For many years, the Quiet Valley Quilters have hosted Bennington Quiltfest.

In addition to a display of new quilts, the Quiltfest will feature demonstrations, vendors, a consignment boutique, a basket raffle, a raffle quilt, and a special exhibit by a local quilter.

The Bennington Quiltfest is one of the area’s most popular events every year.

Lots of Exciting Quilts!

Lectures
Featured Quilter
Bennington Quiltfest Featured Quilter
Timna Tarr will be the featured quilter for the 2023 Quiltfest!

Timna Tarr comes from a long line of quilters but did not begin quilting until after studying art history in college. She bought her first longarm in 2001 and began quilting clients’ quilts shortly thereafter. Timna’s own nationally award-winning quilts are in private and corporate collections and been seen in exhibits, publications, and on The Quilt Show and Quilting Arts TV. Timna is a designer for Studio e Fabrics, the author of Stitched Photo Mosaic Quilting, and is an in-demand teacher and speaker. She lives in South Hadley, Massachusetts. Timna will be presenting two lectures over the Quiltfest weekend.

Lectures
Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023 – 1 pm
Flying Colors Trunk Show
Timna is known for making fun, colorful, award-winning quilts. Join her for a trunk show of her quilting journey. She talks about her design and color choices, as well as the personal stories behind the quilts.

Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023 – 1 pm
Before and After: Repeating Patterns
Antique and old family quilts are an important source of inspiration for quilter Timna Tarr. Join Timna for an afternoon of conversation and quilts as she shares stories and examples of how her foremothers (and forefathers!) influence the contemporary work she now creates.

Quilt Raffle
Our Current 2023 Raffle Quilt:
The drawing for the Quiet Valley Quilt Guild 2023 Raffle Quilt will occur at the end of the 2023 Bennington Quiltfest, on Sunday, September 17, 2023.

The quilt is the Stardust pattern by Daniela Stout, and is made with May Morris (daughter of William Morris) Studio fabrics by Moda that are from the Victoria and Albert Museum archives. The quilt measures 81” by 81”.

The guild’s hand quilting group cut the fabric, distributed blocks to members for sewing, assembled, and hand quilted this stunning quilt. The quilt was started in 2021 during Covid and hand quilted on Tuesday afternoons in a frame over a six-month period in a North Bennington home during 2022. It is estimated that there are 160 hours of hand quilting in this quilt.

Twenty-eight Quiet Valley Guild Members participated in the creation of this quilt.

Tickets are $1 each or 6 for $5; the drawing will be held on Sunday afternoon at 2:30.

Challenge Quilts
Each year, the Quiet Valley Quilters issue a “Challenge” to the members. Quilters are asked to design and construct a unique quilt, following the directions laid out in the Challenge. The protocols may require using a specified fabric, color, or theme. The Challenge quilts are judged for quality of the design and the technique. Ribbons and awards are given out the weekend of Bennington Quiltfest.

Our Current 2023 Quilt Challenge is "Birds of a Feather"
Birds are the inspiration for this years challenge. Any interpretation works – a literal bird or birds depicted in your piece; use of a traditional quilt block with a bird-related name; use of fabrics that have bird or bird-related images; use of a bird-related quilting design…. anything goes! Spread your “wings”, and try something you don’t usually do!

Any method or technique can be used : Piecework, applique, paper-piece, paint, fabric marker, photo-transfer, embroidery, etc, etc – as long as the medium is fabric/fiber.

Each entry should measure between 12 x 12 inch minimum and 24 x 24 inch maximum.

Vendors

Consignment Boutique

People’s Choice Awards

Special Exhibit
2023 Special Exhibit: Hoffman Challenge Quilts By Karen Pratt
Bennington Quiltfest presents 22 Hoffman Challenge Quilts created by Karen Pratt from 1997 to 2018.

Every year, Hoffman California Fabrics selects one or more fabrics and conducts a world-wide challenge to use these fabrics in a quilt, garment, or other related category. Karen used this as an opportunity to try something new each year, i.e., technique, design, textile, thread, embellishment, etc. 15 of these quilts were chosen to travel the country with one of their trunk shows.

Basket Raffle

Silent Auction Quilt
The 2023 Bennington Quiltfest silent auction quilt is the “Intermezzo” pattern by Willyne Hammerstein from her book Millefiori Quilts 3, measuring 52” by 66”. The top was hand pieced by Quiet Valley Quilters’ Guild member Judy Smith (b. 1937 d. 2022). The quilt was hand quilted by guild members that met weekly during a seven-month period between November 2022 and May 2023. There are about 250 hours of intricate hand quilting in this quilt. The quilting was challenging to do in the big frame with all of the directional changes in the motifs. In addition, the mint green fabric had a very tight weave and we even quilted in all of those tiny, little diamonds. It was well worth the effort, though. Quilted by Carolyn Reed, Cheryl King, Chickie Goodine, Pat Lafontaine, Donna Strong, Elyssa Macura, JoAnn Trinkle, Linda Toohey, and Linda Trivier in Mary Kohler’s home in North Bennington. The silent auction will close the Sunday afternoon of Quiltfest at 2:30 and the winner will be notified.

Café serving all day

Enter A Quilt Here

Date: September 16-17, 2023

Time:
Saturday 9:00-5:00 PM
Sunday 10:00-3:00 PM

Venue:
Mount Anthony Union Middle School
747 East Road
Bennington, VT 05201

Admission $10.00
Handicapped Accessible
Please wear soft-soled shoes – Our gym floor is delicate!

For more details https://quietvalleyquilters.com/bennington-quiltfest/.

Note: QVQG will comply with current COVID guidance on distancing and mask wearing.