By CHRISSY PRICHARD

Express News Staff

The 26th annual Quilts Unlimited Exhibition will open on Saturday, Oct. 13 at View in Old Forge, and will run through Dec. 2. This display of quilts is an annual favorite that transforms the gallery into a pleasant plethora of pattern and patchwork. Quilts from across the country will be hung gallery style. This competitive exhibition features both traditional and eclectic quilts and wall hangings.

Opening weekend begins with a preview reception from 5-7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 12. While viewing the quilts, reception attendees will enjoy music, light refreshments, and a variety of quilt related raffles.

Several exhibitions will open concurrently including Quilts by Mary Knapp, “Off the Hanger” mixed media fiber art by 8 That Create, Mosaic Tile Sculpture by Shelly Hamill, and Flameworked Glass Sculpture by Tina Betz.

The Quilts Unlimited awards ceremony will begin at 2 p.m. on Saturday. Over $1,800 in cash and prizes will be awarded. The Juror of Awards is national award-winning quilter Sandra Dorrbecker. The awards ceremony will be immediately followed by a fat quarter drawing. Participants will enter a 18”x22” piece of fabric, known as a fat quarter, for a chance to win them all.

View will feature vendors, demonstrations and workshops from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, and from noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Dyeing to Sew will be displaying and selling hand dyed fabrics and patterns. Sew Crazy Fabric Shop will also be on hand selling quilt related fabrics and notions.  

Three members of Eight That Create will be in attendance on Saturday and Sunday. Carol Sloan, Liz Kettle, and Jane Davila will all be demonstrating, signing their books, as well as offering workshops. Modern Day Reverse Applique with Carol Sloan will be offered from 3 to 6 p.m. on Saturday; Stampmaking For Quilters with Jane Davila will be offered from 9 a.m. to noon on Sunday; and Fabric Collage Stories or Embellish your Story with Liz Kettle will be offered from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. on Sunday.

Local demonstrators include Annette Eyre, applique; Donnie Brownsey, quilt as you go; and Sandra White, binding. Margaret Sykes will be offering a beginners quilting class, tree farm throw, from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

The much anticipated annual Quilting Lecture and Luncheon will be led this year by Mary Knapp on Saturday, beginning at 10 a.m. with the luncheon to follow. Knapp will present “Every Tree Tells a Story” in which she will discuss the design and completion of a 34-inch block with a tree motif. The tree’s diamond-shaped leaves will serve as the backdrop on which the personal touches will be added to this keepsake quilt. The quilt is designed to record history. A special acid-free pen will be used to write on the leaves, recording milestones, family histories, and memories. The quilt makes a great family keepsake or gift for a new baby, retirement, wedding, or other special occasion.

Knapp has been quilting for about 30 years. It started when her two grown sons were little and she spent a lot of time crawling around on the floor with them. She says it’s always been important to her to create quilts that can take a little abuse.

“I’ve always wanted to have good sewing techniques because most of my quilts have been made to be used—dragged around, tugged on, used to build forts, that kind of thing—so I always made sure they were well sewn.”

She describes herself as a self taught quilter, learning and honing the different required skills along the way. “I taught myself to paint and dye fabric. I taught myself to quilt,” she says. “The first few examples were pretty horrendous. I’ve refined my skills over the years.”

2001 was the first year Knapp entered a quilt in the Quilts Unlimited show. She was more than surprised when she won the Best in Show award. She has entered the show numerous times since then, and has won Best in Show in 2006 and 2007. Since entering her first show at the arts center, Knapp has taught several classes here including quilting, design, and painting, dying and marbling fabrics. As a retired biology teacher, she still enjoys teaching.

She makes her home in the Watertown area and has exhibited and taught workshops all over New York State. She has won awards in shows around New York as well as in Vermont and Kentucky.

She spends much of her summer on the St. Lawrence River, where she enjoys working on her projects outdoors as much as possible. She gets a lot of her inspiration from the outdoors, and often incorporates nature themes in her quilts. A lot of her quilts reflect nature and the time she spends doing things outside, like skiing in the winter. She also uses a lot of stars and compass-style designs in her quilting.

Knapp enjoys the many stages of quilting from design, to choosing fabrics that play off each other, to assembling the final product. She says she has many projects going at once and works on whatever phase of whatever project suits her mood at the time.

She will be exhibiting a collection of 20 of her quilts concurrently with the Quilts Unlimited show. Her quilts will be scattered throughout View and are all shapes and sizes, ranging from 11 by 22 inches to 90 by 108 inches. Many of the quilts are done in silk, which Knapp says is one of her favorite materials to work with.

About two years ago, Knapp decided she wanted to put all her designs and ideas into a book. Her book, “Star Quilts,” is due to be released by C & T Publishing this fall. The book contains designs, templates and projects, as well as tips on how to create designs of your own. The book reflects her experience over the past 30 years and includes some things she worked on here at the arts center. “Many of the items in the book were field tested at the arts center,” she said. The book is available for pre-order at www.amazon.com.

To learn more about Mary Knapp, visit www.maryknappquilts.wordpress.com. To sign up for the lecture and luncheon call (315) 369-6411, or visit View during business hours. Space is limited and pre-registration is required by Oct. 10. The cost is $15 for View members and $20 for non-members and includes exhibition admission. A supply list is available when registering.

Exhibition admission to Quilts Unlimited is $4 for View members and groups of six or more, $8 for non-members, and children under 12 are free. To learn more about the exhibition, visit www.ViewArts.org, call View at (315) 369-6411, or email info@ViewArts.org.