For the vast majority of the public, the Summer Olympic Games come around every four years. I can’t even imagine what the athletes, coaches and families go through for the years leading up to the Olympics.
For two weeks I am glued to my television. Now is the time all those extra cable channels come in handy. I watch swimming on one channel, judo on another, the equestrian events on yet another. Regular shows get recorded for another time. I’m cheering for my favorites, gasping at the photo finishes, empathizing with the near-misses for the gold medal and sweet victory. I sing along when they play our national anthem, and tear up with the athletes who just missed the podium.
A friend asked me the other day if there was a quilting event at the Olympics. There isn’t, but we don’t need one! I informed him that we have many shows worldwide that could qualify. International Quilt Festival/Houston, AQS Quilt Show/Paducah, Quilt Nihon Exhibition (held biannually), The Festival of Quilts, Austrian Quilt Exhibition, Quilt Odyssey, Pacific International Quilt Festival, Australasian Quilt Convention, Tokyo International Quilt Festival. I can’t possibly name them all.
The same emotions happen to me at quilt shows, minus the rampant patriotism. I marvel at the dedication and time it takes to complete a contest quilt. The planning, faith and execution. The skills, indeed, the blood, sweat and yes, the occasional tears as the quiltmaker works to complete their vision, striving towards perfection, and possibly the realization of a dream. “Best in Show!”
Quilters Newsletter is honored to feature award-winning quilts from various shows. Breathtaking quilts such as Sherri Reynolds America, Let It Shine, Kathy K. Wylie’s Flourish on the Vine, or Rita Verroca’s Album of Roses, just to name a few.
Where is your Olympics of Quilting? Where do you go to see the gold medalists, the super achievers, the quilts that make you gasp when you look at them? Just the same as the athletes of the world, the quilters of the world are out there, needles flying, machines humming, all preparing, working and dreaming about the next great show.
We are very lucky here in New England. We start with the Machine Quillts Expo East. Then the Vermont Quilt Festival, Maine Quilts and the Lowell Quilt Festival. Then the World Quiltfest and finally A Quilters Gathering. And there are wonderful guild shows sprinkled throughout the year. So much inspiration!
Today I was invited to an elderly lady’s home to “take a look at some quilts” along with a snack of cake and coffee. Mrs. H. has quilts that are handmade by her mother, grandmother and great-grandmother!! I was speechless as she began showing me more than 50 quilts. Then she invited me back to “see the rest another day”!!!!!!!! It was fantastic to see her “family tradition” and was indeed worth missing a few hours of the Olympics.