If you did not make it to the 2017 Showcase of Quilts on Friday there is still time, the show will continue from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Savannah Center. Sponsored by the Quilting Guild of The Villages this show themed Quilting ‘Round the Squares is a delight for quilters and art appreciators alike. The sea of color and design is dazzling even if you can’t fully appreciate all the intricacies of the quilts.
“I think our quilters kicked up ten notches on this show,” said Judy Porter, chairman of the Quilt Show. “They are absolutely beautiful this year.”
More than 300 quilts are hanging in the show.
The first place and best in show quilt is Audrey Temmer’s “Feathered Star.”
Temmer spent a year collecting the materials and three months making the quilt. Those in the know about quilting without exception were commenting on the difficult technique used to make this quilt and the beautiful outcome. Village of Caroline resident Temmer, a quilter with the Lake Miona Group, is having a very good year. Another one of her quilts earned a ribbon.
The Guild has thought of everything to make this show run smoothly. Quilt Angels help guide people to the area or quilt they are trying to find.
“Some people are looking for a particular quilt,” said quilt angel Mary Frost. “I basically give them the GPS coordinates to find it.”
In addition to all of the quilts there is a lot going on. There are demonstrations hourly from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. There is a Boutique with handmade items.
“The purses and table runners are very popular items at the Boutique,” said Porter. Vendors from around the state are selling quilting supplies.
There is a doll exhibit and Saturday only The Art Quilt club will exhibit items. There is a Silent Auction to benefit the Guild’s Charity Grants Fund and a quilt valued at over $3,000 is being raffled with proceeds going to support The Villages Hospice House and Honor Flight.
This year’s quilt show is being dedicated to Jeanette Flint, a past Guild president and Quilt Show chairman. She passed away on Jan. 22.
The Quilting Guild of the Villages is made up of 19 chapters with a total of 1,100 members. Many of the members are volunteering to make this mammoth undertaking look effortless.
Admission to the Quilt Show is $8. A photobook of the 2017 quilts is available for $40; sign up at the Presidents Table.
