Great-grandma’s craft shop
Canandaigua, N.Y. – It’s an unusual shop in downtown Canandaigua, filled with primitive folk art from a bygone era. This craft and gift consignment shop is brimming with wares adorned with stars, moons, crows and hearts — a rougher make-do type of artistry.
“Recycling is not new,” said Suzanne Moulton, owner of Liberty Cottage, as she began to explain the utilitarian origins of primitive folk art. In years past, people recycled everything. They would reuse the good parts of worn-out clothing, often made of wool.
She still has quilts that her great-grandmother and great-great-grandmother made from pieces of dresses and some of their husbands’ ties. “My mom recognized pieces of the quilts from various garments that had been made for different members of the family,” said Moulton.
Moulton carries primitive folk art kits for customers to try their own hands at it. She has a large selection of hand-dyed wool and wool yarn spun from locally raised sheep to make punch rugs or bind hooked rugs.
“A lot of people just stop in for the patterns. I have thousands,” said Moulton. “And books,” she added.
