Justin Bennett, with Printree, use heat to conform adhesive-backed vinyl to the sidewalk Monday in front of the Chattanooga Convention Center. The designs are from winners of the Quilted Public Art Project, a national competition sponsored by Public Art Chattanooga and the Chattanooga Convention and Visitor's Bureau. The American Quilter's Society's Quilt Week begins Wednesday at the Convention Center.The American Quilter's Society kicked off one of the biggest conventions ever in Chattanooga today with hundreds of quilts - and even more displays of quilting materials, machines and other products - on display at the Chattanooga Convention Center.
The four-day Quilt Week show in Chattanooga is one of seven around the country this year sponsored by the country's biggest quilting association. The local show is expected to draw up to 12,000 quilters and guests.
"We're anticipating a very good show," said Richard Louise, chief operating officer of the American Quilter's. "This is a great facility for our show during the day and Chattanooga is a great town for our guests to do a lot at night and during their free time."
Chattanooga was picked because of its location "and frankly how nice this city has been to us," Louise said.
"It's rare that we host an event of this caliber and we're delighted to welcome this event to Chattanooga," Bob Doak, president of the Chattanooga Convention and Visitors Bureau, said at an opening ceremony this morning.
This is the first of at least three years of such conventions by the quilters in Chattanooga. Over those three years, the shows are projected to pump up to $30 million into the local economy.
The typical quilter is a 56-year-old female, but the craft attracts people of all demographic groups, Louise said.
According to a 2010 study by Quilts Inc., more than 21 million Americans are quilters and collectively they spend nearly $2.5 billion a year
Bonnie Browning, executive show director for the American Quilter's Society, said the Chattanooga show is giving $50,000 in awards to the best quilts that entered the show contest. A panel of judges Tuesday picked the winners from among entries from 38 states and five countries.
The quilter's society, which has 63,000 members, has similar shows this year in its home town of Paducah, Ky., and Phoenix, Lancaster, Pa., Charlotte, N.C., Grand Rapids, Mich., and Des Moines, Iowa.