Quiltmakers stitch together more than fabric when they sew, one quilting group said.
Quiltmakers weave friendships during the hours spent making the piece, and theirs, "like all handmade quilts, was made with love," said members of the High Country Quilters, of Teasdale.The love that has been stitched into that quilt, a piece called "Silent Forest," and into many other quilted pieces will be overflowing Nov. 8 to 14, as the Deseret Foundation sponsors its biannual Holiday Quilt Show and Auction.
The country's largest quilt show devoted entirely to charity, the event will feature more than 70 handcrafted quilts produced by more than 1,000 volunteer quilters from Utah. All proceeds go to the foundation, which funds research and educational activities at LDS Hospital. In 1995, the auction raised approximately $200,000.
"Once again this year, the quilts to be auctioned are works of art in every sense of the term," said Cheryl Doty, chairwoman of the Holiday Quilt Show and Auction Board. "The artistry and skill that goes into each of the quilts we receive is outstanding. Literally thousands of hours have been spent on many of these individual quilts."
Several of the pieces included in this year's show have a sesquicentennial theme. For example, "Tulips From the Trail" features an applique block purchased in an antique store near Winter Quarters, Neb., by Miriam Zabriskie. From there it traveled part of the Mormon Trail on the Sesquicentennial Wagon Train before being turned into a quilted wallhanging.
A quilt titled "Come, Come Ye Saints" by Joyce Tolman and Alaine Nelson uses appliqued blocks to depict items of significance to the pioneers. Another, titled "Pioneer Windmills," was put together by 50 women of the Oakridge 2nd Ward Relief Society as an adaptation of an Amish design. And "Grandmother's Fan" was made by the San Rafael Piecemakers in memory of their ancestors' old-fashioned quilting bees.
A quilt called "Victorian Log Cabin" has one of the most unusual histories. An antique quilt top hand-pieced from pre-1900s fabric was donated by board member Jean Christensen, and the top was carefully quilted by volunteers at the Colonial House.
But pioneers are not the only ones in the quilt-show spotlight. A number of the pieces have a holiday theme, including "Centennial Christmas," quilted by Marghie Tomlinson; and "Woodland Santa" from Norita Natter.
"Each quilt has a unique story that adds to its value," Doty said. And that's as it should be, because one of the charms of quilting is that no two pieces are ever alike.
"I'm just impressed by all the work, all the hours that have been spent on these quilts. . . . And it's one thing to do it for yourself or your family, but they do all this and then give it away," Doty said.
Pieces in the show come in all sizes, from tables runners and wallhangings to king- and queen-size bed quilts, she said. "Every time I think this is it, this is a good as it gets. And, every time, the quality steps up another notch. I'm so amazed at what someone can sit down and stitch into a quilt."
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Live quilt auction
The 11th LDS Hospital Holiday Quilt Show will run from Nov. 8 to 14 at Little America. Admission is $2.
The Nov. 14 auction will include a dinner at 7 p.m. Auctioneer Mike Scott will conduct both silent and live auctions. The silent auction begins at 6 p.m.
Tickets for the auction and dinner are $60. For reservations, which must be made by Nov. 10, or for more information, call the Deseret Foundation at 321-1775.