THE PITTSBURGH FRIENDSHIP QUILT: Its disappearance and
rediscovery by Janet Kaiser, Quilt Coordinator. September 9, 2008.
The Pittsburgh Friendship Quilt was displayed at Buhl from
October 1988 to March 1989 and then it disappeared.
In January 1990, I wrote an article about the vanished Pittsburgh Friendship Quilt for
Quilter's Newsletter magazine and sent a personal
letter to the director of the Buhl Science Center, with a copy of the magazine article. I received no response. I concluded
that the Science Center was not interested in displaying the quilt and that it would remain in storage somewhere in the recesses of Buhl.
I often wondered whether the quilt would ever be seen again.
Years passed and I thought the quilt was lost forever. In 2007 I sent correspondence on the lost quilt to Terri Blanchette of
the Heinz History Center and Jane Werner, now the Director of the Pittsburgh Children's Museum, with the hope that one of them
would be interested in trying to find The Pittsburgh Friendship Quilt to use in Pittsburgh's 250th celebration. Both women were interested
in the quilt, but didn't have time to pursue the idea. Then, "out of the blue" in April 2008, I was told that
Quilt Company East Quilter's Guild had possession of the quilt and planned to display it
at their quilt show in August 2008. I was absolutely thrilled. After
attending the quilt show and seeing The Pittsburgh Friendship Quilt once again, I learned the circumstances of its re-discovery:
Earlier in the year, Elizabeth Jones, President of Quilt Company East, was laid up with an injured knee and had time to read some old
quilting magazines while recuperating. She ran across the January 1990 article that I had written for Quilter's Newsletter regarding
The Pittsburgh Friendship Quilt. When she saw the photo of the quilt, she decided that the Quilt Company East guild should find the quilt to exhibit at their
summer quilt show.
Elizabeth enlisted the help of fellow Guild member Kathy Crawford, who persevered in calling the Carnegie Science Center until she finally
found an employee who was willing to look for the quilt. It was found in the basement of the SportsWorks building of
the Carnegie Science Center, where the Plexiglas panels were
piled one on top of the other on pallets. The building was scheduled to be demolished, but The Pittsburgh Friendship Quilt was saved in the "nick of time"!
Guild members, husbands and friends transported the quilt to Sandy German's home where the exposed edges were cleaned and the Plexiglas panels
were polished. The quilt looks almost as good as new except for a broken corner of Plexiglas and a few "mouse holes" in the green section.
The quilt was on display at the Quilt Company East quilt show from August 1 until August 3, 2008.
It is my understanding that The Pittsburgh Friendship Quilt is now in storage
at the Carnegie Science Center, but NOT in the basement!
I give my heartfelt thanks to all those who helped in the re-discovery and refurbishment of The Pittsburgh Friendship Quilt.
The Pittsburgh Friendship Quilt is an incredible piece of
history representing Pittsburgh's melting-pot heritage -- many different colors and individual pieces working together to make a unified whole.
Let us hope that it finds a permanent home here in this wonderful city.
