‘Stitches in Time’ quilt show opens at Museum Center in Cleveland
The Museum Center at Five Points will be covered up in quilts for the next two weeks during the 2017 “Stitches in Time” quilt show. Quilters from around the region have submitted scores of handiwork in 12 categories.
To be precise: “86 quilts from local quilters,” reports Emma-Leigh Evors, the museum’s curator of collections.
Kay Papenfuss of the Tennessee Valley Quilters Association judged the entries earlier this week, and ribbon winners will be announced tonight, March 9, at a private reception for museum members and quilters entered in the show.
Visitors get to pick their favorite as well. The Ruth Hale Viewers’ Choice Award will be announced at 6 p.m. on the last day of the show, Thursday, March 23. The winner of this year’s Opportunity Quilt drawing also will be announced then. All visitors to the quilt show receive automatic entry into the drawing with the purchase of an admission ticket. The ticket is good for repeat entry into the exhibit and all programs.
The show may be viewed during regular museum hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturdays.
Several special programs also are scheduled. Saturday, March 11, has been set aside for a demo day by the Cherokee Blossom Quilt Guild and quilt appraisals by Cynthia Stuart. A professional appraiser, Stuart has studied quilt appraising with the American Quilters Society in Kentucky and has lectured on quilt history for a variety of organizations, including the Tennessee Quilt History Group. Two options are offered. ›
Formal appraisals, for antique, art and contemporary quilts, will assign a value suitable for insurance purposes and include a picture and legal written description of the style, size, estimated age, pattern name and condition. This written report would be useful to an owner interested in selling or donating the quilt or who wishes to insure the quilt for storage or shipment to a show. Gathering information for the formal appraisal takes about 30 minutes, and the signed formal appraisal will be sent to the owner within two weeks. Cost is $50. ›
Consultations, typically for antique quilts, entail a 15-minute meeting with the appraiser. Stuart will share information such as the approximate age of the quilt, the pattern name and any observations about the quilt that the owner may find of interest. This option does not include a monetary value of the quilt. Cost is $20.