Washington County Enterprise-Leader
‘One Woman’s Life In Quilts’ On Display At Senior Center
PRAIRIE GROVE — The Clothesline Fair got its name from crafters who would hang their quilts and other artwork on rope or string strung between trees for all to see.
The Prairie Grove Senior Activity and Wellness Center is going back to this concept to display beautiful quilts handmade by women in the area.
“One Woman’s Life in Quilts” will be on display from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 31, at the senior center, located at the corner of Ed Staggs and Jenkins. The quilts will display 25 years of quilt making by Corinne Shipman. Other quilts will be hung outside at the center for people to enjoy. Shipman died in 2010 but her handmade quilts live on through her daughters and granddaughters.
One of her daughters, Lise Lipko, works for Area Agency on Aging and she agreed to share the quilts so others could see her mother’s handiwork. The senior center is requesting a $5 donation at the quilt show with all proceeds to benefit Meals On Wheels.
Shipman learned how to quilt after she retired to northwest Arkansas in the 1970s. She was one of the founders of the NWA Quilting Guild.
“She always hand-quilted her quilts, except at the very end. I think she only let someone do it on a machine then because she thought she would run out of time to finish it,” Lipko said.
Many of her early quilts are pattern quilts and used on beds. Lipko said she loves her bed quilts “because it’s just like getting a hug from her.” As Shipman improved her skill, she began to create more artistic quilts and Lipko described these quilts as her mother’s “legacies.”
Shipman’s last quilt was still in the hoop when Shipman died and Lipko said she had someone finish it. This quilt has a Japanese theme and hangs in Lipko’s office. Lipko said everyone comments on how beautiful the quilt is but to her, seeing the quilt hanging in her office is “bittersweet.”
Lipko pointed out that quilts are meant to be used, not folded up and hidden in a closet. She hopes people will come to the quilt show and enjoy seeing her mother’s work.