By Shelbi LeMeilleur
Quilt by Debbie Ginn
The Brazos Valley has the opportunity to see a truly magnificent and unique form of art on Sept. 6 and 7 at the Brazos Center. For those two days, guests can marvel at 140 quilts of all sizes and techniques at the Brazos Bluebonnet Quilt Guild’s 32nd Quilt Show.
The theme for this year’s quilt show is Wild Flowers; however, the quilts on display will vary in both design and technique. Quilts compete in one of 13 different categories: pieced, applique, innovative and art, modern quilts, theme category, scrap, miniature, block of the month and kit quilts, other techniques, youth, challenge quilt, and Go-Texan. Quilts in the theme category must have recognizable garden elements incorporated into them, according to the Brazos Bluebonnet Quilt Guild website. Additionally, the challenge quilt theme is Garden Creatures this year.
“I think I’m amazed at the quality and the variety of the workmanship that members of the guild do,” says Charles Gilreath, co-chairman of the quilt show. “It is astounding to me the professional level of quality that some of the folks do.”
Although members of the community outside of the quilt guild are welcome to submit their quilts to the show (for an extra fee), the show is predominantly submissions from members of the Brazos Bluebonnet Quilt Guild. Members can submit up to two quilts per category; each category winner is determined by a nationally certified judge.
In addition to the quilt show, there will be vendors, raffle baskets, a scissor sharpener, the care quilt challenge and auction, a gift boutique, and a certified appraiser. Care quilts are smaller quilts designed in mind for people who are in children’s homes, cancer centers, hospice care, and intensive care units, among others. The appraiser is a popular attraction at the quilt show and must be booked in advance.
Quilt by Debbie Ginn
Appraisals for quilts are valuable for insurance purposes in the case of fire, flooding, or other damages, explains Debbie Ginn, publicity chairman for the quilt show. “Insurance will call a quilt — a very fancy quilt — they’ll call it a blanket and give you maybe $10 or $15, if you’re lucky,” explains Ginn. “But if your appraisal is for $300, $3000 and you put it on your insurance [it’s covered].”
New to the quilt show this year is a consignment booth.
“Frequently we get asked at the show, ‘Do you have quilts to sell?’ and in most cases we don’t. This year we do!” says Gilreath. “Many of these will be vintage quilts. They are in good shape, but they are grandma’s quilts, or Aunt Cindy’s quilts, or they are quilts they have made that they would like to consign.”
Through raffle ticket sales, entry fees, and money raised from a donation quilt auction, the Bluebonnet Quilt Guild considers the quilt show their biggest fundraiser of the year. Proceeds from the show go towards scholarships for local high school students.
The Guild also helps other organizations throughout the year through quilting bees. Members of the quilt guild can choose bees to join, and each bee meets for a different purpose. Some bees focus on specific projects, according to Gilreath. This includes bees like the Books & a Blanket bee, which provides blankets for the organization, and the Quilts of Valor group, who donate quilts to local veterans. Other bees are more project and fellowship focused, where guild members get together at certain times and work on individual projects.
“There’s different bees, and they meet at different times,” says Jo Ann Williams, Bluebonnet Quilt Guild member. “There’s a night bee, there’s several day bees, and they meet all over town.”
However, the guild is more than just getting together to make quilts. The main focus of the membership is to gather together, learn new techniques, and hear from speakers.
Donation Quilt by Jinny Beyer
“The guild meets once a month,” explains Gilreath. “Typically we have some sort of program. Either we bring in a national quilter or we might have somebody from our own guild who is an expert at a certain technique and we will have them give us a program on what they do.”
Some speakers will also have a workshop the day after the meeting where members can practically apply a new technique, while others just share stories or have trunk shows for members, says Gilreath.
Meetings are open for visitors, and Williams encourages anyone and everyone to join the guild.
“I’ve heard, ‘I don’t quilt well enough,’ and I say, “Do you enjoy quilting?’” explains Williams. “‘Do you like talking to people? ... ‘Do you like listening to people talk about quilts?’ I said, ‘You’re perfect for the guild.’ As long as you like quilts and you want to talk about them, that’s all that’s required.”
More information on Quilt Guild and the Quilt Show are available at www.bbqg.org. The 2019 Quilt Show is on Sept. 6 and 7 at the Brazos Center from 10am to 6pm on Friday and 10am to 5pm on Saturday. Tickets are $10 at the door, but children 12 and under are free, as are active/retired military with an ID.
“In some ways, it’s a way to celebrate an art form that goes back in America,” says Gilreath. “Quilting as we know it is largely an American craft. It came from somewhere, but it’s a good opportunity to look at good quality craft here in the area. I think people will be very surprised at what good quality there is.”
