A quilt trip to the Ford House
launches new memories for guests

Since Kathleen Mullins took over as president of the Edsel and Eleanor Ford House in the Shores, the lovely 87-acre site has been abuzz with new activities, a new mission statement and a new strategic plan.

All were evident in the latest show at the activities center, where a talented calligrapher and an amazing quilting artist have combined their works. The exhibit kicked off with a reception for the two artists — Suzanne Marshall and Eleanor Winters — and drew quilters and quilting fans from across the metro area.

They call the show “Pieced Together — Inspirations in Collages and Quilts,” and it is free and open to the public Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Wayne State professors, city officials, retired newspaper executives, attorneys and others mingled during the opening reception, while Mullins jokingly worried that someone might baptize the new carpet with red wine.

This was not your grandmother’s quilt show.  Marshall gathers her ideas on her world travels and creates wall-sized, colorful hangings reminiscent of the countries and sights she has seen. Winters creates small-scale works of paper and calligraphy inspired by quilt designs and stained-glass windows in cathedrals. Magnifying glasses are hung handily next to her works so patrons can examine the detail close-up.

A recent survey of southeast Michigan visitors found that the Cotswold-style home and grounds where Edsel and Eleanor Ford lived is one of the top tourist attractions in the state. That’s where the “American Treasure” label comes in.

One of the changes in the works is to convert the traditional Tea Room into the Cotswold Café. The menu features some of Eleanor Ford’s favorite foods, which she used to order when shopping at Hudson’s downtown. Items like Surf & Turf Potato Skins, Gratin de Macaroni du Jour and the Hudson’s classic Maurice salad caught my eye on the new menu.

When the estate turned 80 at the end of last year, Mullins was quoted in the media as saying: “We have 80 years of memories [here], and we’re asking people to create their own memories.”

While I have visited the Ford House on a number of occasions, my favorite memory belonged to my dad, who repeatedly told the tale of an adventure one stormy day on Lake St. Clair. A friend, whom he always called “The Dutchman,” had built a rowboat and the pair set out from the Metro Beach area to do some perch fishing and test the boat. A fierce wind blew up and no matter how hard the pair rowed they got pushed south in the lake, with the waves getting larger and larger.

They finally made landfall at Gawkler Point where Edsel Ford himself saw that they were in distress and helped them secure the craft. He then had an employee drive the pair of would-be fishermen back to the launch site. The Dutchman retrieved his boat the next day. I don’t think my dad ever went fishing with the Dutchman again, but he always remembered the auto scion’s kindness.
 

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