 Contributed photo.
A quilt made by five Hoodland piecemakers will be a
semifinalist at the 2022 American Quilter’s Society’s (AQS) QuiltWeek, a
prestigious international quilt show with entries from 43 American states and
15 other countries. The five local quilters who will be recognized at the show
for their collaborative work on the quilt are Patricia Sharp, Charlene
Opperman, Andi Hobgood, Jean Ludeman and Darlene McKinney.
“It’s going to be pretty exciting to be there with all these
amazing quilts. It’s quite the recognition,” Ludeman said.
The 2022 AQS show will be held April 27-30 at the Schroeder
Expo and Carroll Convention Center in Paducah, Ky. The annual contest, now in
its 36th year, will feature works from 406 contestants. Awards will be given in
16 categories along with nine overall awards. Cash prizes totaling $125,000
will be awarded. All semi-finalist’s quilts will be displayed at the show for
an audience of more than 30,000 expected attendees.
The five found the inspiration for their quilt, titled
“First Run at Timberline Lodge,” from a watercolor painting called “First Run”
by local artist Steve Ludeman, depicting Timberline Lodge on a wintry morning.
“We’ll be able to showcase Timberline to those out in the
east,” his wife, Jean, said.
Each piecemaker created and quilted a panel, that when hung
together replicates the painting of the lodge.
The quilt is 60 inches by 43 inches with each piecemaker
contributing a 12-inch by 43-inch section in which they showcase their
individual interpretation of the painting through fabric selection and
technique.
“It’s tricky getting everything to line up,” Opperman said.
“I think it turned out pretty good for five people working together on one big
project.”
The five quilters met as members of the local “Piecemakers”
quilting group of approximately 20 local quilters who meet every Thursday at
the Hoodland Lutheran Church. They began working on the project in 2020 but
shelved the quilt for a period during the pandemic before rejoining and
completing the work in 2021.
“COVID kind of got in the way,” Ludeman said.
The group entered the quilt in regional shows in 2021 and
won “Viewer’s Choice” at the Columbia River Gorge Quilt Show in October 2021.
“When the quilt turned out so well, we thought we’d take a
chance and submit it for (the AQS QuiltWeek) show,” Ludeman said.
“AQS has a longstanding history of having the best of the
best quilts in our contests,” stated AQS President Bill Schroeder in a press
release.
“This year’s contest is no exception, and these quilts are
truly exceptional,” he added.
Members of the group will attend the show in Kentucky and
winners will be announced at the AQS Awards Presentation on Tuesday, April 26
before the show.
The piecemakers are looking for a permanent home for their
quilt to be displayed in the community after it is returned from Paducah.
They have not yet determined if they will collaborate on
more challenging group projects.
“Getting five people to agree on every little thing; that’s
definitely working,” Opperman said. “It’s a great group of people to work
with.”
More information is available online at
www.AmericanQuilter.com.
By Ben Simpson/MT | 
