Ohio's Amish Quilt Festival will keep patrons in stitches
Quilts like this and many more will be featured at the upcoming Ohio's Amish Quilt Festival in Mt. Hope Sept. 5-7. Included in the festivities will be a pair of nationally renowned speakers.
The second annual Ohio's Amish Country Quilt Festival will take place at the Mt. Hope Auction Event Center Sept. 5-7.
Featuring some nationally renowned speakers, interactive quilting and sewing opportunities, and more, the three days will be crammed with activities for the most avid quilters to beginners.
Co-sponsored by Miller’s Dry Goods, Lone Star Quilt Shop, Chestnut Ridge Sewing, Paw Patch Quilt Shop and Hotel Millersburg (1847 Quilt Retreat Center), the quilt show was wildly popular in year one, and coordinator Ada Miller of Lone Star Quilt Shop expects it to be even bigger this year.
“There is going to be a whole lot to do, and there are some very exciting classes and speakers who will be really interesting,” Miller said. “For us to get these two nationally known speakers to come in is going to really add a lot to the show.”
The quilt show will feature a vendor mall, quilt show featuring more than 150 quilts, an open sew, quilting classes, hand-quilting open shows, a trunk show and a couple of nationally renowned speakers. Also included will be giveaways including sewing machines and other prizes.
Two well-established pioneers in the sewing world will be on hand as the keynote speakers for the event. Rob Appell, host of “Man Sewing,” will speak on Thursday, Sept. 5 with a dinner beginning at 5:30 p.m. and his trunk show starting at 6:30 p.m.
Appell began quilting in his mother’s quilt shop in California. His wife was working on her teaching credentials, so he needed to pick up some extra hours around the shop, and when the shop started selling Pfaff machines, he became a certified technician. While he said his first quilt wasn’t much to look at, his second quilt, “The Dolphin Dance,” was a huge hit. It’s an easy strip-pieced quilt that has sold hundreds of patterns and countless kits.
After the success of that quilt, Appell began teaching himself how to quilt using traditional techniques adapted for his domestic sewing machine. He soon became known for his quilted seascapes and was lovingly referred to as “that surfer dude who quilts.” Since 2001 he has made over 200 quilts from start to finish, and he loves to take his work and build on those ideas so he can share that with as many quilters as possible.
“We invite everyone to join Rob for his entertaining trunk show, where he’ll wow us with many of his wonderful creations and the stories behind them,” Miller said.
Scott Fortunoff, president of Jaftex Corporation, which includes Henry Glass Fabrics, Studio E Fabrics, Blank Quilting Corporation, AE Nathan, Fabric Editions Inc. and Free Spirit Fabrics, will present the second meal and trunk show on Friday, Sept. 6.
Fortunoff and his family are known for their fabric companies and philanthropy. In 2017 Fortunoff started his sewing machine giveaway after forest fires were burning out of control in California and hurricanes were destroying parts of Florida and Texas.
There was so much tragedy and so many people had lost everything. For quilters and sewers, the gift of a sewing machine provided them a way to deal with the stress and to start over. Since that first giveaway in 2017, Fortunoff has sent over 125 machines to people experiencing natural disasters, illness, family deaths, abusive relationships and other maladies.
“Scott has an amazing story, and what they have done for others is inspiring,” Miller said.
Dinner and the show for each of the evening presentations is $40 per person, or the trunk show for each is available at $20.
“One of the main reasons we created this show was to not only entertain, but to teach,” Miller said. “We want sewers and quilters to see some things that help them learn something new and challenges them to get out of their comfort zone and try something new. Holmes County is such a perfect place to have something like this because the Amish community has so many experienced and talented quilters.”
The vendor mall will feature sewing and quilt businesses from all over Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania.
Classes for the event include Schoolhouse, Introduction to Paper Piecing – Mug Rug; Fearless Free Motion Quilting; Small Zippered Pouch; Three Dudes Modified; Squirrel Block; Beginner Foundation Piecing – Equinox; Teeny Tiny Collage Class; Quilting on the Half Shell; Easy Reverse Applique Project; Teeny Tiny Collage Studio Time; Miniature Punch Needle; and Fearless Free Motion Quilting – Add On.
You can sign up for any of the classes or for the dinners and trunk shows by visiting www.ohiosamishcountryquiltfestival.net.
Show hours are Thursday and Friday, Sept. 5-6 from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday, Sept. 7 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission to the show is $5 when preregistering by Sept. 4 or $7 at the door.
Mt. Hope Auction Event Center is located at 8076 state Route 241.