It's been a busy spring and summer for quilters in Southern Colorado. The Pride City Quilt Guild of Pueblo, CO, held their 2nd Annual Southern Colorado Regional Quilt Show this past March 31 - April 2, in the High Vista Gallery at the El Pueblo History Museum. The event  featured locally made quilts from ten Southern Colorado quilt guilds, and--as an added bonus--visitors were offered the opportunity to have their heirloom and antique quilts documented by the Museum.

The show was even larger than last year, with over 100 quilts displayed--so many that they spilled out of the main gallery into several adjacent meeting rooms. The featured quilter was Scarlett Rae vonBernuth, who died in January 2011. Scarlett was a master quilter whose quilts won numerous awards at many quilt shows.  “Scrap quilts are my favorite because I always use odds and ends of fabric,” Scarlett was known to say.

Across the street, at the Pueblo Convention Center, The Quilt & Stitch Expo held their (9th!) annual event as well. The Expo indluded 57 vendors from such states as Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Indiana, Kansas, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, and Wisconsin selling fabric, patterns, beads, yarn, various crafts, related gifts, and sewing machines. Numerous 1 1/2-hour classes were also available, and an additional highlight was the exhibit of wallhangings from the national Hoffman Challenge.

In June, the Heart of Colorado Shop Hop featured seven different Southern Colorado quilt stores. Participating quilt shops even printed special fabric for the event!

Next year, the 3rd Annual Southern Colorado Regional Quilt Show will be held a week later than usual, April 12 - 14, 2012, with the 10th annual Expo to follow on April 13 - 14. Mark your calendar now so you don't miss another fun-filled, all-quilts weekend in Pueblo, CO.

PS: I was honored to be a monthly presenter this year for the Pride City guild, teaching them how to photograph their own quilts, and was impressed with the large membership and the quality of their design work.

by Gregory Case (AKA Photo Man)