Williamsport- A ‘Holiday Jewel Box At a County Gem: Quilts, Silver and Jade at the Taber’ is the theme of this year’s holiday display at the Thomas T. Taber Museum of the Lycoming County Historical Society. The exhibit opened on Friday, December 4. The Community Room of the museum shines and sparkles with the shimmering beauty of silver, the exotic splendor of jade, and the remarkably -intricate blending of fabric and lace in Wendy Etzel’s award-winning quilts. The quilts feature depictions of some of the homes on Millionaires’ Row as well as quilts that embrace the Christmas and winter celebrations, many of them incorporating the traditional colors of red and green.
Wendy Etzel was captivated by the wonderful old mansions that dominated the area. An afternoon quilting class ignited the spark that has guided Wendy these past 45 years. As a professional quilting teacher she has conducted classes across the USA, and has crossed the borders into Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. In 1994 her first book, Houses of Cloth, featuring several of Williamsport's historic homes was chosen as the best new book at the Houston Quilt Market. Continuing as an author with a love of architecture, Log by Log featured primitive, folk-like log cabins that were a featured episode on HGTV. Fabric furniture with shelves became the focus in The Collectibles Quilt and lastly The Kite Revue , a return to more traditional design. The quilts will be enhanced with a stunning collection of silver and jade from the Eccles Hall Collection.
The silver will include a sugar sifter in its original presentation box and with documentation that it once belonged to Queen Victoria, English hallmarked hot water urns which are fully two foot tall, four-armed candelabrum, an example of Egyptian silver depicting desert life with a Palm Tree and camel, a silver depiction of ‘The Thinker’ by Rodin, teapots and a number of exotic serving pieces. The silver on display will feature objects from the United States, England, Scotland, Mexico, Egypt and Russia. The jade will feature the traditional green jade, but also examples of white, Peach Blossom, and Mutton fat jade. The exhibit will continue until Saturday, February 27 during normal touring hours, which are Tuesdays through Fridays, 9:30am until 4:00pm and Saturdays, 11:00am until 4:00pm.