12-03-2025
Quilters unite in Branson for national Quilt Week event
BRANSON, Mo. — Quilters from the Ozarks and beyond will be gathering in Branson over the next few days for the American Quilters Society's Quilt Week. The show at the Branson Convention Center is one of five AQS shows across the nation this year.
Michelle Renne Hiatt is the Executive Show Director with AQS. She says in this day and age, quilts are more than just functional; they're actually art.
The quilt show features hundreds of quilts on display. Some quilts are competing for $54,000 in cash awards, including a $10,000 prize for best in show. Others are part of themed displays like the AQS Creativity Challenge and museum pieces on a trip away from home like Two of Us: Quilts by Pat Holly & Sue Nickels.
In addition to the quilts on display, there's also a merchant mall filled with quilting supplies and machines for sale. Some of the vendors are local nonprofits. Ryan's Pillowcases for Smiles has a sit-and-sew booth where attendees can help make pillowcases that will be donated to help with the stress and emotional impact of illness on children.
Attendees can also participate in classes. One of the classes will be taught by young quilter Lorelei Kuecker. She has been sewing since she was 5-years-old and found a passion for long-arm quilting.
'When I found quilting, I found a box of scraps that my great-great-grandmother had cut,' Kuecker said. 'I decided this was kind of my chance to branch off on my own and do what I love which is sewing but do it on my own and that's where quilting came from.'
Kuecker has two of her pieces of quilted art on display and is even wearing a quilted dress she made herself. Kuecker says her pieces can take months to complete and she loves being a part of the quilting community. She says her hobby has now become her career with her business Pigs in a Blanket Quilting.
'I love meeting all the different quilters that come to the shows, sometimes just standing in front of my quilt all day people come to visit,' Kuecker said. 'It's just the people in this industry it's so much fun.'
This is the fourth year the AQS has held a show in Branson, and Hiatt tells me this is a unique opportunity for quilters from all over to meet.
'Some of them will meet their new bestie in that class that they never knew could be halfway across the country, but then they'll start going to events together, so the quilting community is just a fabulous experience overall
The AQS Quilt show is from Wednesday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information about tickets, classes, and joining AQS you can visit their website.
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