The South Jordan Arts Council continued its tradition of encouraging artists from all over the Salt lake Valley with its annual Quilt Show.

“This is an amateur quilt show, so anyone in the state of Utah can enter,” said Katie Lindquist of the arts council. “This year, we really just have traditional and specialty category like applique and youth.”

Quilters of all ages submitted their pieces at the Gale Center of History and Culture for display until the show that was held in conjunction with the Farmer’s Market on Sept. 30. The Quilt Show is normally held outside for passersby to see, but the downpouring of rain made it necessary to move the pieces inside City Hall, causing those in charge to scramble to get things set up, said Lindquist. Categories generally include People’s Choice, Specialty, Traditionally Pieced, Original and Youth for 17 and under.

Sherry Cook was one attendee who began quilting when her mother taught her when she was 10 years old. Fifty years later, she is still making them and came to see the hand-sewn pieces. 

“There’s beautiful quilts, but to me, a true quilt is hand quilted,” said Cook. “I love the quilt show.”

Beth Belt comes to the Farmer’s Market every week and not only brought two quilts to show, one of which won third place, but also recruited a few friends to participate who didn’t know the show existed. 

“Our grandmothers and our grandmothers’ grandmothers quilted,” said Belt. “There are great quilts, and I love to see what people are willing to spend time to put together.”

Belt said she mostly does the piecing and applique work on her quilts and then has someone else complete the sewing. She was excited for the youth pieces that had been submitted to the Quilt Show this year. 

“It’s unbelievable. I’m so impressed with the youth pieces that have been put in,” said Belt. “They’re wonderful.”

The first-place winner in the youth category for submitters under 17 years old was 12-year-old Kate Miller from Cottonwood Heights. Miller’s quilt took her a year to make and finished about a week before the show. 

“My favorite part was finally finishing the quilt,” said Miller, who knew she wanted to use sunset colors but took awhile to decide exactly how it should look. “It was pretty exciting, I was really happy because I took so long in that quilt.”

Miller also likes to draw and does ceramics at her school and began making quilts two years ago when her grandmother, who lives in South Jordan, started teaching her. Miller has entered the Quilt Show ever since and said her family, especially her grandmother, was happy when she got first place. She plans to continue creating quilts and entering them in art shows in the future. 

“Once you start, just don’t stop,” said Miller. “We thought about stopping just because it was taking so long, but it was totally worth it at the end.” 

The first-place award in specialty categories went to Eva Ross for a hand-sewn map of Route 66 that delighted many. 

Lindquist said now that the Quilt Show is running into its second decade, arts council members are hoping to expand it into more a festival feel, perhaps combining it with the Chalk Art Festival and other events that normally coincide with the Farmer’s Market. 

At one point, arts council members taught three-night quilting workshops, and they’re hoping to bring that back. With much of the expanding and switching programs and how events are done around, it’s probable that some events will be getting a complete makeover. 

“Next year, we want to add other textile arts like knitting, crochet and other stuff like that,” said Linquist, who hopes that will help expand the interest from local artists.