History Center Projects

Our guild has had several projects with the History Center in Ithaca.  We have recently completed a quilt, including doing the hand quilting, for the bicentennial of Tompkins County.  

SAWTOOTH MOUNTAIN
​THE TOMPKINS COUNTY BICENTENNIAL QUILT

On April 7, 1817, by act of the New York State Legislature, the counties of Seneca and Cayuga were divided, and Tompkins County was formed.
The official opening of a year-long celebration began April 7, 2017. The TCQG's newly completed Sawtooth Mountain is ready and hanging next to the 1850s inspiration quilt at The History Center.  It is based on a quilt in the History Center collection which is too fragile to travel for the celebrations. If you are downtown, take a peek.

The History Center regular hours are Tuesday,Thursday, and Saturday, 11-5, and is also open for first Fridays. We also hope the quilt will travel to bicentennial and other community celebrations across the county. 

When members of the TCQG set out to reproduce the historic quilt, we tried to match each of the many fabrics with reproduction fabrics from our stashes. Go and compare! You may be surprised by the variety of 1850 fabrics and want to add to your stash.  

The quilt is 74" x 87" with 238 5" blocks in rows 14 wide and 17 long, plus sawtooth border and binding. There is a stitch-in-the-ditch pattern on the original that is being reproduced on this quilt. 

The finished quilt will be the official Bicentennial Quilt for Tompkins County, to be featured at the April 2017 celebrations and available for exhibit at venues county-wide through December 2017. It will become a part of the History Center collection at the end of 2017.  More information is available on the History Center website.