A vibrant quilted work of royal blue, gold, and white fabrics with gold embroidered lettering on display catches one’s attention when walking into Friends Two, a crafts boutique in downtown Warrenton on a Wednesday afternoon.

It’s the Warren County Training School-North Warren High School (WCTS-NWHS) commemorative quilt.

Composed of 49 blocks, each detailing a notable fact about or a black and white photograph featuring the school, the quilt stands as an artistic narrative framing the institution’s 100 year history.

Martina Williams, who attended the school, eagerly shared further insight about each block and Warren County history to media and customers who visited the shop for a cool reprieve from the heat in the form of lemonade, but were immediately drawn to the woven artwork.

A historical tidbit that tickled Williams happened almost a century ago on May 30, 1922. Records show that the School Board signed a contract for construction of a 6-room wooden building with $8,500. Exactly one month later, the construction was completed. “That wouldn’t happen today,” Williams quipped.

Close-up of quilt (: Crystal Myrick/Warrenist)

HOW A QUILT IS MADE
The quilt was no solo effort. A project of this magnitude required the expertise and creative vision of the right talents.

The WCTS-NWHS alumni immediately went to work determining which historic milestone deserved its own space. The alumni association commissioned Jereann King Johnson of the Heritage Quilters for guidance and to design the layout. Once the blocks were complete, Johnson proceeded to machine piece them together.

Next, Sherry Newton of Sherry’s Sew What embroidered the school name and message along the top of the quilt, followed by Betty Rollinson and Deborah Robertson of Friends Two putting on the finishing touches by quilting the three layers together.

And the results, a stunning representation of the educational institution’s timeline.

(l-r) Jereann King Johnson, Deborah Robertson, Betty Rollinson, Martina Williams (: Crystal Myrick/Warrenist)

Williams expressed her gratitude for the women’s hard work and dedication to completing the quilt. She hopes that it can be displayed in various locations throughout the county such as the Warren County Community Center, the Warren County Schools Central Office, and the Warren County Memorial Library. Her latter choice came to fruition this past weekend when it was on display in the library lobby during a Liberating Futures program.

During Memorial Day weekend, the school alumni will gather for Friday and Saturday evening events to celebrate the centennial. Along with catching up and chatting about yesteryear, they now have a new conversation piece that can carry on the school’s rich legacy.

Take a look at the Warren County Training School-North Warren High School (WCTS-NWHS) commemorative quilt below:

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In celebration of Black History Month 2022, Frontier Warren in collaboration with Warren Artist Market (WAM) is hosting a Black Art Show at the Art Frontier Gallery at Frontier Warren on Friday, February 25th and Saturday, February 26th. This event is sponsored by The Warrenist and Trinity Source.

The show will feature the work of three local artists:

THOMAS PARK (mixed media)
DEBRA EVANS TAYLOR (acrylic paintings)
WHEELER SMITH (acrylic paintings)

Selected works of Rashaun Rucker and the late J.A. Person will also be on display, some of which will be for sale as a fundraiser for the Warren Artist Market, a dynamic group that hosts a regular poetry event on First Fridays at Frontier Warren.

There will be a reception where attendees can meet and greet the artists on Friday, February 25th from 6-8 pm, and the show will continue Saturday, February 26th from 11 am to 4 pm.

During the Friday reception, wine will be available by donation. Refreshments will be provided by our generous sponsors.

Frontier Warren Co-working Space is located at 140 South Main Street in Warrenton, NC.

Source: Frontier Warren press release

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