I am still in the middle of cleaning out my quilt
room. And I have determined either I am
a reader with a quilting issue, or a quilter with a reading issue. I have three stacks of books still setting in
the middle of the room. One stack I will
keep, another stack will be donated to my guild, and the third – and largest
stack – will be taken to Good Will.
Those books have nothing to do with quilting.
Soon – in thirteen days to be exact – I will be leaving
with about 45 other quilters from this area to go to what is probably the last
AQS show in Lancaster, PA for a while.
The AQS folks officially announced yesterday that Paducah, Kentucky will
be the site of two yearly quilt
shows, one in the fall and one in the spring.
Since I have heard they have also cancelled their contract with Chattanooga,
this means that there is the possibility there will be no major quilt shows
from them on the Eastern Seaboard.
I’m not sure how I feel about this yet. I’ve been to Paducah twice and it’s wonderful. I fully intend to go back again. But AQS has a huge membership from all over
the nation and the decision to locate two of the major shows in one place means
that it’s difficult for a lot of members to get there.
There are good
reasons for AQS to do this. First,
Paducah is used to hosting one of the largest quilt shows in the United States.
And they do it well. Some cities do not
react well to the throngs of eager quilters arriving in their city limits. Charlotte, NC was one of them. The show received mediocre attention at best
and the city poorly promoted it.
Paducah has it down to a science. Homes and churches open their doors and the
city rolls out the red carpet for us.
Second, I imagine that behind this knowledge is the
manpower to host the show. It takes time
and muscle to pull this off. And then
there are facilities. Once you’re at the
show, you’re in walking distance of numerous quilt shops and the National Quilt
Museum (which in itself is another reason to host shows in Paducah).
In short, they have their act together. But then again, so did Lancaster, and it’s in
the heart of Amish country. That means
lots of Amish, Mennonite, and other quilt shops.
It biggest disagreement I have with this decision is
that it may limit quilters’ ability to get to the show. While Paducah is located more towards the
center of the United States, having several shows at other locations definitely
makes it easier for lots of quilters to have the opportunity to attend an AQS
show.
However, the business woman in me also knows that it was
probably the bottom line that facilitated that decision. The National Quilting Association shuttered
its organization last year, siting financial difficulties as the reason. Hedging the bottom line is always a good
idea.
I would like to encourage all quilters to try to attend
a national quilt show. I know there are
lots of local quilt shows that go on in every state, but national quilt shows
are a bit different.
First, you will meet quilters from all over the
place. Trading ideas and patterns is a
hoot and you learn so much. And the best
quilts and quilters are there. So much
inspiration and knowledge in one place!
Next are the vendors.
The cream of the crop are at the national shows. All those wonderful on-line stores you order
from? Most of them have a booth at an
AQS show. Also worth mentioning are the
top-of-the-line, hot-off-the-assembly-line, newest sewing machines, mid-arms,
and long arms. Add to that the fact that
most of those vendors have show specials that are running the duration of the
show (and they usually will ship free to your home so you don’t have to lug it
back in your car), and it’s a win/win situation.
Third are the classes. Fantastic classes with nationally
and internationally known teachers are available for an additional fee. I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to take
classes with the likes of Sue Nickels, Harriet Hargrave, and Cindy Williams.
Somehow those teachers can take a large class and make it feel like a
one-on-one sewing session. And yes, I
know that on-line classes are available through AQS, Craftsy, and other
organizations. But seeing these women
and men in person pushes it to another level.
Plus they take the time to walk around the classroom and you actually
get to meet them.
It’s kind of like the red carpet at Oscar night.
And to me, the most important aspect of traveling to a
national quilt show is the fellowship of the quilters. I couldn’t drag my husband to one of these
things if my life depended on it, but I can get a group of my friends together
and take off to parts unknown with a GPS and a shopping list. And fun and mayhem invariably ensue.
I would strongly advise any quilter to plan to attend at
least one national quilt show in their lifetime. It’s well worth the effort (and money). There’s just no other experience like it.
Until next week…
Love and Stitches…
Sherri
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