Cumberland Valley Quilters Association Quilt Show

This past Saturday, November 11, 2017 was the biennial Cumberland Valley Quilters Association Show.  The show was held at the St. Philip Catholic Center on Second Avenue in Franklin.

We arrived late to the quilt show and only had one hour to look at the quilts and shop with vendors.  Translation:  I have no names of the quilts or the quilt makers.  Since I have so very little information about the quilts or the quilt makers, I will fill in the blanks with the history of Franklin.

This was the raffel quilt.  Pretty nice.  I didn't win.

The City of Franklin was founded in 1799 (the same year as M. completed her Ackworth sampler).  The city was named after Benjamin Franklin.  For most of its first 180 years, Franklin was a tranquil small county seat.  In the years prior to the Civil War, Franklin (Williamson County) was one of the wealthiest counties in Tennessee.  Franklin was the center of plantation economy and there are several plantation mansions which survived.

The Civil War devastated the economy.  The Battle of Franklin was one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War with more than 8,000 casualties and turning every home and building in town into a hospital.  It took 120 years for the economy to reach pre-war levels.  Today.  Franklin is one of the wealthiest cities in one of the wealthiest counties in the United States.

Author, Robert Hicks tells the story of Carrie McGavock in his novel, The Widow of the South.  Carnton Plantation where Carrie and her family lived is the setting of the novel and the site of the Battle of Franklin.  Carnton is a short distance from downtown Franklin.  During the battle, Carrie's kitchen was turned into an operating room.  The floor still bears the stains of countless amputations.  When the battle ended, Carrie tended to the sick and dying and became the caretaker of the burial plots and cemetery located a short distance from her house.

Downtown Franklin is the best of both old and new.  There is the 1937 Franklin Theatre and Binks Outfitters on the same block.  Yarrow Acres, Rare Prints Gallery, and Walton's Antique and Estate Jewelry are some of my favorite shops on main.

There are two quilt shops in Franklin:  Quilting Squares and Stitchers Garden.  Both shops carry a wide assortment of Civil War fabrics and teach classes.

Just off Main Street on 4th Avenue South is Merridee's Breadbasket Bakery.  When we are in Franklin, we usually pop in for a fresh baked cinnamon roll or sticky bun.  Delicious!

The downside to Franklin is the traffic and parking.  I much preferred visiting Franklin when it was the quaint little sleepy town which had not been discovered and we could take a walk on the streets and enjoy the carefully preserved and restored homes.

My favorite part about Franklin--the Nashville Needlework Market is held each February/March at the Embassy Suites!  (Franklin is about 20 miles from Nashville)

My one and only purchase, the pattern for this house quilt.  I have always wanted to make a quilt with a house in it and this pattern looked like it was within my skill level.  Oh, that tiny little flag flying from the house is the Tennessee State Flag.