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Quilt Show Coverage
by Corey Dunn (May 3, 2001)
From Alaska to the United Kingdom, quilters made their way to Paducah, KY to show off their best work at the 17th Annual AQS Quilt Show and Contest. Total prizes for this years contest were over $100,000. While 915 pieces were entered into the competition, only 400 contestants even made it to the finals.
"Best of Show" was awarded to Zena Thorpe of Chatsworth, CA. Her quilt, entitled Kells: Magnus Opus, won $18,000 from Hancock's of Paducah. Due to a previous family commitment, Zena was unable to attend the award ceremony or any other part of this years show.
"The Timeless Treasures Hand Workmanship Award" was given to Keiko Miyauchi of Nagano, Japan. Her quilt entitled Blue Earth Filled with Water and Flowers won Keiko $12,000.
"The Berina Machine Workmanship Award", another $12,000 prize, was awarded to Vickie Hallmark of for her quilt, entitled Enlightenment.
Winning these prizes requires much more than just creating a beautiful quilt. Entrants must send slides of their quilt to a board of jurors. The jurors carefully examine each slide and place the quilts into one of 15 catagories used in the show. This allows quilts to be judged only against other quilts made in the same style or by quilters at a similar level of activity. The categories range from Applique Amateur to Group Wall Amateur or Professional. Then, the judges spend several hours examining each quilt and writing a brief summary on it's attributes.
I had a chance to talk to one of the many winners. Barbara Perrin from Michigan won two ribbons this year: third place in Applique Amateur and first place in Traditional Pieced. Barbara said she enjoys making quilts for her three children Lester, James, and Rick. Making quilts is a very personal thing to her. None of her quilts are sold, as she does not make them for profit. She started quilting as a hobby to make inexpensive presents for people during the holiday seasons. Six years later, she is finally receiving the recognition that she deserves. Barbara says that Harriet Hargrove, pioneer in Machine Quilting, was her biggest influence for making quilts.
As I sat down to catch my thoughts, I started talking to a wonderful woman about the events that were taking place. It just so happens that this was my lucky day. I had sat down next to Hallie O'Kelly from Tuskaloosa, AL. Hallie has been is the quilting circuit for 15 years. She has won a total of 5 titles in her career. She has won a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place awards, and has achieved 2 honorable mentions at the shows. For 20 years, Hallie has been making quilts for sell in her home town, and has been saving the best for the competition in hopes of another 1st place award to place on her mantle.
The Executive Inn was not the only place to be during The Quilt Show. Area merchants dressed up their windows for the event, and quilts were displayed as far as the eye could see from 2nd street to Kentucky Oaks Mall. Local Churches and charitable organizations served dinner to the quilters, and some area shops kept their doors open for extended hours during the show. As always, The National Quilt Museum had it's doors open to show the world the best quilts ever made. Vendors were set up all over town, giving the area along 2nd St. and Kentucky Ave. an old fashioned farmer's market feel.
As I made my way through the crowd, I noticed many different people from all over the world. From ages 16 to 96, quilting seems to bring pleasure to all. I gathered from the people that I had a chance to talk to that quilting is more than just something to do while watching the evening news. Quilting is a way to bring families together, to carry on memories, as well as to make new ones. A quilt is something that is created to last a lifetime, just as the love that goes into each and every stitch.
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Paducah
By: Mary Surbrook - 2003-06-28
This was my first time to the show in Paducah. It was a blast.
My friends and I stayed in Metropolis at the Holiday Inn Express. They were great host. We felt at home even in the evening sitting in the lobby with other guest.
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