Stitches and surprises at Rose House Fibrefest

Visitors to Fiberfest at Rose House Museum in Waupoos on Saturday celebrated wool, busy hands and the art of quilting.

Prince Edward Quilting Guild founding member Joan O’Neil, and retired member Betty Cronk answered questions from the public while they quilted on the museum porch. Betty, left, was completing a “cheater” baby quilt while Betty was hand-piecing a table top Grandma’s Flower Garden, and stars.

Inside the museum, student assistants Kirstie Ross, left, and Emily Barber, right, learned about the history of an “overshot cover”  from textile expert Anne Adams. She noted these covers, circa 1920s and 30s, were often made using wool from the home, but were often taken to professional weavers, usually men at that time. The covers are still fairly common, she notes, because they were completed by professionals.

Anne Adams, also an embroidery historian, operated the Thistledown store in Picton for many years, until it closed in 1998.  Here she examines a cotton and wool quilt made in 1887 from scraps of clothing. The quilt was made by A.C. Werden’s granddaughters – two who enjoyed the craft, and two who were said to be “tomboyish” and had to be convinced to learn. The quilt was donated by Mrs. Dodds, granddaughter of one of the gals forced to learn to quilt.

Jocelyn Matthewman shows Rose House curator Diane Denyes-Wenn some quilts made by the PEC Quilters’ Guild members from the late Connie Sirot’s fabric stash and donated to Hospice Prince Edward for use as comfort quilts.

Adams also shared some of her knowledge of some “tatting” belonging to the Rose family with Sandra Branscombe and Susan Rose. Branscombe’s dad, George Nelson Rose, was the last Rose to be born at Rose House, in 1924.

Susan notes a recent surprise, learning the long-time history of the Rose family may be officially changing following research completed recently by historian Phil Ainsworth.

New information, she says, may unveil nine generations on the farm instead of the seven known until now.

“We always assumed that Peter Rose was first, but have found now that his father,
Peter Rose Sr. and his father Samuel Rose also owned this farm. We have a
deed transferring land from Peter Sr to Peter Jr., some 45 years after the
fact.”

Also newly learned, is that land ownership of Samuel Rose and the family was not German, but of Quaker descent, and living amongst the Hessians. Fact is that Samuel Rose was enlisted, which was against Quakers’ ways. He did not fight but did other jobs within the forces of McDougall’s regiment,” she said.

“This is blowing us all away, as we have always assumed the previous story and we might have been telling our history here in the County all wrong,” she laughs, adding that it’s not entirely incorrect as  Christina Rose was of German descent being born a Bongard…Bongardt.”

Ainsworth is expected to unveil the entire story in a coming County Magazine article.

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