This is one quilting show you won’t want to miss, offers something for everyone

By LOIS KINDLE

LOIS KINDLE PHOTO
Sun City Center residents Nan Ryan, left, Marcia Morris and Sheila Weidel, shown here with samples of quilts they entered last year, will show again this year at the 2018 Harvest of Quilts: A Symphony of Colors Oct. 12 and 13 at The Regent in Riverview. The event will be presented by the Piecemakers Quilt Guild of Brandon.

If you’re into quilting or simply enjoy looking at or owning quilts, an upcoming event in Riverview was organized with you in mind.

“The 2018 Harvest of Quilts: A Symphony of Colors” is aptly named for the show’s main attraction and a wide array of quilt-related activities sure to please anyone who attends.

Presented by the Piecemakers Quilt Guild of Brandon, the two-day event will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 12, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 13 at The Regent, 6437 Watson Road, off Bloomingdale Avenue behind Winthrop Plaza.

Guild members Nan Ryan, Marcia Morris and Sheila Weidel, Sun City Center residents and affiliates of the Sun City Center Sew ’N Sews, are representing South Shore in the show.

“The community will be inspired by what our guild members have produced,” said Ryan, publicity chairwoman for the event. “And by being there, some of the people who come may very well be inspired to consider joining a guild and learning how to quilt.”

Morris agreed. 

“Trends in quilting have been refreshing,” she said. “There are now so many modern adaptations to traditional patterns and so much talent among members of the guild. We think people will be amazed.” 

The 2018 Harvest of Quilts: A Symphony of Colors will include 116 juried quilts of all sizes that were handcrafted, machine-crafted or made through a combination of both techniques by guild members. Each will be reviewed by certified judge Katharine Stubbs Ward, who will hand out ribbons to the winners. Celebrity judge Linda Hall, an accomplished quilter and violinist from The Florida Orchestra, will be on hand Saturday morning to select her favorite from all the quilts. Some of the quilts will be available for purchase.

In addition to the quilt showcase, other interesting elements of the event include:

• The Upbeat Boutique, a display of $11,000 worth of handcrafted merchandise to be sold by members. Among these items will be purses, tote bags, microwave bowls, clothesline rope bowls, whitewashed furniture and more.

SHEILA WEIDEL PHOTO
Sun City Center Sew ’N Sews members Kim Brewer, left, Mary Kovalovsky and Diane Skillman sell Opportunity Quilt tickets at a recent quilt expo. Tickets will also be sold at the upcoming 2018 Harvest of Quilts event for $1 each, and the winner will be announced Saturday afternoon Oct 13.

• Beethoven’s Bookstore, an array of used quilting or sewing books and patterns any quilter or seamstress might want for their home libraries. 

• A Rhapsody Basket Drawing, featuring a variety of themed baskets will be raffled. Proceeds will go to the Brandon Outreach Clinic, the guild’s charity of choice this year. Tickets may be purchased at the event and deposited in a container beside any basket visitors want to win. 

• The Petite Ensemble Silent Auction will include 50, mostly 30-inch by 30-inch quilts, 25 to be auctioned each day.

• Mozart’s Vendor Marketplace, where about 15 quilting industry representatives will display products and sell merchandise to quilters and visitors alike.

• The Electric Dresden Opportunity Quilt, a king-sized, modern quilt of bright fabrics will be awarded to one lucky ticket holder on Saturday afternoon. There’s no need to be present to win. The $1 tickets will be available at the show.

In addition, the event’s major sponsor, Inspire! Quilting & Sewing, of Plant City, has donated a sewing machine for someone to win.

Admission to the 2018 Harvest of Quilts: A Symphony of Colors is $8 daily or $12 for a two-day pass. Kids 12 and younger get in free, and there’s no charge for parking.

Quilting is for people of all ages. In fact, members of the Piecemakers Quilt Guild of Brandon range in age from 20 to 80. Its meetings take place the second Monday of every month at New Hope United Methodist Church, 120 Knights Ave. N., Brandon, at 6:45 p.m. Social time is 45 minutes beforehand. 

For more information on the show or the guild, visit www.brandonquiltguild.com.

SHEILA WEIDEL PHOTO
Fifty small quilts like this one, mostly 30-inch by 30-inch in size, will be auctioned off at the 2018 Harvest of Quilts: A Symphony of Colors Oct. 12 and 13.

LOIS KINDLE PHOTO
Fifty small quilts like this one, mostly 30-inch by 30-inch in size, will be auctioned off at the 2018 Harvest of Quilts: A Symphony of Colors Oct. 12 and 13.

LOIS KINDLE PHOTO
Items like these and more will sold in the event’s Upbeat Boutique, a display of $11,000 worth of handcrafted merchandise.