The Swamp Fox Quilters Guild twenty-second annual quilt exhibit opened at the Hartsville Museum with approximately 40 quilts on display. The Guild’s annual challenge has a different theme each year. This year the theme is entitled: “Lines, Triangles, and Squares, Oh My!”
Best of Show honors went to Ray Vance, of Hartsville, for her large quilt named, “Travel Across America,” which also tied for First Place for Best Pieced Quilt and Placed Second for Best Manual Machine Quilted.
The quilt is a large, modern sampler quilt featuring bright and colorful irregular blocks and many primary colors. The name, “Travel Across America,” reflects the various block’s interpretation of the lands across the United States, the great pine forests of the north west, the farm fields in the mid-west and South, the mountains and the oceans – “from sea to shining sea.”
Other award recipients include: Pam Turner, of Florence, with her quilt, “Butterflies Galore,” which earned a tie for First Place with Ms. Vance for Best Pieced Quilt; Joan Goodsell, of Darlington, took Second Place for Best Pieced, for her quilt, “Where’s The Jungle.” Both of these quilts used a single fabric, cut into intricate shapes, creating kaleidoscope designs. The fabric was covered with butterfly and tiger prints, respectively.
“Butterflies Galore,” also earned ribbons for First Place for Best Paper Pieced and Second Place for Best Hand Quilted. Second Place Best Paper Pieced went to Susan Chinich, of Florence, for her large quilt, “Storm at Sea” made with shades of blue fabric. Paper Piecing in quilting is the act of sewing the fabric sections of the quilt designs together directly onto the pattern pieces.
Best Hand Appliqué ribbons went to Gloria Griffin, of Florence, for First Place, “Gloria’s Thistle Patch,” and Lorene Bridgers Arnette, Second Place, of Dillon, for her play on the Amish style with a pastel version of the Diamond in a Square pattern, named “Amish Spring.”
Best Machine Appliqué was awarded to Beth Twedell, of Lamar, for her Wall Quilt, “American Icon,” featuring an image of a western cowboy. “American Icon” also took Second Place for Best Art Quilt, and tied for First Place for Best Mixed Techniques (appliqué and piecing). Second Place for Best Machine Appliqué went to Lauri Winburn, of Hartsville, for her quilt, “Sarah’s Magic 8 Ball.”
Also tied for First Place, Best Machine Appliqué, Carol Ann Hobbs, of Darlington, with her quilt, “Love, Japan.” Ms Hobbs used a fabric print with iconic images from Japanese culture. “Love Japan,” also was recognized for the Best Surface Design, tying for First Place with Peggy O’Quinn, of Timmonsville. Ms O’Quinn’s quilt, “Southwest Cactus Blossoms,” placed First for Best Art Quilt. Best Surface Design, Second Place went to Carol Ann Hobbs, with her quilt entitled, “Bali Bloom.” Her quilt features blocks of large, intricate flower blossoms, constructed of Indonesian Batik fabric.
Wanda Moody, of Quinby, won Second Place for Best Mixed Techniques with her miniature quilt, “Old Glory.” Ms Moody’s diminutive quilt is centered with pieced red and white stripes for the American Flag, with a primitive folk art eagle appliquéd in the upper left corner in lieu of the flag star field.
The little flag section is flanked by appliquéd blocks with folk art images of the Liberty Bell and Uncle Sam’s Top Hat. Second Place for Best Machine Appliqué went to Lauri Winburn, of Hartsville, for her Wall Quilt “Sarah’s Magic 8 Ball.” Her quilt is constructed with foundation pieced, bright, colored circles and has a scrappy double border.
Best Hand Quilted was awarded to Elaine Holmes, of Florence, for her Quilt, “Churn Dashing Logs.” She centered a split Churn Dash pattern in a Log Cabin Design. As mentioned above, “Butterflies Galore,” took Second Place for Best Hand Quilting.
First Place for Best Manual Machine Quilted was awarded to Teresa Reed, of Hartsville, for her quilt, “Turning Twenty Again.” Second Place went to Ray Vance. Manual Machine quilted means the quilter stitched the quilting design using a sit-down, domestic sewing machine, or long arm, and hand directed the machine quilting stitches.
Susan Chinich’s quilt, “Storm at Sea,” was quilted by Timi Bronson, of Hartsville, and took First Place for Best Computer Guided Machine Quilting with Second Place going to Chrystal Drummond, of Florence, for her quilt, entitled, “Mystical,” which also received a ribbon for a First Time Show Entry.
Computer guided quilting means the quilter used a programmed quilting design on her home sewing machine or long arm quilting machine. Also on exhibit is a small quilt that lists the various themes for each year the Guild has exhibited at the Museum for the past two decades. The little quilt was constructed by Ray Vance.
Other Swamp Fox Quilters with quilts in the show include: Sally Everson, Jonnie Britton, Janice Davis, Linda Smiley, Rosemary Lawson, Peggy Jones, all of Florence and Lois Susie Moody, of Quinby.
The free exhibit will be at the Hartsville Museum for the remainder of the summer. Visitors may vote on their favorite quilt, with the winner be given “The People’s Choice Award.”
The choice will be announced at the end of the summer when the show closes.
The Museum hours are 10:00 a.m to 4:00 p.m. daily, except Saturdays it closes at 2:00 p.m. The Museum is closed on Sundays. The Museum is located downtown in Hartsville, at 222 North Fifth Street.