PHILLIPS — During its annual Old Home Days festivities a couple of weekends ago, the town of Phillips became “the center of quilting in Maine – or at least Franklin County.” This was the prediction of the folks who gathered on the lawn of Dark Star Fabrics that Friday morning to stage “The Mad Hatter Clothesline Quilt Show,” the first ever quilt show to be held at this location and by this particular group of quilters.

“It took a lot of work from the quilting group, husbands, family, and friends to get it all up and ready to go,” said Prudy Pike, president of the Mad Hatters, “but lots of laughing and fun while we worked.”

Several canopies, placed strategically about the front and side lawns of this unique fabric shop in downtown Phillips, were strung with clotheslines. 115 quilts were hung up with clothespins, creating a unique display which allowed for easy viewing of both the design side and the back of each masterpiece.

Wandering through the maze-like exhibit, visitors were mesmerized by the brilliant array of colors and patterns and awed by the amazing variety of artistic expression demonstrated by the twenty-two crafters who were sharing their work. Ranging in size from small wall hangings, bags, and pillows to king-sized quilts, the projects represented the work of quilters “from hither and yon” – Phillips, Madrid, Rangeley, Strong, and Kingfield; even Fayette and Edgecomb.

“The town was buzzing with quilt shows,” Mrs. Pike also commented, “and the awesomeness of talent that the quilting ladies have in this little area of our home towns.”

The Phillips Community Church at the end of Main Street was also filled with quilts for its annual Old Home Days show. Hosted by The Narrow Gauge Quilters, this show has been a featured event for many, many years. Additionally, the Phillips Historical Society, across the street from the church, was showcasing several of its extensive collection of vintage quilts. The Reeds Mill Church Ladies Sewing Circle, though not hosting a show of their own this year, were also well-represented by the handiwork they had on display at the other two shows.

One very special feature at Dark Star was the antique crazy quilt on loan from Warren Frye, resident of Avon. This family heirloom had been made by Frye’s uncle and two aunts, Scottish immigrants all. The uncle had been a painter in Scotland. In fact, he painted his whole life. Even after going blind, he continued to paint and carve by touch and from memory. The aunts were seamstresses.

According to Deb Black and Rachelle Knight, owners of Dark Star Fabrics, the “antiquity and delicacy” of this quilt was enhanced by the scenes hand-painted in vibrant colors on scraps of velvet, silk, or satin, along with fancy embroidery and crewel work.

“We were very pleased he lent it for display,” the ladies declared.

In the hallway inside the shop, a mini-exhibit of the work of Lorraine Savage, this month’s featured quilter and a member of Kingfield’s Stitches in the Snow quilters group, remains on display through August. An especially unique piece in this exhibit is the quilt she made in memory of her brother. Using his now-vintage ties, she stitched a quilt using a variation of the log cabin on point square pattern.

As the Dark Star ladies put it, “It’s amazing how many things you can do with squares and rectangles in twelve inches … .the possibilities are endless.”

David Morgan won the quilt raffled off by The Mad Hatters. This quilt, featuring a simple black and white theme and patterns of snowy owls and birch trees, was a group project.

“It took us all day to pick the colors,” members explained, “It took everybody’s minds, everybody’s ideas … ”

It was also noted that the quilt was “just simple enough that it reflects each of us … There are a lot of personalities here and a lot of talent.”

Some of the proceeds from the raffle will be donated to a local need or charity and some will go to Dark Star in compensation for the use of the work room. The owners do not charge a fee for that.

“Dark star is so generous,” one of the members said, “We really want to call attention to the business in the hopes of drawing more people into the shop.”

With the success of this year’s quilt show, The Mad Hatters, a group of about a dozen members, believes they may be on the way to achieving that goal. They hope to make their Clothesline Quilt Show an annual event during Old Home Days. That will depend somewhat on the health, energy, and availability of the group’s members, but as far as Dark Star Fabrics goes, they are on board.

Deb and Rachelle opened Dark Star Fabrics on October 20, 2017 in the home at 30 Main Street in Phillips. Billed as “a special shop where quilters can find fabric for quilts, long-arm quilting services, quilts and quilting supplies, plus meeting space for quilting groups and classes”, one of its unique offerings is the collection of fabrics designed by Aboriginal artists and imported from Australia.

Anyone interested in learning more about quilting themselves might be interested in the upcoming class: All About Paper Piecing. Under the instruction of Betsey Plummer, this class will run on two Saturday afternoons, September 14 and 21, from 1 – 4 pm. Fee is $30 for both sessions.

Check out the shop’s website at https://darkstarfabrics.com/. Or stop by for a visit. Dark Star is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 am to 5 p.m.

An excellent time for a visit might be during the upcoming Autumn in Western Maine 2019 Fall Shop Hop. Dark Star Fabrics is one of six locations on an approximately 200-mile loop through Phillips, Wilson’s Mills (just west of Rangeley), Norway, Oxford, New Sharon, and Farmington. Deb and Rachelle were excited to announce the inclusion of Imelda’s in New Sharon, on the Hop for the first time this year.

Google.com/maps estimates almost five hours of hopping time from shop to shop, but that, of course, doesn’t including time for shopping. You might want to plan on making this more than a one-day adventure. Though it might be a bit early for peak foliage, a drive through this part of Maine is never without beautiful views and various points of interest all along the way.

“It’s often good weather … tends to be a peak time of year for a road trip …,” Deb and Rachelle predicted, “There’s less traffic and everything (like ice cream shops) are often still open.”