One of the delights in my life is the family that has come to me in quilting. The work entailed in getting ready for our quilt show every two years is rewarded by the opportunity to spend three days with my closest friends. As with any family, reunions are treasured times together.
Sharing our quilts with non-quilters is important, too. We hope to educate people about the joys of quiltmaking, the processes involved in that endeavor, and the love that goes into every stitch. We always meet fellow quilt makers and want-to-be quilt makers and I never know which is more fun – talking with new friends who are already addicted, or sharing the fun with people who are just getting interested.
In between meeting and talking with new quilt friends, there is time to visit with fellow guild members. For me, one of the biggest pleasures at the quilt show is examining each others’ quilts and sharing details of the techniques involved. Just visiting. As I’ve heard Susie say before, “it’s OUR three-day party.” Though we see each other at meetings once a month, that’s only a couple of hours, and we are sometimes busy with, well, business.
But at the quilt show, the work has been done ahead of time. We spend one day hanging the quilts and setting up, then the two days of “the show” to admire our collective work and visit. On the evening after the quilts are hung, our spouses join us to see the display as we vote for our favorites.
The idea of reunion is continued here. Jim and Ted reconnected at our guild’s show in 2012, having not seen each other since Army days 40 years prior. Ted’s wife is a quilter, too, and seeing an announcement on Facebook about our show brought the guys together! Such fun we always have visiting with them!
The photos here are from past shows. Like the photos here, if you visit with us, you will see quilts of all colors and sizes, using varying techniques and fabrics. I hear that the total on display next week is 147 quilts.
This year, the show is March 9 and 10 at the Methodist Childrens’ Home in Macon. This is a new location for us, and oh, so appropriate, since every resident at that facility is given a handmade quilt as they are settling in. This tradition is nearly forty years old! Some of those quilts have been made by members of my guild and by members of other quilt guilds in Georgia. Stories of those quilts and the impact on the lives of the recipients can be found in a book entitled Patches of the Quilt.
If you live nearby, I hope you will join us. If you aren’t close enough to come to our guild’s show, I’ll bet there’s one near you. Spring is a popular time to schedule a quilt show!
The basket quilt you see at the top, and the closeup photo featured is by Alice Smith.
Earlier posts about quilt shows are here: https://sandygilreath.com/the-ribbon-maker/ and here: https://sandygilreath.com/my-new-friend-janet/ and here: https://sandygilreath.com/deadlines-are-good/.
Love Alice’s bright basket quilt! I have a quilt going to Paducah this year–first time!
Congratulations! Are you headed to see it hanging there?