Marian Eason gets ideas for her quilts through her other hobby: birding.
“I always have ideas rolling around in my head,” she said. “And being a birder, most of my quilts have birds in them.”
Eason is a machine quilter, meaning she uses a sewing machine to stitch together any pieces of fabric she wants to use in her quilts. Quilting is a fiber arts hobby that involves sewing and cutting pieces of fabric to make a design, and the quilt doesn’t just have to be a bed quilt—Eason makes wall quilts too, she said. At the Quilting in the Red Rocks Show, held by the Delicate Stitchers Quilt Guild, Eason, a member of the guild since its inception in 1998, will be showing four quilts.
The bi-annual quilting show is a space for guild members to show off their work. Eason said the guild has 40 members now—down from more than 50 a few years ago—and this show will be the guild’s eleventh, after skipping the show in 2021.
Guild members will show off every type of quilt imaginable: antique, traditional, and art quilts; quilted home decor, like placemats; quilted clothing; and the 2022 “Opportunity Quilt,” a massive king-sized quilt designed and created in a team effort by guild members. In total, there will be more than 100 quilts at the show, Eason said.
The quilt show has been wildly popular in this region, Eason said, so much so that a few years ago the guild had to limit who could display quilts to only guild members. But anyone can attend the show for free, and attendees will also have a chance to vote on their favorite quilts. Eason said the guild is expecting 400 people to come to the show throughout the weekend.
“I’m looking forward to all the people,” she said. “We know that people appreciate the quilts, and we have such a variety of styles … expect everything from king-sized ben quilts to small wall hangings. It should be quite colorful.”
While many of the guild members are machine quilters like Eason, some are hand quilters, meaning they do every stitch by hand. Most of the quilts are just for show—some quilters will be showing the quilts “right off their beds,” Eason said—but some will be for sale.
There will be two trunk shows each day, at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., where quilters will be able to show their for-sale wares and answer any questions attendees might have on the design process and techniques. Throughout the weekend, there will also be quilt vendors selling fabrics, patterns, threads, and quilting books.
“I just hope that people will come and enjoy the quilts,” Eason said.
The Quilting in the Red Rocks Show will be held at the Grand Center (182 N. 500 W.) on Saturday, April 30 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, May 1 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free.
Members of the Delicate Stitchers Guild are also working on quilts for the guild’s annual themed challenge, and some finished challenge quilts may be on display at the show, Eason said. This year’s theme is “Lotsa Dots”: quilters must use dotted fabric on at least 50% of the fronts of their quilts. If you miss the challenge quilts at the show, don’t worry—they’ll be on display at the Moab Museum in May.
Eason said guild members are a mix of experienced and beginner quilters. Anyone interested in joining the guild can contact Crystal Day, the guild president, at 435-260-8537.
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