2024 Quilt Show

July 27-28, 2024 - Morris Lawrence Building, Washtenaw Community College

Flyer for GAAQG 2024 Quilt Show showing a kaleidoscope quilt design

“Celebrate Our Quilts ” showcases our members’ creativity to the public by featuring more than 200 quilted works and special exhibits.

See the show at the Morris Lawrence Building on the Washtenaw Community College campus in Ann Arbor. 

Visit vendors, enter for a chance to win door prizes, and shop at the GAAQG Gift Shop.

The GAAQG Gift Shop is stocked with member-made items. Shop for holiday gifts in July!

Our popular quilt sale is also back, with all proceeds supporting SafeHouse Center.

Our biennial show is non-juried, celebrating skills ranging from beginner through expert. 

We invite the public to vote for their favorite quilts. “Viewers Choice” ribbons are announced at the end of the show and posted on our website.

More than 1300 visitors attended our 17th biennial 2022 quilt show. 

2024 Special Exhibits

Over many years, a popular feature of our GAAQG Quilt Shows has been the Special Exhibits.  These have ranged from a solo exhibit by Pat Nichols to multiple themed exhibitions sponsored by GAAQG Small Groups. 

Because of the large size of our guild (around 250 members), there are several Small Groups of 5 to 25+ members, formed either by a particular quilting interest or within a specific geographic area. 

This year we combine both a solo exhibit by guild member and nationally known textile artist Debbie Grifka, with challenges sponsored by five of our Small Groups. We hope you will enjoy the variety of exhibits by our creative members!

 

Book Club Challenge

Sponsored by the Book Club Small Group

Each entry must have a book theme, either including a book in the design or is an actual book.  Any size, shape from a pincushion to a triptych, is acceptable so long as it’s three layers sewn together, i.e., an actual quilt.

Quilted Book with button fastener in peachy color
2024 Book Challenge - Quilted Book by Sheryl Beal

Hand of the Maker

Sponsored by Creative Seasons Small Group

 Members were challenged to design original art quilts that in some way signified ‘hand crafted’ pieces in their personal styles.  Some incorporated their own hands or those of family or friends, others interpreted the challenge in creative ways.

Quilt with hand holding needle and thread working on a complex quilt square
The Makers Hand by Connie Cool

Patterns of Making

By Debbie Grifka

A series of twelve art quilts, each 30″ square.  The titles range from “Focus” and “On Solid Ground” to “Frustrated” and “Dry Spell.”

 

Patterns of Making by Debbie Grifka

The Bilious Green Fight

Sponsored by Knot Even Quilters Small Group

Ann Stamm Merrell was a fiber artist who fought a hard battle against cancer and came to regard ‘bilious green’ as a symbol of her fight. We challenged ourselves to use some of that color in our final pieces by selecting bits and pieces from the leftovers of her textile art. This challenge is a bridge to honor those who built textile art before us and gave us a base upon which we will continue to grow our art.

modern style quilts with black rectangles and perspective lines
Bilious Green Challenge Quilt by Deb Spring

Ugly Fabric Challenge

Sponsored by 8-Mile Radius Small Group

Members exchanged fabrics that we considered “Ugly.” Of course, like “Beauty,” “Ugly” lies in the eye of the beholder.  We then had to make a quilt using those fabrics.  The resulting quilts were very different.

Quilt with vibrant appliqué flowers in a vase
Ugly Fabric Challenge Quilt by Pat Weber

Whisper Challenge

Sponsored by Design Conversations Small Group

 This ‘challenge’ is well-known by a variety of names.  The first member designs an art quilt measuring 18” x 30” and secretly passes it on to the next person.  They identify one or more aspects (colors, objects, theme, etc.) that inspire their own design within the same size parameters, either vertical or horizontal. Then they secretly pass their quilt on to the next member.  The final group results are surprising