CREEDE — The Creede Underground Community Center was transformed this past weekend into a quilter’s paradise as more than 120 quilts graced the halls and walls of the center. This was the 10th anniversary of the Silver Thread Quilt Guild bi-annual quilt show and was dubbed the Amethyst Anniversary.
For 10 years, this show has brought quilters from all experience levels, locations, and backgrounds together for one purpose — to share their love of quilting with those who appreciate the art. The group also makes donations to several charities and organizations.
Throughout the year, the guild holds a raffle for one of their projects and this year, the “Dinner Plate Dahlia” was the stunning result of their effort. The beautifully crafted quilt took around 400 hours to complete and was passed from member to member, each one finishing a portion of the quilt. According to the guild, “The quilt was pieced together by Beth Kendall and Penny Snyder and quilted by Diane Singer.”
Revenue from ticket sales for the raffle allows the guild to fund many community projects, which include the Mineral County Fire Department, local food banks, quilts for Veterans at Homelake and charities both locally and in the county. The black and white masterpiece was on display front and center and this year’s raffle winner was Yvonne Gleason from Salida.
In addition to the raffle quilt, this year’s Best of Show was the quilt “Over the Top” made by Debbie Miller and quilted by Sue Williams. Miller spoke about her journey while making the quilt stating that though she was hesitant at first, once the quilt was finished, she was so glad she started.
“I started with my favorite block,” Miller said. “I had had the idea for many years, and I finally got to the point a year ago that I thought I would just start and see where it went. Once the first block was finished, I chose my next favorite and it just went on from there.”
Miller finished the quilt a year later and decided to enter it into the show.
“I stitched a lot of it by hand and the process was really wonderful,” Miller said. “I was so happy to enter it into the show and now I just have to take the time to decide what I want to do with it.”
The show also featured an antique bed-turning program that showed participants how to properly turn a bed like people used to do years ago.
“It really was a fantastic program, and I never knew how much of an art form it was to turn a bed. They really did do things so much more beautifully back then,” said Rylynn Marks of New Mexico.
The show featured several antique quilts that were donated by area museums, including one from the Rio Grande County Museum titled the “Crazy Quilt” from the late 1800s. This quilt was donated from the Wetherill family many years ago and is one of the best-preserved quilts at the Rio Grande County Museum.
