Paul D. Pilgrim, collector and quiltmaker, brought together old forgotten quilt blocks with new contemporary blocks in his quilts. is collection was donated to the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, Kentucky.

Paul Pilgrim, Oakland, CA, who died of cancer in November 1996, together with Gerald E. Roy, played an important role in the development of The National Quilt Museum in Paducah, Kentucky. Pilgrim/Roy assisted with the interior design of the building, loaned many beautiful quilts from their extensive antique collection and assisted with the exhibit design for many important museum exhibits.

In partnership for 33 years with Gerald E. Roy in Pilgrim Roy Antiques & Interiors (San Francisco and Oakland), Pilgrim developed one of the foremost collections of antique quilts in the country. As they traveled around the country purchasing quilts and other antiques for their business and their own collection, Pilgrim found he just couldn't leave behind many of the stacks of “orphan blocks” he found in shops--the quilt blocks that had been completed but had never found their way into any quilt.

Among his many other talents, Pilgrim was a quiltmaker. He began making the “orphan blocks” he acquired into quilts, coming up with some wild and wonderful combinations of new and old.

Exhibit curator Gerald E. Roy comments on his partner's quiltmaking: “After completing a quilt from blocks left by his grandmother, he stretched the custom of using inherited pieces to include many unfinished projects from former unrelated generations. Convinced he was not only preserving by completion, but celebrating the efforts of anonymous quiltmakers from the past, he began incorporating antique blocks and fabrics into his own work.  Before Paul died, I asked him what he wanted me to do with his quilts. He said they were mine and I could do whatever I wanted. I asked him if it was all right to have them go to the Museum. He said if they wanted them that would be fine. I had already approached [then] Director Victoria Faoro and knew that the Museum was interested.  After Paul’s death the quilts were shipped so they could be unveiled at his memorial service that took place at the Museum.”
 
This group of 29 quilts became an exhibition titled Blending the Old & the New: Quilts by Paul D. Pilgrim. The exhibit is made up of quilts from the Museum’s collection, and is available for traveling to museums around the country.

Quilt blocks from the 19th and 20th centuries are found in the fascinating quilts of this exhibit. A sampler quilt boldly combines contemporary fabrics with a wide range of c.1860-1880 blocks Paul had collected over a five-year period in Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Kentucky. Text with each quilt in the exhibit indicates the source and dates of various blocks and fabrics, as well as information about Paul's inspiration and thoughts on the design. With their labeling, these quilts become a wonderful compendium of textile and block design history. Through his quilts Pilgrim’s humor, artistry and his great love for antiques can be enjoyed for many years to come.