— The construction of a postage stamp quilt involves literally the stitching back together hundreds to thousands of pieces that result in a mass of one inch square pieces.  The postage stamp design allows the quilter to use the last very small scraps of fabric left from other projects.  The final design may vary from the random to a detailed planned design.   The basic preparation is very simple.  The quilter has only to cut everything into small squares.  The usual one inch square requires cutting all of the pieces one and one half inches in size.  While seemly simple, the design demands much patience and time.  The tiny size of the parts requires a lot of sewing together of pieces.

On display in the main gallery of the Grady County Museum is a beautiful example of a partial postage stamp quilt.  It has a specific design repeated over the quilt involving only two colors, white and purple.  The entire quilt is not made of postage stamp pieces.  Small pieces of white and purple form a nine-patch and those patches are connected by a square of white of the same size.  A white lining and purple binding finish the quilt.  The most important feature about the Museum’s quilt is that the pieces are only three/fourths of an inch square.  All of the stitching of the pieces and the overall quilting of the layers together have been completed by hand.  The quilt came to the Museum from the Esther Yale Estate.  

The quilt is only display in a chair from the Rock Island Depot.  Sitting on top of the quilt dressed in white and purple is “Oneita the 1945 World War II Christmas Doll” from Margaret Frey.  The doll has on shoes with roller skates whose wheels still function.  

While in the Museum be sure to view the Native American art work from Jerome Bushyhead and Oheltoint of the Cheyenne and Kiowa Tribes.  These pieces are in the main gallery in the center cases.  

Volunteers are the backbone of all non-profit groups.  The Grady County Museum relies on volunteers to greet the visitors and watch over the displays on Monday through Friday when the Museum is open.  Volunteer for two and one half hours at a time weekly, every two weeks, or monthly.  Select morning or afternoon and visit the Crazy 8 Café for lunch before or after your scheduled time.  Some volunteers or “docents” find that it is a great time to visit special friends or to combine with other activities with those friends by volunteering together.  Contact Pat at the Museum to inquire about serving as one of the “Museum Docents”.

The Grady County Museum is open M-F from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm and it is located in Historic Downtown Chickasha, OK in the “Dixie” Building at 415 W. Chickasha Avenue.  

For additional information or to schedule a tour contact 405-224-6480 or gchistorical@att.net.