They stitch together pieces of fabric of myriad shapes and sizes, myriad colors and tones, in myriad designs.
They stitch together myriad memories, artistry, patience, inspiration, love.
They call them quilts.
And if you look closely at the quilts in the 38th Annual Quilt Show at the Springville Museum of Art, you will find you can't look at the first set of patterns without seeing the second set.
"I'm always blown away by the talent of our quilters," says Jessica Weiss, assistant curator of education at the museum. "It's such a fun surprise every year to see what they have been up to."
This year's show features 103 quilts, "in every style, size, technique. There are traditional patterns and modern designs. There really is a nice variety."
The exhibition fills all the galleries on the main floor of the museum and includes three other mini exhibits. One is an invited collection of miniature ABC Quilts, in which master quilters each interpreted a different letter of the alphabet. "It is fun to see how communities of quilters come together to collaborate in different ways," says Weiss. "This is such a fun, creative collection" and, she added, would be a great way to introduce children to the art of quilting.
Another small exhibit features ceramic purses and shoes made by Lacey Kay. "Her sculptured accessories are a perfect complement for the quilts," says Weiss. Another small show features gourds that have been decorated in various ways by Mary Beth Hogue.
Co-sponsored by the Utah Valley Quilt Guild and Corn Wagon Quilt Company, the annual quilt show is always a favorite at the museum, says Weiss. "It appeals to quilters of all levels and inspires creativity." The public is invited to vote on favorites for a People's Choice Award; voting closes on Aug. 23. And people who make a donation to the museum have a chance to take home this year's Opportunity Quilt.
The museum takes great care to hang the quilts in the perfect lighting so that vibrant colors and patterns stand out, says Weiss; the show is truly a feast for the eyes — and the mind.
While traditional patterns and patchwork still hold an honored place in the quilting repertoire, quilters are also exploring, trying new techniques, creating original designs.
Helen Butler's "Turkish Delight," for example, is a stunning creation with red, yellow and green appliqueed medallions on a white background with a border that reminded a friend of Ottoman architecture. In the quilt, she says, "I tried to incorporate all the skills I know: needle-turn applique, trapunto, piping detail, couching of decorative thread, padded applique and embellishment." The quilt won Best of Show.
Laurel Christensen's "Sunflower Forest" also showcases variety, including her own hand-dyed cottons "and other techniques I wanted to try, such as thread painting and couching yarns. I found it liberating to 'just go for it.' "
Tricia Folton's "Island Surprise" represents her "first attempt at using batiks and foundation piecing."
Many quilts are fusions of fabrics and techniques. Marianne Michael's "Home Sweet Home," for example, uses a mix of cotton and hand-dyed wools.
For many quilters, the process of putting together a finished product is a demonstration of patience.
For "Manti Temple," Mary Hutchings "spent two years cutting, layering and fusing thousands of tiny pieces of fabric to create a memory for my son and daughter-in-law of the day they married."
Suzanne Hillestad took four years to find the right combination of blue and white fabrics for "My Grandmother's Roses." Francine Berrett's "Blue Daisies" uses 1,728 blue petals and 261 leaves, all appliqueed by hand. Cheryl Barlow's "CharLee's Flower Basket" uses 450 yo-yos.
For some quilters, the act of cutting and sewing is a form of therapy. Connie Healey is legally blind, "so the quilt was mostly done by feel. Before I lost my sight, I would be critical of my own work, and my mother would say, 'a blind man would be glad to see it.' " The name of her quilt is "Glad to See it."
Sandi Crabtree's "Butterflies Are Free" was "my challenge for the last year and a half as I recovered from heart surgery." It has 195 butterflies and "is hand-quilted in an echo pattern to give a feeling of movement."
"One Day at a Time" by Sarah Mazuran and her sisters was made in honor of their mother, who is battling breast cancer. Included are some of her mother's favorite sayings: Just put on a little lipstick, and everything will be fine; Diet Coke and chocolate make a balanced meal; purple makes everything better; buy what you want and let him get mad, and then you still have it.
Quilters draw inspiration from many sources. History and nostalgia show up in many quilts. Because of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, it's no surprise that Civil War reproduction fabrics turn up in a variety of quilts, including Nancy Roberts' "The Blue and the Gray" and Allison Babcock's "Stars of Glory."
Jinny Snow's "Yesterday When I Was Young" features a "little girl who might have been me, putting down her book to dream of a prince on a white horse or of skipping down the Yellow Brick Road to the Emerald City. In my day, we dreamed such dreams."
Many quilts are a celebration of special moments. Marilyn Landry Toone made "Cinco de Mayo" with bright, bold colors and an intricate pattern of circles and triangles. Other quilts celebrate Halloween, Christmas, the achievement of an Eagle Scout award and other occasions.
Nature is also a strong influence. "Artistically rendering woods in Autumn is for me the most inspiring of all landscapes to reproduce," said Susan Gilgen of her "Autumn Birches." "For a time, I feel like I am part of the transformation of spectacular colors that so easily cause the soul to rejoice."
For Carol Johnson, "nothing reflects the beauty of the Lord's creation quite like sunlight streaming down a slot canyon magnifying the brilliant colors of earth, rock and sand." That's the picture she re-creates in "Have I Not Made the Earth?"
Kristen Barnhill saw the Northern Lights on a trip to Canada, and that was a touchstone experience. "The sight was eerie and a little frightening at first. But as we watched this breathtaking phenomenon, I still remember having the feeling that there was someone bigger and mightier than us all, who could hold all the mysteries and wonders of the universe in his single hand, and I knew this 'someone' was watching over me."
Email: carma@desnews.com
If you go…
What: 38th Annual Quilt Show
Where: Springville Museum of Art, 126 S. 400 East, Springville
When: Through Aug. 31; Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; to 9 p.m. on Wednesdays; Sunday, 3-6 p.m.
How much: Free
Phone: 801-489-2727
Web: www.smofa.org
Also: Trunk shows, Aug. 3, 6-8 p.m.; Aug. 5, 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.Award winners
Best of Show: "Turkish Delight," Helen Williams Butler
Best Hand Quilting: "Reverie," Megan Cresap Legas
Education Director's Award: "Autumn Birches," Susan McBride Gilgen
Judge's Choice: "Posies in the Valley," Valerie Marsh
Judge's Choice: "My Friend's Scraps," Valerie W. Bussio
Judge's Choice: "A Quilt for Trinity," Karen Martindale