Free Admission!
March 22-23, 10am - 4pm
Concord Academy Gymnasium
132 Main St, Concord, MA 01742
200+ Quilts
About 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 will have 200+ 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)
Themes
Antique
Burgess Parishioners Quilt
Beverly St. Clair
This section features antique and historical quilts made from the mid-nineteenth to early twentieth. Come and see traditional techniques, quilt blocks, and patterns, and how the fabrics and designs changed over 100 years.
Traditional
Inspiration Draws from Nature's Art,
Patricia Delaney
These are modern quilts inspired by historical ones. The quilters have used traditional techniques, quilt blocks, and patterns, but many have given them a modern twist. You will see quilts made not only with reproduction fabrics or vintage color schemes, but also those created in modern palettes using novelty textiles.
Contemporary
Metamorphosis
Liza F. Carter
This category includes modern quilts with minimalist, off-grid, asymmetric, and improvisational designs. They can be abstract or pictorial. Some are two-sided or multi-dimensional. Many tell a story or deliver a personal message.
Spirit of 1775
Let It Begin Here
Rosemary Bawn
Quilters express what the Spirit of 1775 means to them. For some it is a pictorial image of a place or people—words—red, white, and blue—veterans--homesteads. Others express a sentiment such as freedom, liberty, rebellion, community, sacrifice, or self-actualization. Quilters had the opportunity to partner with the Concord Museum to feature a historical object from its collections in their quilt.
Quilts of Protest
We the People
Julie Bowden
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 address civil and human rights, women’s and LGBTQ+ issues, gun control, voting rights, racism, immigration, pollution, and climate change.
Also on Display
Comfort Quilts
Comfort quilt programs provide free quilts, teddy bears, pillows, pillowcases, and bibs to hospitals, shelters, veterans’ nursing homes, medically-supervised summer camps for children with serious illnesses, disaster-recovery sites, and other care centers. On display are some of the quilts made by members of Quilters’ Connection, Rising Star Quilters, and Concord Piecemakers for this purpose. These guilds together make and donate thousands of items each year, as do other local quilting guilds.
Quilts in Bloom
Featuring quilts paired with floral arrangements by the Concord Garden Club
Children's Activities
There will be an activity center with hands-on activities
Boutique
There will be items for sale made by members of the organizing guilds.