Last Saturday several members participation in the Trail of Quilts quilt show held at Frontenac State Park. It was a gorgeous day for all the quilts to be hung along a trail. Over 2000 people attended this show. Two of our members won top awards! If you would like to see all the quilts go to their website and click onto the bright green quilt to see all of the quilts. There were so many quilts that there are two links there.
Ranger’s Choice Award: A Slice of the Prairie
Pieced, quilted and design by Marge Kaufer, Zumbrota
There were many wonderful quilts on display, and selecting just one was no easy task. In the end, the rangers agreed that this quilt captured the spirit of the prairie most beautifully. The importance of deep and enduring roots to the health of prairie ecosystems cannot be overstated, and the thoughtful inclusion of the distinct belowground layer brings that hidden foundation vividly to life. The rich variety of flowers, plants, and insects Marge incorporated throughout the piece serves as a striking tribute to the diversity and vitality found within our prairies. Beautifully conceived and wonderfully executed—excellent work!
Outstanding Artistic Merit Award: Where Fire Breathes the Prairie Awakes
Pieced and design by Sandy Siewert, Zumbro Falls, Quilted by Lorrie Sonnek, Red Wing
The first thing that many of us notice from afar about a prairie fire is a large pall of smoke hanging heavily over the landscape. The initial response is often worry. Oh no, what’s burning down? Siewert captures some of this angst in the dirty yellow-gray sky of her quilt. Remarkably, she attained this coloration by dyeing her fabric with dirty snow! The middle ground provides no relief with a treeline of black, burned out trees and ashen gray landscape. Again, this is often the response to an actual prescribed burn. It looks bleak, almost lunar with none of the green and floral colors we associate with healthy prairies. In time, however, often within a matter of days, fresh green shoots appear, and new growth begins. The foreground of Siewert’s quilt might represent the actual flames of a prescribed prairie burn, but surely it also conjures the soon-to-come transformation to a riot of fresh flora and darting wildlife, which have been “awakened.” Bravo.
