Rose Fraden can easily recall the day she first fell in love with quilts. She was visiting the Oakland Museum of California and came across a quilt exhibition. The stories and histories of the pieces immediately captured her interest — and her heart.
Fraden, now a resident of The Peninsula Regent, a life plan community in San Mateo, CA, went on to spend the next 40 years creating decorative quilts, inspired by her many travels across the United States and around the world. Her quilting hobby opened a whole new world of experiences for Fraden, inspiring her to become a charter member of the San Francisco Quilt Guild and to volunteer her time as a docent for the de Young Museum in San Francisco, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the California Academy of Sciences.
Last month, the 95-year-old master quilter’s designs were on display at the life plan community for residents and their guests to enjoy. The exhibit featured patterns influenced by trips to Arkansas, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Texas and India, among many other destinations. Fraden’s hope is that her work might inspire others to learn and enjoy the unique history of quilts.
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