Quilts and Carvings at the Fogo Island Artisans’ Guild

Just beside the turnoff to the Fogo Island Inn stands Wind and Waves, the 
artisans’ guild on the island. The structure serves two purposes — to provide work 
space, especially for the active quilting circle, whose pieces adorn every bed at the inn; and as a retail outlet for artists and craftspeople. In addition to the quilts, which fetch handsome prices, we found ourselves browsing among an array of paintings, prints, handcarved Christmas ornaments, runners, napkins, decoys, bird carvings and little wind-catchers. The kaleidoscopic array of knitwear caught my fancy, and I am looking forward to using the mittens and wool socks I purchased as a souvenir of our Fogo visit. We also came away with several prints of island vignettes done in a naïve Grandma Moses-style by Barry Penton. The inventiveness and variety of the offerings are extremely impressive and make this a mandatory stop on a Fogo visit.