The Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival held Feb. 25 -" 28 in Hampton, VA, drew over 10,000 people to an artistic exhibit of over 500 stunning quilts.

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The Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival held Feb. 25 28 in Hampton, VA, drew over 10,000 people.

The 2006 Quilting in America Survey reports that there are more than 27 million quilters in the U.S., and that 17 percent of all American households say they have at least one family member who participates in quilting.

With over 100,000 square feet of exhibit space, and more than 150 vendors, Festival attendees had plenty to do in addition to viewing the 22 special exhibits filled with over 500 quilts, textile art, and wearable art. Over $24,000 in prizes were awarded at the show.

Many Americans have fond memories of special quilts made by favorite aunts or loving grandmothers, and quilts have always been associated with the adventures of early American pioneers. However, our association with fibers goes back many thousands of years further than that.

According to the Sept. 11, 2009, edition of Science Daily, "A team of archaeologists and paleo-biologists has discovered flax fibers that are more than 34,000 years old, making them the oldest fibers known to have been used by humans. The fibers (were) discovered during systematic excavations in a cave in the Republic of Georgia. "

But quilting has come a long, way, baby, from the calico squares of yesteryear. Contemporary quilts are breaking through the limits of textile art and dancing across the boundaries of mixed media art forms.

The show also featured traditional quilts.

Dolls and wearable art ensembles were also on display.

Instructors offered 60 workshops and lectures, and their work was shown in a special faculty exhibit.

Carol Britt, owner of Batiks Etc. & Sew What Fabrics, has been quilting since 1972 and in business since 1982. Carol says, "Quilting is such an innately positive activity! We take raw materials of relatively little value and create something of great worth on artistic, healing, and monetary levels. So much of what women do is temporary: a meal is eaten, dishes always need to be washed, and clothes get dirty so it's a special joy to design and make something of lasting value."

Free demonstrations were offered by local needle-art guilds as well as in many of the vendor booths, and attendees had opportunities to win raffle quilts.

Bernina of America, via two local shops--A Different Touch and Nancy's Calico Patch--is the founding sponsor of the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival.

Each attendee could participate by casting a vote for the Viewers' Choice awards.

All photos c. Meryl Ann Butler

A Partial List of Upcoming Quilt Shows across the U.S.:

Feb. 25-28, 2010

The Sewing and Stitchery Expo â?¨Puyallup, WA www.sewexpo.com

March 4-7, 2010

The Quilt Fest of New Jersey VI � �Somerset, NJ�� www.quiltfest.com

March 24-27, 2010

AQS Quilt Show & Contest Lancaster, PA. www.americanquilter.com

April 16-18, 2010

Internationalâ?¨Quilt Festival/Chicagoâ?¨ â?¨Rosemont, Illinois www.quilts.com

April 21-24, 2010

AQS Quilt Show & Contest - Paducah, KYâ?¨ www.americanquilter.com

April 29-May 2, 2010

Denver National Quilt Festival V, â?¨Denver, CO www.quiltfest.com â?¨

July 10, 2010

Sisters Outdoor Quilt Showâ?¢, Sisters, OR â?¨ www.sistersoutdoorquiltshow.org

July 14-17, 2010

AQS Quilt Show & Contest Knoxville, TNâ?¨ www.americanquilter.com

July 23-25, 2010

Internationalâ?¨Quilt Festival/Long Beach â?¨ â?¨Long Beach, California www.quilts.com

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August 19-22, 2010

World Quilt Show - New Englandâ?¨ â?¨Manchester, NH www.quiltfest.com

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September 16-19,2010

Pennsylvania National â?¨Quilt Extravaganza XVII â?¨Phil., PA www.quiltfest.com

October 6-9, 2010

AQS Quilt Show & Contest - Des Moines, IAâ?¨ www.americanquilter.com

October14-17, 2010

Pacific International â?¨Quilt Festival XIXâ?¨ â?¨Santa Clara, CA www.quiltfest.com

November 4-7, 2010

Internationalâ?¨Quilt Festival/Houston â?¨ â?¨Houston, Texas www.quilts.com

November 12-14, 2010

World Quilt Show - Florida â?¨ â?¨West Palm Beach, FL www.quiltfest.com

January 20-23, 2011

Road to California Quilter's Conference and Showcase, Ontario CA www.road2ca.com

RESOURCES

2006 Quilting in America Survey http://www.quilts.com/announcements/QuiltingInAmerica2006survey.pdf Accessed 27 Feb. 2010

