In the charming town of Dundas, Ontario, you’ll find a remarkable quilt exhibit at the Dundas Museum and Archives. It features their large collection of local historical quilts.
These treasured and carefully preserved works of textile art represent the community’s astounding heritage of traditional handcraft. Some are as old as the Town of Dundas itself while others arise from contemporary quilters who call Dundas home. Many thanks to Archivist Kelsey Haas and Exhibitions Curator Austin Strutt for putting together this fantastic show, and spending time with me.
I was wowed by the rare combination of the variety of quilts, the outstanding workmanship and span of time periods. When I carefully examined each one, the outstanding details came to life. The overall show spans from pieces made in 1847 to today.
It has a beautiful Maureen Czerneda quilt, a contemporary log cabin by Lindsay Stead and appliqué quilts from the 1850-60s. Meanwhile, a 2025 vibrant portrait Poppy Blackbird by Fuzzy Mall rubs shoulders with crazy quilts preserved from the 1880s.
You’ll also see wonky pieced quilts from 1847-1914 and, the star of the show, a 1890 one-inch Hexagon Medallion Quilt. Austin added so much context to the show by pulling other archival material that matched the quilts’ time periods. He added newspaper articles, clothing and ribbons from the Dundas area, for example.
Hexagon Medallion Quilt – Jenny Wheeler circa 1890
Look at these one-inch hexies, the overall stunning central medallion and the bar borders! What fun! Then when you move closer, check out the green velvet choice of fabric and precision piecing. Also, the movement created by unusual mottled pink and striped fabrics is fantastic.
Appliqué by Harriet Morden, 1852, West Flamborough
Harriet and her husband James came from Loyalist families, among the first generation of colonists born in the Dundas area. The quilt also bears the words THE PINE GROVE, which is likely the name of her farm. It also looks like Harriet misspelled her own name as Morcen.
The quilt immediately drew me in with its beautiful needle-turn appliqué, and the way she oriented the red fabric. For the most part, the most difficult valleys lay on the bias, an important detail I teach to appliqué students today. The quilting with three bands of stitching add importance to this area of the quilt. I’ve shown a closeup of the wording so you can see the impressive appliqué.
This quilt remarkably resembles a blue-and-white papercut appliqué of 1830-1850 from the Byron & Sara Rhodes Dillow Collection. It appears in the International Quilt Museum at the University of Nebraska. This pattern was often made in New York State from 1830 into the 1860s.
Piecework Quilt by Marcy Lyons, 1847
Finally, meet the oldest quilt in the museum’s collection. The artist signed and dated its centre, adding her age of 74 years.
Marcy Peer was born in New Jersey in 1774. She and her husband Harcar Lyons came to Canada as Loyalists after the American Revolution, settling in Dundas in 1798. Her husband died in in 1838. After breaking her hip in 1852, Marcy ran the farm from her bed, perhaps under this quilt. until her death in 1861. The quilt predates the use of paper patterns.
The quilt is endearing. Look at the wonderful ombre cotton border on the left! Wonky and wonderful. The embroidery around the centre block, especially 74 YE is terrific.
My photos do not do this show justice! If you have a chance to attend, you will not be disappointed.
Exhibit Details:
Dundas Quilts: Historical and Contemporary Textiles
Dundas Museum & Archives
139 Park Street West, Dundas, Ontario
Runs until April 18, 2027
