Quilt shows, suppliers blanket area

2014 QUILT SHOWS

* American Quilters Society QuiltWeekWhen: Sept. 10-13Where: Chattanooga Convention Center, 1100 Carter St.Hours: 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. SaturdayAdmission: $14 per day, $35 for weekFor more information: www.aqsshows.com* National Heritage Quilt ShowWhen: Sept. 6-27Where: McMinn Living Heritage Museum, 522 W. Madison Ave., Athens, Tenn.Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. SaturdayAdmission: Free to museum members, $5 all othersFor more information: www.livingheritagemuseum.com* Common Threads Quilt ShowWhen: Oct. 3-4Where: Mount Olive Ministries, 3533 Harrison Pike, Cleveland, Tenn.Hours: 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Friday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. SaturdayAdmission: $3For more information: email ruthcp@peoplepc.com

QUILTING SUPPLY STORES CHATTANOOGA

* Ann's Quilt Shop3611 Ringgold Road,423-698-8000www.annsquiltshop.com* Bernina Sew N Quilt5950 Shallowford Road,423-521-7231www.berninaofchattanooga.com* Chattanooga Quilt Shop5711 Main St., Ooltewah,423-648-2842www.chattanoogaquilts.com* Chattanooga's Sewing Machine Center2200 Hamilton Place Blvd.,423-899-3664www.chattanoogasews.com* Pins and Needles Quilt Shop6425 Hixson Pike,423-668-8734www.pinsandneedlesquiltshop.comBLUE RIDGE, GA.* Country Stitches Inc.30 W. Main St.,706-632-3070www.countrystitchesinc.netCLEVELAND, TENN.* Hyderhangout Quilt Fabric and More219 First St. N.E.,423-715-2908www.hyderhangout.com* Lana's Quilts and Sew Much More189 Godfrey Lane S.E.,423-751-1880www.lanasquiltsandsewmuchmore.comROME, GA.* The Stitchery111 Broad St.,706-622-2345www.thestitcheryrome.com

More than 20,000 quilters are expected to blanket this area's hotels and restaurants Sept. 10-13 when the American Quilter's Society hosts QuiltShow week in the Chattanooga Convention Center. It's months until the quilters arrive, yet their convention is already predicted to be the biggest in the city's history by the Chattanooga Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The society sponsors just seven QuiltWeeks annually at locations around the country, drawing top quilters and needleworking enthusiasts from across the country. The September show is the group's first in Chattanooga -- but not it's last, according to the CCVB. The society has already announced it will bring a QuiltWeek to the Scenic City for two more years following this debut. According to the bureau, that's an expected three-year impact of $30 million to our local economy.

The AQS show includes a Merchant Mall, displays with antique and new quilts, quilt show, quiltmaking supplies and a quiltmaking school. But its big draw is the chance for regional quilters to interact and learn from internationally known quilting instructors during workshops, lectures and special events. The AQS workshop promises 40 such pros will be on hand for the Chattanooga show.

In order to take advantage of the influx of quilters expected for the national show, McMinn Living Heritage Museum purposefully scheduled its annual National Heritage Quilt Show to coincide with QuiltWeek, said Amy Blackburn, director of the Athens, Tenn., museum. The 30th annual show will be held Sept. 6-27.

Blackburn said the museum is renowned for its textile collection, the largest in the Southeast.

"We have more than 100 quilts in our repository, some dating to the Civil War era. When this museum opened 31 years ago, quilt shows were few and far between in this area. We made a mark on quilting by holding one of the original quilt shows here," she says.

The Common Threads quilting guild in Cleveland,Tenn., will host its annual Common Threads Quilt Show Oct. 3-4.

Guild president Marilyn Dunn has been a quilter for 50 years, a hobby she began when she was 12.

"Quilting is making a comeback," Dunn believes, "I especially see that here in Tennessee, and it's coming back in California where I lived before moving here."

Blackburn estimates the number of regional quilters has grown 10 times the amount of those when the museum's first show was held.

"When you talk about the growth of quilting, we like to think we've played a part in that," she said. "Quilting has become a billion-dollar industry. It's now a major industry."

Contact Susan Pierce at spierce@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6284.

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