More than a dozen people have labored for more than a dozen months to bring the Las Cruces Quilt Guild “Spring Fling" Quilt Show to fruition. It is scheduled for Feb. 3-4 at the Las Cruces Convention Center. They have created an event in which the excitement spreads beyond quilters and their families and out into the community at large.
Putting on a show such as this is a nearly Herculean task with many moving parts. Efforts began toward the end of 2021, when members responded to emails from president Dianne Herrmann to chair show committees. These committees would select vendors; arrange for judges; plan the quilt intake and return; and, ensure the arrival of the racks and curtains used in the exhibit. And critically, solicit guild volunteers to help handling the many beautiful quilts at the different stages of the process.
Care is being taken to see that visitors could enjoy the exhibit comfortably, assisted by “angels" who would answer questions about quilts and quilting while ensuring that visiting hands were kept away from the quilts to keep them clean and safe.
Part of the planning effort included development of blueprints of the main ball room for that showed where and how quilt racks would be set up and how the vendor area would be structured. These seemingly minuscule details must conform to New Mexico State Code and are very important.
Every quilt show, regardless of where it’s held, has a featured artist. This year, a special exhibit will feature art quilter Vicki Conley’s famous National Park series and she will teach a two-day workshop on the unique machine pieced, turned edge technique that she uses to create her famous quilts.
Makers of the top quilts in judged categories will be awarded ribbons and monetary prizes. This year’s judge is Nancy Fuka from Lamy. She is certified by the National Association of Certified Quilt Judges.
Many people in and around the quilting community contribute to the excitement of the event by sponsoring the category prizes. Best appliqué is sponsored by Dr. Philip Born; Best use of color is sponsored by Jon and Julie Howell who live in Alaska but participate in memory of their daughter, Rachel. Guild members Carol Gutierrez and Nicki Burczak are sponsoring nest hand quilting and best machine quilting – longarm, respectively. And our featured artist, Vicki Conley, is sponsoring best machine quilting – stationary.
Not all the “Best of...” awards are based on quilting skills. The Women’s Information Network is sponsoring the Viewer’s Choice Award, which is selected by attendees' votes. The Judge’s Choice Award, sponsored by Dr. Lauren Cunningham, is based on the judge’s personal choice, in other words, the quilt the judge liked best. Sometimes a quilt touches an emotion or a memory for those who interact with it, and these two awards recognize the quilts that start songs in one’s heart.
Local quilt shops participate both as vendors, offering beautiful fabric and sometimes hands-on demonstrations, and as sponsors. This year’s show theme is Spring Fling, and Threadbear is sponsoring the award that the show judge has decided most authentically represents the theme. “Spring Fling" is broad and quilt designs could be flowers, budding trees, emerging life, or happy college students on spring break. The local shops may choose to sponsor a category that represents one of their specialties or particular interests, like Sew What’s New with their ongoing sponsorship of the Best Embroidery category. With the exception of Viewer’s Choice, which won’t be determined until Saturday afternoon, attendees will be able to see the winning quilts and admire the gorgeous rosettes affixed to them.
The two top prizes this year are the Best of Show Award, always sponsored by Izzy and Marsha Cohen of Be Sew Creative, and the Sponsor’s Choice Award, sponsored by Debbie and Tim Johnson of Hear on Earth. The Best of Show Award is decided by our Show judge, but the Sponsor’s Choice Award is based simply on how the quilt “spoke" to Debbie and Tim. Every quilt has a story, and like the Viewer’s Choice and Judge’s Choice awards, this award creates a window for someone to say, I just liked it!
Lucky attendees will be able to purchase last-minute raffle tickets for the exquisite “snail trails" quilt created by Guild members that won both Best of Show and Best Machine Quilted, Track Mounted Machine at the Southern New Mexico State Fair this past fall.
Spring Fling is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Tickets are $7 for one day or $12 for both days and may be purchased at the door.
