‘Throughout history, sexuality, politics, societal behavior, religion, gender and love have been concealed, controlled and corrupted by a small piece of cloth, sometimes plain, sometimes embellished, always significant.” That statement refers to aprons, the subject of “Behind the Apron,” an event organized by weaver Kate Henry of Southwest Harbor and writer Cynthia Thayer of Gouldsboro. The event, which will take place at 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 4, at Hammond Hall in Winter Harbor, will feature dance, music, theater, skits and new media, all using the humble apron as a catalyst. Admission to the show is $10 at the door.

The idea, Kate Henry said, grew out of a retreat held February 2006 for the Wednesday Spinners, a Down East fiber arts organization. At that retreat, Henry staged a fashion show of the aprons she collects. “Everyone was excited about it,” Henry said. The oldest apron in Henry’s collection is from the mid-1800s. The newest is from the 1980s.

At the retreat, conversations about the significance of aprons in the continuum of women’s history sprang up, leading Henry and Thayer to pool their energy and come up with the concept for “Behind the Apron.”

In conjunction with the show is the “Behind the Apron” exhibit, which features aprons from Henry’s collection and apron-themed art. The apron is exhibit is open through May at Hammond Hall in Winter Harbor. Admission is free.

“This is a two-year project,” Henry said. “We hope something else will grow out of this – a book or film, perhaps.” The book might be a compilation of apron writings, or the film might be a documentary, Henry said.

Down East Maine artists, photographers, storytellers, historians, graphic designers, lighting technicians, sound technicians, fashion models, seamstresses, publicity people, fundraisers, underwriters, filmmakers and cooks are being sought to take part in the “Behind the Apron” project.

Information is available at www.behindtheapron.com.

The work of area fabric artists Priscilla Hoekstra of Etna, Amy Nichols and Alison Olds of Jackson and Annette Houston of Newport will be on display May 3 to July 8 at the Saco Museum, 371 Main St., Saco. Their work will be in the show “Wrinkles in Time: Historic Quilts to Art Quilts and Needlework.” The Art Quilts Maine Chapter of the Pine Tree Quilters Guild organized the show. It will feature members’ design variations based on the log cabin pattern.

A previous group challenge, quilts using the New York Beauty pattern, also will be featured. In addition, members will show two or three more of their original pieces, Houston said.

The public is invited to view the quilts during museum hours and to attend the opening celebration and reception 5:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 3. The reception is free.

Museum hours are noon-4 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday; noon-8 p.m. Thursday. After June 1, the museum also is open noon-4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $4, $3 students and seniors, $2 children age 6 to 17, free for children under 6.

The Saco Museum and Art Quilts Maine are the sponsors of the exhibit. Art Quilts Maine is a guild of Maine fabric artists that meets every other month in Augusta.

For information, call Annette Houston, 368-2443, visit www.dyerlibrarysacomuseum.org or call 283-3861.

Snippets

To read an article about online pattern piracy, visit The Caron Collection Web site http://www.fuzzycrawler.com/nov00files/nov00fea.html.

To find free instructions for a periwinkle pincushion design, visit www.windflower.com and click on “free design.”

Sharon Schulberger of the March of Dimes reports that the neonatal intensive care unit at Maine Medical Center in Portland has formed a knitting group, the Knit Wit club, which met for the first time Feb. 27. Mothers of premature babies learned to make caps for their infants. To learn more about the March of Dimes and its efforts to raise awareness about premature babies, visit www.marchofdimes.com or www.walkamerica.org.

Call Ardeana Hamlin at 990-8153, or e-mail ahamlin@bangordailynews.net.