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The Hidden Messages in Quilts

with local quilter, Pam Chapman

Explore the hidden messages of quilts during the Underground Railroad Era with local quilter, Pam Chapman.

Registration required

Local quilter, Pam Chapman, will discuss the hidden messages of quilts during the Underground Railroad era, what the message each block in the quilt conveyed, and the myth/fact of the use of quilts by enslaved people pursuing freedom. 

Speaker's Bio

Pamela Chapman is a semi-retired registered nurse with a career spanning more than fifty years. Her most recent nursing practice was in Hospice Information Management. She is married and has two children. Her son, Kendrick, is in heaven, and her daughter, Ursula, lives in Kalamazoo.  She has two grandchildren; her grandson, Kendrick, is in heaven, and her granddaughter, Magnolia, is a first-grade student at Winchell Elementary. She also has a two-and-a-half-year-old great-granddaughter, Delialiah.

Pam started her quilting journey years ago with her mother, but she was never truly interested in the craft until 2015 when her daughter was pregnant with her first child (that’s how a lot of quilters get started).  Pam decided to make a baby quilt, and that’s when she discovered she had not been a very good student all those years ago.

Unfortunately, on February 24, 2015, the baby was born prematurely and subsequently died.  She finished that first quilt as best she could, and that baby, Ezekial James, became her muse. She taught herself to quilt and is still learning and exploring.  Pam says, “Some say, things happen for a reason, but I say things happen for a purpose.”'

Event Contact: Rachael Wiegmann

Location Details: Austin, Sugarloaf, and West Rooms are located on the lower level of the library.

Accommodations

All participants are welcome. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact us at rwiegmann@portagelibrary.info in advance of your visit.

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