This signature quilt, presented in 1861 to Carrie F. Foster of West Henniker, NH, will be on display at Quilted Threads during the town of Henniker’s celebration of the 250th anniversary of its founding, August 3-5, 2018.
The 97.5″ x 97.5″ quilt will be displayed in our classroom during the shop’s regular hours that weekend. You can get a close-up look at its workmanship and at the many signatures from then-residents of Henniker and surrounding towns.
We’re grateful to the New England Quilt Museum in Lowell, MA, which has kindly allowed us to borrow the quilt from their permanent collection and display it in the shop during this weekend.
Solve the Mystery of the Quilt
The quilt’s center block contains the following intriguing message:
Carrie F. Foster West Henniker
Please accept this quilt, my dear friend
to atone for a loss we cannot amend
And let troubles pass by fraught with despair
And learn with a light heart lie’s sorrows to bear.
The “loss we cannot amend” is so far unknown. To date, the Henniker Historical Society has been unable to identify the story behind this message.
It is known that Carrie married William Ogland Folsom later that year, and that she died of tuberculosis in 1866. Are you related to any of these families? Do you have connections to Henniker that could help solve this mystery?
We invite you to share your knowledge so that we can add new facts to the story of this quilt.
The 2018 Henniker Friendship Quilt
QT staff and Henniker residents Julie Costello and Anne Hunter are spearheading the making of a new Henniker quilt. QT donated the fabrics for this quilt, which uses the same block design as the original. The new quilt uses a very 2018 fabric – a digitally printed geometric ombre print from RJR fabrics.
Julie and Anne are constructing the blocks now so that they will be ready for signatures the Aug. 3-5 weekend. After the weekend, the quilt will be assembled, quilted, and bound and then presented to the historical society.
We Want Your “John Henniker”
What is a friendship quilt without friends? We invite all QT friends and family to sign the blocks for the new quilt. No need to be from Henniker, or even from NH, or even from the US!
We’ll have pen and ink – and practice squares! – on hand for those who want to sign. There will also be a “guest book” to present with the quilt to the historical society.
In the guest book, each signer prints their name and place of residence, and if they wish, their connection to Henniker. We hope the viewers of this quilt in 2118 won’t be trying to solve “the mystery of the 2018 Henniker Quilt.”