ISSUED: 26 January 2022
MEDIA CONTACT: Dana Costa
SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV — The Scarborough Library has added another quilt to its collection: a second quilt celebrating the University’s 150th anniversary. Throughout the fall semester, Rhonda Donaldson, coordinator of research services, collected squares that are individually decorated by various members of the campus community. The finished quilt is now hanging in the community reading room.
Donaldson said the quilt has about 440 squares. She estimates the project took a total of about three months. She started asking folks to sign and decorate the squares in August. The last square came back to her on December 8.
“Getting them back was like herding cats,” she said, with a smile. “I ironed the squares to set the ink, drew out the plan, and began arranging them on my quilt design wall. I had the top of the quilt finished by December 15, 2021. I began quilting by sandwiching the top, batting, and backing together on Friday, January 21, and quilted all weekend to finish on Sunday, January 23.”
Donaldson said she enjoyed putting the quilt together.
“It’s absolutely so much fun to see what everybody has written and drawn and embroidered,” she said. “I’m pretty proud. I’m glad everybody participated. There are not that many empty squares, so that made me happy too, that there was so much participation.”
After working with the decorated squares, Donaldson said she does have a few favorites.
“The ram by one of our student assistants is phenomenal,” she said. “I love any with books. There are so many wonderful quotations, and the ram art is great. There are so many beautiful pieces of artwork, it is hard to pick a favorite square. One really stuck in my head because it was so cute and funny. It says ‘My brother goes here. I guess he’s pretty OK.’”
The quilt will eventually become part of the library’s special collections and archives. Donaldson hopes future generations who see the quilt are inspired by it.
“I hope they know we are proud of Shepherd and proud of everything we’ve done so far,” she said. “I hope they take heart and know we did it with love.”
This is the second quilt Donaldson has made to commemorate the University’s sesquicentennial. She also created a blue, white, and yellow queen-size quilt sporting the ram’s head logo in the center that currently hangs in the library’s reading room.
Those interested in viewing the quilts can visit the Scarborough Library during normal business house: Monday-Thursday from 7:45 a.m.-11 p.m.; Friday from 7:45 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; and Sunday noon-11 p.m.
For more information about Shepherd’s sesquicentennial, visit the 150th anniversary webpage.
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