos carried at local fabric stores.

"We are so thrilled to be able to recognize Alice with this award," said Patricia Perry, Footsteps in History coordinator. "We were very honored to have her very special quilt in our show and it really reflects the role textiles continue to play in our lives here in the Blackstone Valley," she said. "I know Alice's daughter will cherish this quilt as will generations of her family to come. It is quite a legacy project!"

For more details and to see pictures of the show, visit www.FootstepsinHistory.com.

The quilt show was co-sponsored by the Blackstone Valley Interpreters Network, the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor Commission and the Blackstone Valley Historical Society.