We were amazed by the story that Marie Hall shared on our 200th Anniversary website. She created a beautiful quilt that told the story of how her family history and Coats & Clark’s history were intertwined. We asked her for more details and, of course, pictures, which she was kind enough to share. Here is her story: The Coats & Clark 200 year anniversary magazine ad led me to reflect on my family’s long tradition with Coats & Clark. When I saw the ads about the 200th anniversary, my first thought was to contact your website and share the old photographs of Coats and Clark family members from my grandparents’ photo album. That would have taken a few minutes. Then came the idea of a commemorative quilt. That took much longer! As generations of handworkers (four generations), we have all used Coats & Clark thread, crochet cotton, tatting thread and Clark’s embroidery floss on innumerable projects. I am still using some of the embroidery floss that my grandmother started me out with when I was a youngster. In the 1880’s, my great-grandparents worked in a Paisley thread mill and their 1888 marriage certificate listed them both as “thread mill workers”. When they came to Canada twenty years later they brought with them an album of family photos – with one page that was different. This page was filled with pictures of Paisley town dignitaries: the mayor, the treasurer, and six pictures of members of the Coats & Clark families! Using this personal resource, and the Internet, including www.coatsandclark200years.com, plus a 1950 booklet about the town of Paisley, I’ve had the fun of creating a wall quilt. Photoshop printed sepia prints, the 1888 marriage certificate, and a map of Paisley are combined in journal entry format on a crazy quilt background. This commemorative quilt is a tribute to both my family and Coats & Clark. I have always loved to sew and have become an avid quilter. Every quilt, whether traditional, pictorial or contemporary has been an adventure. There’s always somethingto learn and this piece was no different. Making the quilt was great fun and a big excuse to spend a few weeks sewing. Fortunately I am retired and have a very supportive husband and spend as much time as I want at my craft. Thanks so much Marie. Here are some of our founders’ pictures from the album:
