Hey stitchers, welcome back from the weekend! After hiding inside from yet another three day long winter storm, I was about to come on and report that it’s finally done snowing here in eastern WI… BUT looking out the window just now I realized that I can’t say that quite yet, as we still have a few stubborn flurries floating around out there. The good news is that the brunt of the storm is past, so road crews should have things pretty much cleaned up by the end of the day. All in all, I think we got about 10″ between Friday evening and now – an impressive dump that I would have preferred to have seen much earlier in the season. As usual, Mother Nature can’t seem to decide what she wants so we’ll just have to go with the flow since there’s obviously no sense in arguing with that woman. I’m trying to look on the bright side of the situation… Being stuck inside is never bad when you’re a quilter. It’s easy to embrace being “forced” into my sewing room to wait out the storm. There’s no better time to get things done!

Hey, speaking of decisiveness (or lack there of), have you decided on which quilt to enter into the 2023 Primitive Gatherings Red, White, & Green Quilt Show? I know many of you are excited to start planning and working on your entry for our second annual holiday quilt show at The Gathering, so I wanted to take some time today to explain the rules and requirements this year, especially since we’ve made a few important changes to the way we did things during our last show.

This time around we decided to kick it up a notch and go with an extra color in the mix by adding green. Though you typically think Christmas when you hear red, white, and green, this color combination actually has no connection with Christmas at all when it comes to where it originated in quilting. Historically, the red and green quilt phenomenon began in the mid 1800’s – a time when dyes were mostly made from plants, causing them to be unreliable. Some plant dyes were better than others, including reds and greens which made them more popular choices. Red and green quilts were usually made for a special person or occasion and usually synonymous with appliqué. Reason being is because this type of quilting required sophisticated sewing skills in order to apply appliqué and a huge time commitment. Designs included many red and green floral elements on white backgrounds, often featuring fancy patterns like wreaths, leaves, and stems. Receiving one was a huge honor.

Do you have any red, white, and green quilts in your collection? If not, now’s the perfect time to change that! Whether you want to go with a full size quilt or a mini, you really can’t go wrong. There are so many beautiful patterns out there that could be used for this show, I feel like the possibilities are truly endless! Here are the category options…

CATEGORIES: Commercial Design – 30″ and above, Original Design – 30″ and above, Mini Quilt – 30″ and below. It doesn’t matter if your quilt is appliqué, pieced, or a combo. Anything goes as long as it’s red, green, and white, or close shades of those two colors (cream and dark reds are acceptable for example, turquoise, purple, and blue is not – if you are unsure if a color is acceptable please feel free to call the shop to double check. Quilts that do not fulfill color requirements will not be admitted into the show). Prints, solids, and wool can all be used as well. The sky is the limit as long as the quilt is done in reds, whites, and greens!

WHAT DOES THE REGISTRATION FEE INCLUDE? The $35.00 registration fee covers entry into the 2023 Primitive Gatherings Red, White, & Green Quilt Show, one complimentary 2023 Red, White, and Green Quilt Show sticker, one Joyful Gatherings 5″ Charm Pack (your sticker and charm pack will be mailed to you along with your quilt when it is returned after the show), return shipping and handling of your quilt after the show is complete, and show operation overall (one quilt entry per person please!).

WHAT CAN YOU WIN? Cash and prizes of course!!! Exact prizes are still pending at this time. I’m working hard to get some sponsorship from the big companies I work with, like Moda, Bernina, Juki, Martingale, Riley Blake, Free Spirit, and Checker to name a few. I’m doing my best to get the best prizes that I can for this event! Don’t worry – it’ll be worth it. Just ask the prize winner’s from last year’s show!

