Prepare for the cozy familiar and the intricate unexpected at the 27th annual Central Alberta Quilters’ Guild Show this Friday and Saturday.
Dariel Dent, 2018 quilt show chair, said about 180 quilts will be on display from quilters with different levels of experience, and new this year are breakfast lectures featuring international quilter Nancy Mahoney, of Sparta, Ga.
“We want to keep it interesting and vibrant. It’s the new things that keep them coming back. It’s our only fundraiser for the guild,” said Dent on Monday.
She said a survey after last year’s show gave organizers some ideas on how to shake up the annual show. Mahoney is an author, teacher, pattern and fabric designer who has won many awards for her quilts. Mahoney will also hold classes following the show.
Dent said the show typically attracts 2,500 to 3,000. Appreciation for the time, effort and cost that goes into the creations has increased over the years. Guilds are also reaching out into communities.
“We had a record number of quilts this year that we donated to various organizations to help individuals and families dealing with crisis. That means a lot to our guild to be able to do that.”
Funds raised from the show are put towards outreach efforts and to make classes available through the guild.
About 37 merchants will be set up at the show and some will put on free demonstrations.
The quilters’ guild show runs Friday from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Parkland Pavilion at Westerner Park, 4847 19th St.
Admission is $10 and there’s a new $15 two-day pass. Children 12 and younger are free. Tickets for the show are available through ticketsalberta.com.
Door prizes will be given away, including a grand prize sewing and quilting machine worth more than $1,800 donated by Red Deer Sewing Centre.
For more information about the show and Mahoney’s classes on April 8 and 9 visit centralalbertaquilters.org.
szielinski@reddeeradvocate.com
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