Colonial Ladies - Log Cabin - Autumn Splendor
October 2010 was the 30th annual Montgomery Country Extension
Homemakers Council Quilt Show, part of the "QUILTZ, QUARTZ & CRAFTZ FESTIVAL".
The quilt show Oct. 14-16, 2011 at the Mt. Ida Fairground and the
2011 raffle quilt Birds of a Feather. 2012 quilts. "Christmas Cheer" was the
2010 Christmas Donation
quilt. This quilt was made entirely by local EHC ladies and hand quilted by
local members of the EHC to make money for their club activities and local
community projects, this quilt show is the biggest fund raiser for the county EH
clubs. There was also a section in the Quilt Show "Christmas in
October", quilts for sale, and the EH Country Store. The EH ladies make
articles, e.g. quilted bear claw table runners for $3, quilted
Ohio Star
block pot holders for $1, hand sewn "red hat"
refrigerator magnets, potpourri dishes that look like an apple pie with a
lattice top hand sewn etc. to be sold in the store and the money raised goes to
the local EH clubs so the ladies can have a retreat or entrance fees paid for
special events, etc. The Show is always a success with many EH members donating
there time to hang the quilts and manning the booths and entering their quilts
highlighting a century of local talent, a craft that is handed down
"That's how we learnt, wasn't it, from Mom." .
The quality is always high. No cheater quilts - (whole cloth quilt - the quilt
top is made of one piece of fabric, often muslin with a quilting design printed
on it, after quilting, you wash the quilt and the marked design lines
disappear.) Some of these quilters teach quilting at local colleges. Many have
has their work accepted at juried shows across the country. But most are
passionate quilters who are very modest about their talent and skills. These
quilters and their quilts could compete with any worldwide. Plastic gloves were supplied if
you wanted to touch the quilts. There was also another building with booths -
crafts, crystals, embroidery, jellies, honey, pottery and more.
The MCEH Council and affiliated clubs and activities provide a wonderful opportunity to meet people, improve family life, develop leadership skills and take part in the community. There are also EHC Project groups e.g. "Stitchin Friends", and 'Quilting Friends", "Yarn Workers", Scrapbooking" "Strong Women" a exercise programme. The Arts and Education building at the County Fair is managed by EHC members during show week checking in and setting up the exhibits. The Montgomery County Food Pantry is also affiliated with the EHC and many members volunteer their time. The quilting clubs in the county meet one day a week on Monday, Tuesday and sometimes Thursday.
"QUILTZ, QUARTZ & CRAFTZ FESTIVAL"
Montgomery Country Extension Homemakers Council Quilt Show
Circle one;
K-Q-double-twin-crib-wall
Circle all that apply:
hand quilted -machine quilted
hand pieced - machine pieced
hand appliquéd - machine appliquéd
Quilt # .....
Quilt Pattern Name ........
Top made by ......... Year ....
Quilted by .......... Year ....
Quilt Owner .........
Source if not made by owner: gift, family heirloom, purchase, etc.
At quilt shows look at the different designs
and fabrics people use and share ideas with other quilters.
Peoples Choice
Colonial Ladies. The blocks repeated over the whole quilt
top, each of which contained an identical appliquéd figure in profile
embellished with embroidery. This photo does not do it justice nor did the one photo in the
Montgomery County News. It stood out, it is a beautiful quilt. Each
bouquet of flowers and ribbon was a different colour.
There was a quilted butterfly on the cornerstones. The visitors to the show were given a pink slip of paper where you wrote your
favourite quilt number and the home town where you are from. My sister-in-law
voted for this one.
Hand quilted -hand appliquéd - machine
pieced in 2010.
Civil War Quilt
This quilt was made by Mrs Martha Trammell, the sister of Bill Sims' great
grandfather. It was pieced before the Civil War in Arkansas. During the war it
was buried in a chest. After the war it was carried to Kentucky, on horseback,
by Mrs Trammell and quilted. The quilt was given to her younger sister who gave
it to her daughter who passed it on at her death to Bill's mother. It was later
given to Bill. As you can see this quilt has stayed in the family through four
generations and will be passed on to the next generation.
Label those quilts!
Usually there was not always much documentation on a quilt and quilts
disintegrated after years of use and washings especially baby quilts. The
majority of the quilts I am familiar with are not labeled so is was a pleasant
surprise to see the many of the quilts were labeled on the back side usually
with embroidered or cross stitched labels with the name of the maker and pattern, dated,
sometimes the address of the owner and the inspiration for the quilt so this
looks like a growing trend. Make it clear if the name on the quilt is the
maker's name or who the quilt is for. Same with numbers -was it the year made or
the number of quilts made by that person or the age of the quilt maker. It is
not to late to label a quilt. Attach a label to the backing BEFORE you quilt so
it cannot be removed. There are many ways to label a quilt and now days with a
digital camera it is easy to create a portfolio before you give the quilt away
to a grandchild. The extra time it takes to run such a test will pay off in
years of durability. A ink pen needs to be color fast, fine point, permanent ink
and made for fabric. Include the occasion the quilt was made for. Wait 24 hours
for the ink to set, then wash the sample. Practice writing. Add a verse to
a quilt label. - handmade with love
A quilt sewn together
with utmost care
quilted with love
is a treasure to share.
"You don't buy a wedding present for someone
you quilt something."
Handkerchief quilt. Made by B S., Mount Ida, A.R. 2003. Many of the handkerchiefs were gifts from students when B. taught at Iowa Rural Schools 1938-1942.
