The Olde Kent Quilters Guild Will Present Shore Love Quilts Show and Market

The Olde Kent Quilters Guild will present its Shore Love Quilts! Show and Market on Friday April 12, and Saturday  April 13, 2024 at the Presbyterian Church of Chestertown, 905 Gateway Drive Chestertown, MD. Show hours are 10 AM – 4 PM. Suggested donation is $8.00 for a 2-day pass with family maximum $24.00; children 12 and under are free.

The guild’s members have spent the last two years lovingly and skillfully creating the more than 100 quilts on display, which exemplify both the art and the craft of quilting through a variety of styles and techniques including traditional patchwork, modern art quilts and original designs. Attendees will be treated to an array of colorful and artistically created quilts, ranging in size from small wall hangings to bed size. Several of the quilts on display have won honors at the Kent County and Maryland State Fairs and at other quilt shows. 

Between 1935 and 1942, as part of the FDR Second New Deal quilters were employed and the result was known as the WPA Quilts. In 2022, thirteen members of the guild, under the guidance of Elizabeth Pauley Teletski, undertook to honor the work and artistry of those quilters by creating new quilts from these old patterns. These quilts toured nationally and will be on display at the show.

The show’s market will be a great place for shopping, offering a diverse array of unique handcrafted items, books, patterns and fabrics for sale. Scissor/blade sharpening services will be available on Friday.

Sharing the  beauty and comfort of quilts is an important part of  the guild’s programs throughout the year. The Deborah’s Angels Comfort Quilt Program has donated hundreds of smaller quilts to sick and  needy children, hospice patients, nursing home residents and victims of natural disasters since its inception in 2004. Volunteers from the guild also make heart-shaped pillows for mastectomy patients and other items for donation to local community groups. Members don’t let their scraps go to waste either, but rather use them as the filling for pet beds donated to our various local rescue organizations.

These programs are supported in large part by the  proceeds from the guild’s annual raffle quilt, along with other raffle prizes. Our 2024 Quilt, Bay Lilies, is from a pattern called Celestial Gardens by Derek Lockwood. The pattern used techniques that allowed many guild members to have a part in the construction, which gives us all a sense of ownership.  The star sections called for 36 different shades of blue and deciding on color placement was a daunting task.  In the end, we are all in love with this beautiful quilt. Raffle tickets will be available at the show and throughout the year at various Kent County locales for $1 or six for $5.

Winners for the quilt and other prizes will be drawn on November 19.