Van Buren County Fairgrounds, Graham-Weatherling Building, Hwy 16E, Clinton, AR Sponsored by the Van Buren County Extensions Homemakers Council Bldg, Hwy 382, Mountain View, ARįriday 9:00 a.m. The Stone County Extension Homemakers Biennial Quilt Show – 4:00 p.m.īaxter County Fairgrounds, Educational Building, 1507 Fairground Drive, Mountain Home, AR Montgomery County Fairgrounds, 248 Fairgrounds Rd, Mt Ida, AR If you’re interested in learning more about this fascinating (and beautiful) piece of Arkansas history, check out some of the upcoming shows around the state.ģ6th Annual Quartz, Quiltz & Craftz Festival You can also find out about modern patterns and techniques being employed by today’s quilters, and often, take home a quilt for yourself. In Arkansas, a quilt festival is a place to see a piece of history up close, and often learn of the person (or people) who created it. Many artists and designers have made an international name for themselves by designing fabrics for use by quilters. Some fabrics come pre-cut into “fat quarters” for easy use by quilters. Today, quilting has become an industry of proportions that would shock most of our grandmothers – with fabric companies creating coordinating fabric lines and quilters eagerly waiting to see what’s new each year. They are easy to identify by the coarser texture of the fabric itself and the small floral and graphic designs. These quilts are made from feed sack fabric. Once the kitchen staples were transferred into jars and canisters, the bags were washed and ironed and ready to be cut into geometric shapes to create patterns with names such as Log Cabin, Flying Geese and Cat’s Cradle. It was easier to transport across country on the wagons that were headed West, and the sacks became a popular source of fabric used for everything from curtains to Sunday dresses. Patterns were often drawn and cut from whatever paper was available – often the local newspaper.īeginning in the mid-1800s, companies began selling flour, corn and sugar in sacks that were made from durable cotton with colorful designs on them. Silks and fancy cottons were preferred for decorative efforts. Wool was heavy and often used to create the more utilitarian quilts. Many quilters in decades past simply used what they had available, such as scraps of old pieces of clothing that were beyond repair. In the days when the United States was being settled, it was a lucky homemaker who could use new fabrics right off the bolt from a general store. Others may not have been pretty, but they were welcome during cold winters when a heavy stack of quilts on a feather bed was a vital tool for survival. Some quilts were special, created to commemorate a marriage or new baby. Quilting has long been a tradition that blends creativity and practicality, and learning to sew pieces of fabric together was a skill passed from mother to daughter for generations as the women of the family were tasked with keeping house. Proud enough, in fact, to enjoy showing it off in various quilt shows and sales around the state each year. But we Arkansans are still proud of the handiwork done by our mommas and grandmommas and their mommas before them. Quilts are not specifically an Arkansas tradition, and can’t even be claimed as a purely Southern thing.
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