TRI-LAKES AREA — There is just something special about quilts.
They can be embraced for comfort on a cold winter night; they are family heirlooms handed down through generations; they can be pieced together from old clothes and patches of cloth that bring back family memories.
Quilts are also art. A quilt is a masterpiece of craftsmanship that can bring together all the different needle-craft techniques, combined with an eye for color and design — all put together like a jigsaw puzzle with a quilter’s patience that surpasses my understanding.
My mother and grandmother, often joined by some of my aunts, would suspend the quilt frame from the ceiling of my grandmother’s living room, and the women would combine backing cloth with layers of cotton batting, then overlay them with one of my grandmother’s quilt tops. Somehow her work, made totally from scraps of cloth left from curtains, shirts and once from my childhood pajamas, would come together in interesting designs with names like “Steppin’ ’round the Mountain,” “Double Wedding Ring” and “Star of Alabama.”
I know these kinds of memories are common, because the appreciation for quilts and the special exhibitions that celebrate them are all around us. At fairs and craft festivals, quilts are always one of the most visited displays.
Each year, one of the state’s largest and most prestigious quilt shows is the one in Mount Ida conducted by the Montgomery County Extension Service Homemakers Council. About 150 quilts will be on display, said Katherine Strucker, the go-to person for information about the event and about quilts in general.
She calls the event a people’s show, because the show is not a judged one. The idea is to promote quilts, get more people involved in the craft and show off the work of generations of quilters. Strucker said the quilts on display will range from heirloom quilts to some that quilters are rushing to finish before time to turn them in for the show on Thursday morning, Oct. 7.
Many of the quilts made today are actually quilted by machines that can perform intricate designs with perfection. Strucker said the machines help make beautiful quilts quickly and easily, but she still prefers the old way of quilting by hand.
The Mount Ida show includes a quilting bee, where those interested can learn techniques using the latest technology and gadgets, as well as age-old ways to quilt in patterns or outline each piece.
The quilt show is part of the Mountain Ida, Quartz, Quiltz and Craftz festival at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds that opens Friday, Oct. 8, and goes through Sunday, Oct. 10.