More than 150 attended the Happy Heart Quilt Guild Show at the Salem Community Center.
The President of the Guild, Karil Garrett, is pleased to see attendance and the display of quilts return to pre-COVID numbers after the show had to be canceled last year.
Garrett says the show is not only about the display of member quilts and vendor sales, but also to introduce the hobby to others in the community.
“If you are not a quilter it seems odd to take fabric by the yard and cut it all up in little pieces and put it back together again. It seems a little counterproductive but it is an art. You can tell by looking at them. Our guild meets once a month at the First Christian Church on the second Saturday and it’s not just women either, some of these quilts were made by men. So it’s not just a lady’s hobby.”
Garrett says they welcome beginners at their meetings and will train them. She notes they have a different speaker each month and those of all levels are able to learn something.
There were 115 quilts displayed this year. Winning first place best of show was Elaine Meyers. Karil Garrett won second and Shirley Martin and Verna Piper tied for third.
The door prize winners were Kris Crane of Junction City and Fern Turpin of Pinckneyville.
Karil Garrett displays one of the special antique quilts on display. She says it was made by her mother and grandmother when they were trying to stay busy when Karil’s father was captured and a prisoner of war in World War II. It was made out of scraps from maternity clothes. Fortunately, Karil says they learned her father was safe and he was able to make it home two weeks before her sister was born. Photo by Bruce Kropp.
