Grifton museum hosts state quilt

Grifton Museum board member Peggy Collins displays the 100 Counties Quilt.

This month, visitors to Grifton’s town museum will be awed by the vibrant and colorful North Carolina “Hundred Counties Quilt.”  This is the second time in two years that the 18 x 9 foot quilt has been on display in Grifton.  

Lenoir County’s quilt square, created by Susan Fields and Rosie Simmons of the Neuse Quilters Guild.

Museum board member Peggy Collins, an avid seamstress and craftswoman, first saw the giant textile at a quilt show in Washington, NC, in 2018.  She quickly connected with Joy Javits, who spearheaded the creation of the quilt to celebrate the opening of the N.C. Women’s and N.C. Children’s Hospitals in Chapel Hill.  Since the quilt was first displayed in 2001, it has travelled to numerous counties.  

“Setting it up takes a few folks.  We were lucky to have 11 volunteers help us hang the quilt on its special frame on September 24th,” Collins noted.  It weighs 18 pounds and travels in a special large suitcase.  

The quilt contains at least one block from each county.  Some blocks feature images that tell of the county’s culture: Hyde County, home of Lake Mattamuskeet, has a block picturing a swan.  Duplin has a pig and Pender, a turtle.  Other blocks, like Graham’s or Pitt’s, exemplify traditional quilt patterns, such as double wedding ring or log cabin.  A large North Carolina flag is also featured near the quilt’s center. 

The Grifton Museum will be open on Sunday Oct. 18th from 1 – 5 p.m. when visitors can view the “100 Counties Quilt.”

“After October 29th, the quilt travels on to Northampton County,” Collins said.  The Grifton Museum will be open to the public from 1 – 5 p.m. on Sunday October 18th, and can be visited other times by phoning Mrs. Collins for an appointment (252-412-7764). The museum is located at 437 Creekshore Dr. in Grifton.