In episode 29, Emmeline travels to her hometown to meet her quilting idol.
Emporia has changed since Emmeline was a child–it was a town that did a lot of growing in the ’20s and ’30s–and Emmeline has changed a lot, too. But you know what they say–you can take the girl out of Emporia, but you can’t take Emporia out of the girl. (Okay, they don’t actually say that, but it’s fun to pretend they do!)
Emmeline is in Emporia to meet her quilting idol, Rose Kretsinger. Kretsinger was a highly regarded quilter in her time, creating some of the most beautiful quilts of the early 20th century. For an in depth look at Kretsinger’s life and work, I highly recommend “The Aesthetic Life: The Story of Quiltmaker Rose Kretsinger” by Jonathan Gregory, a video of a lecture given at the International Quilt Study Center.
It’s Emmeline’s hope to meet with famous newsman William Allen White while she’s in Emporia. White is famous for calling Emporia the Athens of Kansas. He’s best known for being a Pulitizer prize-winning editorial writer. Here’s his house in the early 20th century:
I always love to write an Emmeline chapter, because I’m never sure what Emmeline is going to do. I hope you enjoy spending time with her in her old hometown!
