The exhibit opens May 18 and will run through July 20. Museum hours are 10-5 Tuesday – Friday, 10-3 Saturday, closed Sunday and Monday. Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and children under 12. For more information call 423-339-5745.

Mothers, daughters and grandmothers, please join Chita Bacon Johnson for an afternoon tea on June 9 at 2:00 pm. Learn manners and dining etiquette while enjoying tea catered by Lace Emporium.

Mrs. Johnson is the author of “Mother’s Manners” a book about how she acquired her manners, especially from her mother. The story depicts the value and importance of acquiring social etiquette from experience and practice on a daily basis. The book is available for purchase in the Museum Store, and Mrs. Johnson will be signing books at the tea.

Tickets to the Tea are $20 per person, seating is limited so reserve your space as soon as possible! Call the Museum Center at 423-339-5745 or stop in to the store during regular hours Tuesday – Friday 10am – 5pm and Saturdays 10 am – 3pm.

The documentary and its companion book  feature six former residents who tell the history of the village: Margaret Poe Trotter, Anna Ruth Lillard Green, John “Doc” German, Troye Moore Linginfelter, Marilyn Lowe Kirkland, and Geraldine Lowe King.

Caney Creek Village was located on the Ocoee River in the mountains of East Tennessee. The village was built by the Tennessee Power Company in 1912 to provide housing for the workers of Ocoee Dam #2 power house and flume line. The houses were equipped with indoor plumbing, telephones, and electricity and the village had a trolley, one room school house, tennis court, concrete sidewalks, and a two story hotel. However, the village became a ghost town when TVA took over the Tennessee Power Company.

Admission to the documentary night is free for Museum Center members, $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and students, and free for children under five years. The History of Caney Creek Village book and DVD are also available for purchase in the Museum Center gift store.

Thursday- 6-8PM Preview Party

$10 at the door – light supper and early buying privileges

  Friday- 9 AM- 5 PM Sale

         Saturday- 9 AM- Noon ½ Price Sale

 The sale will take place at the corner of First St. SE and Church St. South. (see map below).

Several new artists will debut this year at the festival including Jessica Klaaren from Athens, TN. She has been designing jewelry since 2006 for her Cellar Door Jewelry business. She recently received publicity having designed earrings for the 2013 Academy Awards and being accepted into the exclusive Artisan Group.

Also new to this year’s festival is the “Chalk Off” which is an extension of the “Chalk the Walk” competition held April 13 on the Cleveland Greenway. Winners of the event will be invited to compete by creating an original work on the museum’s courtyard walkway. The winner will receive a $100 grand prize with an amateur prize of $25 to youth 12 and under.

This exciting weekend event begins with the preview party Friday from 5-8 p.m. which is free to all Museum Center members. Others can purchase tickets for $10 which provides wine, heavy hors d’oeuvre, and the advantage to buy items first. The event continues Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is free to the public.

Image courtesy of the Tennessee Sampler Survey

Sampler making has a long history as a practical and decorative art. Samplers were originally worked as records of stitches, patterns, and motifs. Beginning in the 17th century, sampler making became required of educated young ladies. The sampler served tangible proof of a girl’s skill with the needle. For many years, textile scholars assumed that sampler making was not practiced in the South. Our research has shown that Tennessee girls made samplers from the era of settlement through the end of the 19th century; however, this group has discovered multiple samplers that have a direct link to Tennessee. Through this exhibit, visitors will be able to explore and learn about different samplers from through the three regions of the state.  In addition, the Museum Center will also be displaying samplers from local collections, which range from the 19^th century, right up until today.

Our appreciation is also extended to our 2013 Grape Escape sponsors: Jo Benjamin, Ralph and Chari Buckner, Franklin Chancey, Lynn DeVault, Bill and Janet Finn, Peter and Susan Goodwin, Tom and Judy Johnson, Scott and Tracy Kanavos, Barett and Elyn Painter, Don Ritzhaupt and Rachel Savage, and Scott and Sharon Taylor from Bank of Cleveland.

Meet the Winners

This year’s Stitches In Time quilt show has opened and that means we can announce our winners!

Best of Show Large Contemporary:

1^st – Birds of a Feather by Vicky Kmet

2^nd – Bright Beginnings by Robin Hewitt
3^rd – Bubble Express by Phyllis Corona

Best of Show Small Contemporary:

1^st – Daffodil by Karen Young
2^nd – Yesterday Remembered by Vicky Kmet
3^rd -  Open the Windows of Heaven Malachi 3:10 by Deborah Fick Pulsford

Best of Show Duet:

1^st – Wilderness Retreat, pieced by Crazy Patch & quilted by Back Porch Quilters (Owner: Jackie Cory)
2^nd – Hawaii Sunset, pieced by Mary Ruth Younger & quilted by Michael Ann Staggs
3^rd – Homeward Bound: Mariner’s Compass, pieced by Amy Doolittle & quilted by Sherry’s Quilting Studio

Best of Show Group:

1^st – No Greater Love, pieced by Eastside Church of Christ Quilters & quilted by Ruth Crye (Owner: Herdis and Brenda Kyle)
2^nd – More than Conquerors, pieced by Eastside Church of Christ Quilters & quilted by Ruth Crye (Owner: Marvin and Emiline Hutson)
3^rd – Strip Twist, pieced by Traci Wilson (DTR) & quilted by Missy Duke (Owner: Donna Robinson)

Best of Show Antique:

1^st – Flower Bouquet, owned by Phyllis Callaway
2^nd – Untitled, owned by Patricia L. Webb
3^rd – Rocky Mountain, owned by Karen Downer
Best Use of Color & Design:

1^st – Springtime Impression, by Sue Breedlove
2^nd – Lavender Fields Forever, by Lee Ann Endicott
3^rd – Gifts of Jewels, by Ruth Logsdon

The Museum Center will be showcasing the beautiful quilt collection of local quilter Renee Medley, part four of the rotating lobby exhibit during thequilt show. The display will be open on February 19 and run through February 23.

Renee, a fifth generation quilter, has carried on the tradition of her family by piecing together true works of art. Quilting today is considered more of a hobby, rather than a necessity, such as in Renee’s grandmother’s time. Renee started quilting as a teenager and just kept working at it. “Every project inspires and every project brings fresh challenges, but with every finished quilt I have learned new techniques and methods that make my quilting better,” explains Medley.

Medley prefers working on traditional patterns and loves to use the red palette for her quilts, “everything is just more vibrant and just more,” she stated. Her favorite quilt is Never Enough Cherries incorporating her red palette, “it was a guild challenge that inspired that piece.”

Renee is a member of the Athens Heritage Quilt Guild and has shown her quilts at the McMinn County Living Heritage Museum’s National Heritage Quilt Show, as well as, the Heritage Quilt Show at the Athens Art Center, which is put on by the Heritage Quilt Guild.

Come on down to the Museum and be inspired.