SCHENECTADY – Proctors Theatre will be taken over by more than 200 quilts this weekend as Schenectady’s biggest quilt show makes its post-COVID return.
The show, titled Autumn Inspirations 2022, is hosted by Quilters United In Learning Together of Schenectady (Q.U.I.L.T.S.), a non-profit organization that was formed back in 1980. It will be their 17th biennial show and the first to be held since 2019.
“We’ve all missed each other so much,” said guild president Lisa Wend. Until recently, guild meetings would take place only through Zoom. “It’s going to be really exciting to, first, be able to show off our quilts and to talk with people about it.”
All of the quilts that will be on display have been made by the members of Q.U.I.L.T.S. with a variety of designs, techniques and skill levels. Most have taken months, if not years, to complete.
“They’re works of art,” said Wend.
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Eight vendors, including Adirondack Quilts, Amelia’s Garden and Linda Warren Designs, will also be at the show offering demonstrations and selling fabrics, patterns and other quilting tools.
With every show, Q.U.I.L.T.S chooses a Quilt Show Featured Quilter. This year’s featured quilter will be Rotterdam native Kathy Hermance. She has not only been quilting since the early 1980s but has also been heavily involved with the guild for several years.
“[Quilting] is my outlet,” Hermance said. “It’s how I express myself artistically.”
A quilt designed by Hermance and other guild members will be the prize of a raffle. According to Wend, the quilt is 90×90 inches and is valued at $1,200.
“It’s exciting that something that I worked on is being viewed by hundreds of people and then one lucky person is going to have it to put on their bed,” said Hermance.
The raffle tickets will be sold at $1 apiece. Part of the proceeds will benefit Northern Rivers Family Services, a human services agency and just one of the local civic organizations that Q.U.I.L.T.S. has donated to in the past.
“Our guild is supportive of the community,” Wend said, also noting that donating to local organizations that help those in need is one of the main goals of the guild. During the pandemic, Q.U.I.L.T.S. donated over 10,000 handmade face masks to organizations that needed them.
But while these donations are a big part of Q.U.I.L.T.S., Linda Cary, the co-chair of the event, said that the most exciting part of this weekend’s show will be seeing all the quilters’ work in person again.
“We’re all so proud of our work and we also want to show people that our quilts aren’t just your grandmother’s quilting,” said Cary. “There’s such a wide range of quilting.”
The Autumn Inspirations 2022 Quilt Show will take place this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Proctors’ GE Theatre. Admission is $8.
More: Life & Arts | Everything Schenectady
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