Quilt Shows are Back

After two years of a pandemic, our quilt show here in Tyler , Texas came back.  And it was wonderful. 

 We had quilts, we had vendors and we had lots of visitors.  We have our quilt show to coincide with the yearly Azaleas blooming.  Because of the colder than normal start of the year, our Azaleas were still in hiding but the quilts in the Auditorium of the church where we meet were not.   I don’t know if our members were especially creative while social distancing these past years or if it is just that I haven’t been to a quilt show in a while, but this show was especially beautiful.  

 We had traditional quilts, modern quilts, quilts with designs inspired by other cultures.  There were art quilts and pictorial quilts (due to copyright laws I can’t post any pictures.).  You name a style of quilt and we probably had it.

 And while the quilts were wonderful, it was being around like minded people that made me smile.  I spent much of the two days of the show demoing yoyos;  how to make them and what to do with them.  I like doing this because I get to share this style of quilting which I enjoy but I also get to hear stories of our visitors’ memories of yoyos. The stories are fun to hear but seeing the smiles associated with those memories are nice to see after these past 2 years of no quilts shows and due to masks very few smiles.

I would probably still be quilting even If I had no guild but I realized after the quilt show that being with our quilters is what my soul needed most.  To be with others who understand quilting and fiber arts language, who appreciate what goes into a quilt and the skill in making award winning quilts is such a wonderful sense of community. 

As I wandered around just looking at the quilts, I hear what others think which gives me a new perspective.  I learn what other people see in the colors, designs and stitches of the quilts.  There was one amazing maze design quilt which mesmerized me but if I hadn’t been eavesdropping on the conversation next to me, I never would have noticed a tiny mouse applique in the middle of the quilt (Oh I wish I could show you a picture.)  The little mouse was an unexpected surprise. 

I enjoy spending time with the other guild members.  Yeah, I see them every month at our meetings but at a quilt show as we can spend more time together where we are not rushing around.  It is nice to hear about them and their families, their quilting, what they bought from the vendors (I then learn about some need-to-have item I missed as I shopped.).

So while I enjoyed the quilts and the vendors, it was the people who made this quilt show special for me.  If you are a quilter, make sure you go to a show not just for the quilts and the vendors but for all the people you encounter there.   That will be good for your quilting soul and I think I can guarantee it will bring a smile for your face and we need a lot more smiles in the world.

©2022 Cheryl Fillion