After twenty-six years of stitching, the Sunbonnet Sue Quilt Club returns with a patriotic spin at its annual quilt show, “America in Bloom.”
More than 200 quilts go on display July 20-22 inside Sequim Middle School, 301 W. Hendrickson Road.
A centerpiece for the show is a quilt also called “America in Bloom” imagined by Kitty Niles, who passed away in March. The quilt uses stars and floral applique to represent 50 state flowers.
After Niles’ death, Ilse Osier, the show’s quilter of the year, Carolyn Abbott, Carolyn O’Neill and Irene Snodgrass completed it with Snodgrass finishing the machine quilting aspect.
Karen Agee, raffle quilt chairman, said Niles was a person who, if she looked at something and wanted to do it, she would sit down and do it.
Toward the end of her life, Niles continued quilt despite her declining health.
Five thousand tickets are being raffled off over the weekend show for $1 each to help the club’s community quilt program. The winning ticket will be drawn Sunday afternoon around 4 p.m.
More on the Show
The club takes its name from a quilt pattern and has more than 200 members. It formed in April 1986 and its first show was May 7, 1987.
On display at the show are categories of quilts — small, large, art, and clothing/accessories — vying for top ribbons.
Some members also participate in the annual quilt challenge: This year quilters must place a bird and use a polka dot fabric somewhere in their quilts. Another prize goes to the best quilt hiding the name Sunbonnet Sue.
The club also donated a quilt each to the Sequim Lavender Growers and Sequim LavenderFarmers associations. The quilts will be on display during Sequim Lavender Weekend at their respective events.
Sunbonnet Sue Quilt Club meets at 8:30 a.m. Wednesdays at the Sequim Masonic Lodge, 700 S. Fifth Ave. Membership is $50 a year, which allows a member to come to meetings, take classes and participate in the show. Visit www.sunbonnetsuequiltclub.org for more information.
