Scraps to Quilts exhibit, 1986
In 1986, students in WKU’s Folk Studies program created “Scraps to Quilts: Derby Fabrics, Women’s Quilts, and Family Stories,” an exhibit of local quilts that had been made using fabric scraps from the Union Underwear Company’s “Derby” plant in Bowling Green. The students began by inviting owners to bring in quilts to be photographed and have their histories documented. The Kentucky Museum then displayed a selection of the quilts from April to October 1986.
Although the physical exhibit is long gone, the information collected by the students, including photo proof sheets and negatives, quilt data sheets, audiotaped interviews, exhibit labels and associated research, remains available in WKU’s Folklife Archives. A finding aid for the “Scraps to Quilts” exhibit materials can be downloaded here.