The Show

Quilts 250: Stitching in the Spirit of Democracy is a free, public quilt show organized in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolutionary events of April 19, 1775 along Battle Road in Lincoln, Concord, Lexington, and Arlington, Massachusetts. Showcasing the creative energy of quilters near and far, Quilts 250 hopes to display as many as 250 quilts that visually express through fabric and thread themes related to our country’s founding and evolution and the dynamic range of quilting arts in the last 250 years.

The show is sponsored by Concord 250 Celebrations Committee and is organized by the Concord Piecemakers, Quilters’ Connection, and Rising Star Quilters Guild.

Please tell all your friends and family to attend this spectacular show!

Download a flyer to share. (pdf)

For more information contact quilts250@quiltersconnection.org

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Planned Events

• Quilt show with special themes and challenges
• Speakers Gerald Roy, quilt historian and collector, and Jennifer Swope, MFA curator of textiles, will trace the historical underpinnings of the quilt movement in this country
• Hands-on activities for children

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Themes and “Shows within the Show”

The Spirit of 1775

What does the Spirit of 1775 mean to you? It could be a pictorial image of a place or people or maps or words or red, white, and blue or veterans. It could express a sentiment such as freedom, liberty, rebellion, community, sacrifice, or self-actualization. All interpretations are welcome.

Click here to view a few objects from the Revolutionary War Collection at the Concord Musem to spark your imagination for creating a Spirit of 1775 themed quilt.

Antique, Antique-Inspired, and Traditional Quilts

This section will feature historical quilts and modern versions inspired by them. These may include quilts using traditional techniques, quilt blocks, and patterns made with reproduction fabrics or vintage color schemes, as well as those made with fabric or other media (e.g., wood, paper) using modern palettes. Antique quilts submitted may include any made in the 19th and 20th centuries up through the US Bicentennial of 1976.

Quilts of Protest

The soft medium of a quilt can be a loud expression of an artist’s feelings about hard, conflictual issues within our society. Quilts in this category might address civil and human rights, women’s and LGBTQ+ issues, domestic abuse, gun control, racism, immigration, pollution, climate change, etc. If it’s important to you, we want to share your quilted expression.

Contemporary Quilts

This category includes modern quilts with minimalist, off-grid, asymmetric, and improvisational designs. They can be abstract or pictorial.

Student Quilts and Fiber Arts

Students, this space is for you! Are you studying fiber arts and quilting? Let us share your work.

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CALLING ALL QUILTERS!

Are you a quilter who would like to participate in Quilts 250? We want your best quilts!

No cut-off date for when you made it. No need to be part of a local quilt guild. No limit on the number of quilts you may enter, but we ask you to rank them in order of preference so that we can select from your submissions in order to accommodate greater participation by others and balance out the show. No fees for submission.

Download the Call for Entries. (pdf)

Entry Rules

Deadline for Submission: January 15, 2025

But don’t wait! We’d love to see your quilts now in order to start visualizing the show.

Registration Now Open

Jurying

Quilts will be lightly juried by the organizing committee to ensure the quality and variety of accepted quilts. Quilts deemed to be offensive will be turned away.

Maximum size: 90 x 90 inches for a single quilt.

Diptychs and Triptychs will be considered one entry and cannot exceed 90”x90” hanging together. No framed quilts will be accepted. Two-sided quilts, 3-dimensional quilts, and garments may be entered.

Hanging Sleeve

Hanging sleeve required, at least 4 inches deep. A hanging slat may also be required. If one is needed, you will be notified and given instructions.

Expectation for Volunteering.

It is expected that everyone who has a quilt accepted to the show will volunteer in some capacity before or during the show. Jobs such as promotion, publicity, jurying, and layout can be done in advance, where as installation and take down, hostessing, and such are jobs during the event. A volunteer form will be created this fall.

Instructions for Entering a Quilt

Please submit a separate form for each quilt you are entering. You may enter as many as you wish, but you will be asked to rank them by preference. If we have too many entries, we will delete from the bottom of your list to enable more quilters to participate.

Have ready to upload 2-3 digital photographs of your quilt: a full front view, a detail, and an additional view (if your quilt is 2-sided, 3-dimensional, or a garment).

Allowed file types:

jpg, jpeg, png, pdf

Image size: 5 MB or less

Note: Prior to uploading your images, you need to rename them on your storage device. If you have difficulties in uploading images, see the troubleshooting section below.

Rename the images on your storage device following this naming format:

Full view		LastNameFirstName_ShortTitle_full
Detail		LastNameFirstName_ShortTitle_detail
Additional		LastNameFirstName_ShortTitle_add

For example: SmithMary_FlowerPower_full.jpg

For untitled pieces, please give them a number and use Untitled# as the ShortTitle. (This is only to avoid duplicate file names. Your quilt labels will remain Untitled without the number, unless you specify that the number is part of your title.)

For example: SmithMary_Untitled2_full.jpg

Photography Rights and Concord Academy Liability Waiver and Expectation for Volunteering. The entry form will include this statement for your signature:

I agree to allow Concord 250 to use a photo of my quilt in print or on the internet.

I understand that every effort will be made by Concord 250 to ensure safekeeping of my quilt listed above. I also understand that neither Concord 250 or Concord Academy is liable in the event of damage or loss of my quilt.

I understand that there is an expectation that I will volunteer to help with the show in some capacity before or during the event, if my quilt is accepted.

Quilt Entry Form

Preferred Form

Use this ENTRY FORM link to bring up the online entry form. You will need a Google account to fill out this form. If you do not have an account, you will have the option to create one to enter the form. You will be able to upload your images through the form. Once you have succesfully submitted your entry form, you will receive an email confirmation. It will allow you to review your entry and have a link to enable you to fix any problems.

If your images won't upload:

• Depending on your device, browser, or internet connection, large images may not upload. If you are having difficulties, try reducing the file size.
• Images stored in the cloud may not upload. Try uploading from a device where the image is stored locally.
• Note that images taken on an Apple device such as a phone or tablet may be saved as HEIC format. This is proprietary to Apple and is not an acceptable format. Try following the instructions here to save your images in an acceptable format.
• Try filling out the form and uploading your images from a laptop.

Alternate Form not Requiring a Google Account

Deadline for requesting alternate form: December 31, 2024

Send an email to quilts250@quiltersconnection.org requesting a link to a form that does not require a Google account. Attach images of your quilt to your email, following the instructions above for naming your images, etc. You will be sent an email containing a registration ID and a link to a form which does not require a Google account to access. Please allow 3-4 days to receive your link and be sure to check your spam folder.

You will need to enter your registration ID and the names of the images you sent in your initial email into this form. Once you have successfully submitted your entry form, you will receive an email confirmation at the email address you put into the form. Be sure to double check that your email address is correctly entered into the form.

Questions?

Please contact quilts250@quiltersconnection.org.

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