Augusta show to cover quilts past and present

If you love quilts – and who doesn’t? – set aside this weekend, July 25-27, for The Pine Tree Quilters Guild Maine Quilts 2003 exhibition at the Augusta Civic Center. The show’s theme is “Quilts from the Past … Old and New.” It will feature more than 500 quilts.

Bethany Reynolds of Ellsworth, the originator of the Stack-n-Whack method of quilting, will show quilters her techniques. She has been a guest on the television program “Simply Quilts” and is the author of “Stack-n-Whackier Quilts” published by the American Quilters Society.

Not to be missed are two national traveling exhibits, the United We Quilt exhibit, organized by the American Quilters Society, which blossomed into being after the twin towers fell in New York City and the Pentagon was attacked on Sept. 11, 2001. The American Quilters Society asked each of its authors to make a quilt that addressed the spirit of hope and healing. The 30 pieces in the exhibit are a tribute to the victims and their families who suffered through that terrible day and its aftermath.

The Chitra Publications Quilting Today Challenge exhibit includes 16 quilts made by nationally known quilting teachers. Quilting Today magazine initiated the challenge in 1995, when it asked readers to design quilt blocks. Since then there have been 15 such challenges.

The Along the Oregon Trail exhibit highlights replicas of antique quilts and artifact quilts from 1820, when Maine became a state, to the 1860s, when many Maine people began to move to the Midwest and western states to take up homesteads.

The quilt show is open 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday, July 25, and Saturday, July 26, and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, July 27. One-day admission is $6, or $10 for a two-day admission ticket.

The miniquilt silent auction to benefit breast cancer research will return by popular request. Last year, the auction raised more than $6,000.

More than 30 quilt show workshops include Victoria Brown’s Crazy Quilt a Block with Embroidery Stitches and Embellishments, Flavin Glover’s Distinctive Patchwork Clothing, Sandy Bonsib’s Photo Transfer Quilts and Jan Obrey’s T-shirt Quilts. Some workshops are two days long. Workshop fees are $25 for a half-day, $45 for a full day, and $90 for two days. It is likely, however, that the workshops are already filled.

The Pine Tree Quilters Guild has more than 70 chapters comprising more than 1,900 members from Maine, New Hampshire, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Each chapter has designed a banner, which will be part of the Guild Chapters Banners exhibit.

To learn more about the quilt show, call 453-7287, or e-mail mq1@prexar.com.

Snippets

Quilt lovers also will want to mark their calendars for the St. John Quilt Show, which will be held 10 a.m-2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2, at the Pembroke church. Bonnie Hunter is organizing a display of new and antique quilts, which will be draped over the church pews and altar, and hung from the walls. Those wishing to lend quilts for the show should call Hunter at 726-5117 or Sharon Lund at 726-4267.

Quilts made by children are being sought for a special exhibit featuring the work of young people.

The show, which benefits the church, will offer demonstrations of applique, a craft sale and a quilters’ corner, where fabrics, magazines and items of interest to quilters may be recycled.

The admission fee is $3.

Or, put on your most delicious hat, a swishy dress, strappy sandals and plan to attend an English Tea Party from 2-4 p.m. Wednesday, July 23, at Ecotat Gardens, Route 2, in Hermon. The cost of admission is $15 and includes a tour of the garden. To learn more, call Betty Renaud at 848-5162.

Ardeana Hamlin can be reached at 990-8153, or e-mail ahamlin@bangordailynews.net.