THE GATHERING OF QUILTERS 2014 CELEBRATION AT WAYNE HS

Each year quilters from all over Northeast Indiana gather together on the third Saturday of March to celebrate International Quilting Day. Whether you are a hand or machine quilter, or perhaps just a lover or collector of quilts, this is a day not to miss.

This year’s Gathering hosted by the Appleseed Quilters Guild of Fort Wayne will be held on March 15 from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. The theme is: Sharing the Love through Quilting and featured speaker Beth Ferrier of Applewood Farm Quilts intends to do just that with a trunk show and talk entitled “Will you make me a quilt!”

My alma mater Wayne High School is the perfect venue for the Gathering. It features plenty of parking, a huge common area for registration and off of it the theater for show and tell and Beth’s presentation, gymnasiums for vendors and quilt displays, and a cafeteria for the lunch catered by Goeglein’s. You can chose to participate in the ugly fabric swap, the block exchange and show and tell. There will be opportunities to have your scissors sharpened and your quilts appraised. And of course with 25 vendors on hand with the latest quilt fabric, gadgets, books and patterns there will be plenty to check out. Some vendors will be familiar local faces; others are traveling from Michigan and Ohio to be a part of this special day.

Feature speaker Beth Ferrier is a teacher, writer, quilt and fabric designer. She likes to combine tips and tricks to make quilting fun infusing a little silliness along the way. Like an anthropologist, Beth observes quilters, their habits and distinctive vocabulary terms. She will present her findings along with her quilts and have everyone in stitches before the presentation is over.

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Each year the Appleseed Quilter’s Guild creates a quilt to be raffled. This year’s quilt is from the pattern “Star Gazing” by Judy Laquidara published in Quiltmaker, May-June 2012. This 88″ x 101″ quilt featuring aqua and purple-blue batiks was pieced by AQG members and beautifully machine quilted by Cathy Phillips. The proceeds from the raffle will benefit one of the guild’s charity projects. Camp WhatchaWannaDo, the local chapter of the American Red Cross and Charis House are past recipients of the guild’s benevolence. Raffle tickets are $1 each.

Those who pre-register by February 25 will receive lunch, a commemorative pin, a shopping bag of goodies and the opportunity to win door prizes- all for $20.

If you register after February 25 or wish to pay at the door, you will not receive lunch or door prize tickets, but depending on supply may receive the shopping bag and pin for $15. Go to www.appleseedquiltersguild.com and click on the “Gathering 2014” tab at the top of the page. It will take you to an information page with links to the registration form, directions to WHS, vendor list, speaker info, etc.

Don’t miss this day to laugh, share and shop with fellow quilters and quilt lovers. You will leave refreshed and inspired to create something fabulous.

Lois Eubank is the owner of Born Again Quilts Restoration Studio and Quilt Gallery located at 4005 South Wayne Ave. She may be contacted at bornagainquilts@frontier.com or 260-515-9446.