The Quilters Hall of Fame in Marion, Indiana

In a town known for basketball and as the birthplace of James Dean, perhaps the best-kept secret is the Quilters Hall of Fame. The inspiration for the Hall of Fame was the woman who owned the house, Marie Webster. Marie was born in nearby Wabash, Indiana, in 1859 and died in Princeton, New Jersey, in 1956. During her most productive quilting years, from 1911 to 1921, her quilt patterns were published in Ladies' Home Journal, which was the leading women's magazine at the time. She ran a successful mail-order pattern business, designed new patterns, wrote Quilts: Their Story and How to Make Them, lectured, and judged quilting competitions. She was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1991. Quilts made by hand can take dozens or even hundreds of hours to complete, depending on their size. A basic guideline for designing a quilt is to follow the “Rule of 7.” This calls for using seven different fabrics when designing a quilt. These can range from larger-scale theme prints and coordinating fabrics down to smaller-scale accents and anchors. The house holding the quilters' collection is known as the Marie Webster House. It was built in 1902, and when completed, Marie and her husband, George, hosted a grand party to show off the house to Marion's finest folks. The house furnishings featured a mix of two styles, Victorian and Arts and Crafts. The Arts and Crafts style is a simpler design style featuring natural materials, functional art, and handmade items. Marie lived in the house until 1942, after George had passed away in 1938. She moved to New Jersey, and the house was sold and converted into apartments. After years of abandonment and neglect, the house was refurbished and, in 1992, was listed on the Indiana Register of Historic Sites and Structures and the National Register of Historic Places. It is a beautifully furnished and well-appointed home that has clearly been treated with love and care. The Quilters Hall of Fame features four different collections each year. They are open Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and are closed during the winter. Admission is $7 for general admission and $6 for seniors, while children under 12 accompanied by an adult are admitted free. There is ample parking behind the building in a marked parking lot.

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