Do you love quilting and bluegrass music? All next week, during the Susanville Bluegrass Festival, the Lassen County Fairgrounds will play host to a group of enthusiastic quilters who soak up the atmosphere while creating works of art with sewing machines and fabric.
The popular annual quilter’s enclave starts at 9:00a.m. each morning beginning Monday and is held in the large air-conditioned commercial building at the fairgrounds – just perfect for a week of quilting.
Marilyn Sue Chapman, one of the event organizers, explains that while many bluegrass festivals have quilting rooms available, popular opinion is that Susanville’s is the best around.
Along with air-conditioning the fairgrounds also provides sewing tables, chairs and piped in bluegrass music! Quilters arrive with their machines and assorted paraphernalia and ‘quilt the days away.’
According to Chapman there are often 20 or so quilters that sew all week long, and local quilters are welcome to come quilt for a day or for the entire week.
“Entrance to the fairgrounds is free Monday through Thursday,” explains Chapman. “Once the music begins, participants must purchase tickets to the Festival to continue quilting through Sunday.”
This year, Laura Roberts at Country Pines Quilt Shop will be hosting a challenge called ‘Tuttie Fruitie.’ The challenge is to construct a quilt of any size using at least 50% printed food fabric. Quilters are to have their quilts to her shop or the fairgrounds by Thursday, June 25th. The Festival attendees will vote for their favorite quilt and prizes will be awarded Sunday morning.
Two opportunity quilts will be there also – the Susanville Youth Symphony quilt and one from the Bluegrass Quilters that is made of blocks constructed by its members all over the state.
For more information about the week of quilting call the Lassen County Fairgrounds at 251.8900.