WHAT ARE THE RULES? Now for all the fun stuff…

• The show is open to all who have a confirmed Red, White, & Green Quilt Show registration.
• ENTRANCE FEE = $35.00 – Fee includes your entry into the show, one exclusive show sticker, one Joyful Gatherings 5” Charm Pack, return shipping and handling of your quilt, and overall show operation. NOTE: Your sticker and 5” Charm Pack will be shipped to you at the end of the show along with your quilt.
• Only one quilt entry allowed per person.
• Completed submission including photos and signed documents must be received at Primitive Gatherings by October 31st, 2023.
• It is the responsibility of the entrant to insure and ship their quilt to Primitive Gatherings by October 31st,
• 2023 using the provided mailing label. Please do not ship your quilt sooner than October 1st, 2023 – we do not have the storage space before then.
• Primitive Gatherings will be responsible for shipping your quilt entry back to you. Insurance on the package will be determined by the size of the quilt, up to $500. If you would like to add additional insurance on your quilt, you are responsible for any additional shipping or insurance costs.
• A clear photograph of your quilt is required to enter for identification and display purposes. Please include it in the package with your quilt. Entry into the show automatically grants permission for any and all images of the quilts and/or all parts of the artist’s statement regarding the quilt to be used by Primitive Gatherings in any and all media productions for this exhibit. *Photo can be on regular copy paper.
• The quilt artist retains all copyrights to the quilt and will be credited for any usage of its likeness by Primitive Gatherings. No compensation will be granted to the entrant/copyright holder for the use of the quilt, or images of the quilt in any promotional materials.
• Quilts will be hung and displayed at The Gathering from November 16th through December 22nd, 2023. They will also be displayed online via our social media platforms after the show is complete.
• Quilts will be returned after January 15th, 2024. This will allow time for the mail system to settle down after the holidays. It also gives us time to disassemble the show and mail your quilt back to you in a timely manner.

DESIGN RULES:

• Commercial patterns will be accepted as long as you give credit to the designer by including their name and the name of the pattern you used.
• If any part of your quilt was from another quilter’s design, or was inspired by another quilter’s design, please include the designer’s name, the name of the pattern, and what part you sampled from the piece.
• If you have paid the entrance fee and fail to submit your quilt for the show, you therefore forfeit your rights to the sticker and 5” Charm Pack included in the fee. Unused show fees will be donated to charity.

SIZING AND CONSTRUCTION:

• Each entry must have a 4” finished sleeve on the top back of the quilt, securely stitched on both the bottom and top edges.
• Each entry must also include a permanent identification label attached to the bottom, left-hand corner with entrant’s name, the name of the quilt, and the entrant’s address and email address.
• Quilts of all sizes are eligible for this show.
• Primitive Gatherings reserves the right to disqualify entries if they do not meet the show criteria including but not limited to size, specific category, or color of fabrics used.
• Please remember to complete our, “Red, White, & Green Quilt Show Entry Checklist” before sending in your quilt (included in the information packet you receive at registration)!

Whew! I think that about covers it! I know that was a lot of information but I have been getting a lot of requests to elaborate on the details of the show and I wanted to make sure everyone is on the same page! If you have questions or are still contemplating all the reasons to participate in the Red, White, & Green Quilt Show, please feel free to call the shop at 920-722-7233 and we’ll be happy to help you get it sorted out!

Ready to get registered for the 2023 Primitive Gatherings Red, White, & Green Quilt Show? All you have to do is click the pretty little button below! Once the Red, White, & Green Quilt Show icon comes up on our website, simply hit “add to cart” and then head to checkout (unless you’re still shopping, of course).  Once your $35.00 registration fee is processed you will receive your registration packet in the “downloads” area of your PG account when it is available. PLEASE NOTE: Because of the way our system works we have to process each registration order by hand before it downloads, which means it will not available immediately. That being said, if you register after hours you won’t receive confirmation and your packet in your downloads area until we are back in the store to push it through. I’m sorry for the pain – I blame it on the pesky website situation!!!

For more on the Red, White, & Green Quilt Show, plus any shop news, announcements, and if we’re lucky enough… a sit down talk with none other than Sue Spargo, who has been gracing us with her presence over at The Gathering since last week, tune into STITCH with Lisa Bongean this Thursday at 1:00 p.m. by hitting the STITCH button below!. For those of you who don’t know, Sue is an extremely talented fiber artist known for quilting, layering, and embroidering. She uses market wools saturated in bright colors along with multi-medium layering and embroidery to create textural depth and dimension that is truly unique. Sue also offers a variety of quality notions, tools, fabrics, speciality wools, a vast collection of embroidery threads, technique and pattern books, and kits at her online shop, suespargo.com. Check it out by clicking HERE! I’ll warn you now… You’re going to want everything you see! See you Thursday! ~Lisa