Upcycle:
someone will take something, say a doily their grandmother crocheted, and turn
it into an evening purse or appliqué doilies onto quilt blocks, or a solid
pillowcase, frame in a shadow box, etc.
Quilts of Valor
Made by "Stichin Friends"
Quilts of Valor are made nationally by quilting groups and individuals. These
quilts are given to veterans who have served our country. The "Stichin Friends"
EHC has joined in this project and these three quilts that are displayed are to be
donated locally to honour these veterans. A serviceman who died in 2010 said "Care for others
more than yourself. Love nature. Help people. Do not waste anytime. " His motto
was "Find what you love and put everything into it." Believe in your dreams.
"We do community things as well. It's part of
what we do."
Helping Hands for quilts of valour. At the quilt show there were packets to pick up which make one block. The instructions were included. When these blocks are returned to Stichin' Friends EHC they sew them together into quilts. They are also glad to accept monetary donations to help defray the cost of purchasing fabric and batting or any donations of 100% cotton fabric in patriotic colors, solid or printed. Donations can be left at the extension office in the Montgomery County Annex or mailed to the office at P.O. Box 430, Mount Ida, AR 71957. These blocks are not part of the their annual donation quilt.
Wall Hanging
There were also quilted wall hangings. This large wall hanging quilt was named
"Feathered Flowers." To hang a quilt on the wall, a sleeve can be sewn
on the back by hand
or by machine
to hang it on a curtain rod or dowel.
Good for hanging the quilt up in a quilt show.
Antique Quilt
There was one antique quilt in the show - made in the 1930s with a scalloped
border, Grandmother's flower garden, quilter unknown, hand quilted, and now owned
by an energetic lady from Pine Ridge. I voted for this quilt. It is in great
condition for a eighty year old quilt.
Arkansas Online
Quilt show rich with tradition by Wayne Bryan
There is just something special about
quilts. They can be embraced for comfort on a cold winter night; they are family
heirlooms handed down through generations; they can be pieced together from old
clothes and patches of cloth that bring back family memories. Quilts are also
art. A quilt is a masterpiece of craftsmanship that can bring together all the
different needle-craft techniques, combined with an eye for color and design —
all put together like a jigsaw puzzle with a quilter’s patience that surpasses
my understanding. My mother and grandmother, often joined by some of my aunts,
would suspend the quilt frame from the ceiling of my grandmother’s living room,
and the women would combine backing cloth with layers of cotton batting, then
overlay them with one of my grandmother’s quilt tops. Somehow her work, made
totally from scraps of cloth left from curtains, shirts and once from my
childhood pajamas, would come together in interesting designs with names like “Steppin’
’round the Mountain,” “Double Wedding Ring” and “Star of Alabama.”
I know these kinds of memories are common, because the appreciation for quilts
and the special exhibitions that celebrate them are all around us. At fairs and
craft festivals, quilts are always one of the most visited displays. Each year,
one of the state’s largest and most prestigious quilt shows is the one in Mount
Ida conducted by the Montgomery County Extension Service Homemakers Council.
About 150 quilts will be on display, said Katherine Stucker, the go-to person
for information about the event and about quilts in general. She calls the event
a people’s show, because the show is not a judged one. The idea is to promote
quilts, get more people involved in the craft and show off the work of
generations of quilters. Stucker said the quilts on display will range from
heirloom quilts to some that quilters are rushing to finish before time to turn
them in for the show on Thursday morning, Oct. 7. Many of the quilts made today
are actually quilted by machines that can perform intricate designs with
perfection. Stucker said the machines help make beautiful quilts quickly and
easily, but she still prefers the old way of quilting by hand. The Mount Ida
show includes a quilting bee, where those interested can learn techniques using
the latest technology and gadgets, as well as age-old ways to quilt in patterns
or outline each piece. The quilt show is part of the Mountain Ida, Quartz,
Quiltz and Craftz festival at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds that opens
Friday, Oct. 8, and goes through Sunday, Oct. 10. This article was published
September 30, 2010
TEXT on TEXTILES
Text was found in the EH signature quilt, the crib quilts, the Christmas quilts,
a double Christmas Friendship quilt hand quilted and machine pieced by the Quilt
N Chat Club in 2002, an State quilt along with a map and of course on the back on
the labels. Some quilts have appeared in the Show previous years. The baby
quilts had text.
Christmas Quilts
There was a section featuring Christmas
quilts "Christmas in October" to bring attention to the EH donation quilt
"Christmas Cheer".
Quilts for Sale.
There was even an entire row of quilts for sale from $108
to $600 including this machine quilted -machine appliquéd Sunbonnet Sue quilt
with a solid white background and framed in a yellow floral sashing. The blocks
repeated over the whole quilt top, each of which contained an identical
appliquéd figure in profile.
'God Bless America raffle quilt at the 32nd annual EHC quilt show in 2014. Over 100 beautiful handmade quilts were displayed at the weekend at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds. All the funds raised by the quilt raffle and sales from the EHC Country Store go towards the many community service events conducted by the Montgomery County EHC. "operation Santa Claus", improvements to the Billie Crain Building at the fairgrounds, School Supplies project, leader training and much more. The Ila Moore quilt Flower Basket was quilted by the Quilt N' Chat group.
Montgomery Co. ARGenWeb Project
Museum quilts
Quilts
- Christmas Balls - So Many Baskets - Summer Nights &
Northern Lights
Quilts - 2015
Extension Service Agents.
Amy Monk -13 years to Sept. 2023.
Kaylee Black. Oct. 2023.