Archaeologists Discover Oldest-Known Fiber Materials Used By Early Humans Sept. 11 edition of Science Daily http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090910142352.htm Accessed 27 Feb. 2010

A Different Touch: www.adifferenttouch.com

Batiks Etc and Sew What Fabrics: www.batiks.com

Come Quilt With Me: www.comequiltwithme.com

Cherrywood Fabrics: www.cherrywoodfabrics.com

Design wall: www.cherylannsdesignwall.com

John Flynn/Flynn Quilt Frame Company: www.flynnquilt.com

Floriani Threads: www.tidewatersewvac.com

Knitting Sisters: www.knittingsisters.com

Laura Murray Designs: www.lauramurraydesigns.com

Laura Wasilowski: www.artfabrik.com

Nancy's Calico Patch: www.ncpquilting.com

Olfa Deals: www.olfadeals.com

Quilters Rule: www.quiltersrule.com

Starr Fabrics: www.starrfabrics.com

Authors Website: http://www.OceanViewArts.com

Authors Bio:

Meryl Ann Butler is an artist, author, educator and OpedNews Managing Editor who has been actively engaged in utilizing the arts as stepping-stones toward joy-filled wellbeing since she was a hippie. She began writing for OpEdNews in Feb, 2004. She became a Senior Editor in August 2012 and Managing Editor in January, 2013. In June, 2015, the combined views on her articles, diaries and quick link contributions topped one million. She was particularly happy that her article about Bree Newsome removing the Confederate flag was the one that put her past the million mark.

Her art in a wide variety of media can be seen on her YouTube video, "Visionary Artist Meryl Ann Butler on Creativity and Joy" at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcGs2r_66QE

A NYC native, her response to 9-11 was to pen an invitation to healing through creativity, entitled, "90-Minute Quilts: 15+ Projects You Can Stitch in an Afternoon" (Krause 2006), which is a bestseller in the craft field. The sequel, MORE 90-Minute Quilts: 20+ Quick and Easy Projects With Triangles and Squares was released in April, 2011. Her popular video, How to Stitch a Quilt in 90 Minutes with Meryl Ann Butler can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrShGOQaJQ8

She has been active in a number of international, arts-related projects as a citizen diplomat, and was arts advisor to Baltimore's CIUSSR (Center for Improving US-Soviet Relations), 1987-89. She made two trips to the former USSR in 1987 and 1988 to speak to artists, craftpeople and fashion designers on the topic of utilizing the arts as a tool for global wellbeing. She created the historical "First US-Soviet Children's Peace Quilt Exchange Project" in 1987-88, which was the first time a reciprocal quilt was given to the US from the former USSR.

Her artwork is in collections across the globe.

Meryl Ann is a founding member of The Labyrinth Society and has been building labyrinths since 1992. She publishes an annual article about the topic on OpEdNews on World Labyrinth Day, the first Saturday in May.

OpEdNews Senior Editor Joan Brunwasser interviewed Meryl Ann in "Beyond Surviving: How to Thrive in Challenging Times" at https://www.opednews.com/articles/Beyond-Surviving--How-to-by-Joan-Brunwasser-Anxiety_Appreciation_Coronavirus_Creativity-200318-988.html

Find out more about Meryl Ann's artistic life in "OEN Managing Ed, Meryl Ann Butler, Featured on the Other Side of the Byline" at https://www.opednews.com/Quicklink/OEN-Managing-Ed-Meryl-Ann-in-Life_Arts-Artistic_Artists_Quilt-170917-615.html

On Feb 11, 2017, Senior Editor Joan Brunwasser interviewed Meryl Ann in Pink Power: Sister March, Norfolk, VA at http://www.opednews.com/articles/Pink-Power-Sister-March--by-Joan-Brunwasser-Pussy-Hats-170212-681.html

"Creativity and Healing: The Work of Meryl Ann Butler" by Burl Hall is at
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Creativity-and-Healing--T-by-Burl-Hall-130414-18.html

Burl and Merry Hall interviewed Meryl Ann on their BlogTalk radio show, "Envision This," at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/envision-this/2013/04/11/meryl-ann-butler-art-as-a-medicine-for-the-soul

Archived articles www.opednews.com/author/author1820.html
Older archived articles, from before May 2005 are here.