AQSG: Show & Tell

Up on stage, photo by Siobhan Furgurson from her Yankee Quilter blog

First, my most sincere apologies to all the people I cut in front of in line when I was brought up on stage to show my quilt during Show & Tell at the AQSG Seminar in Lincoln, Nebraska. Basically, I cut in front of the whole line, and I felt awful not waiting for my turn like everyone else. There was a little debate going on about "when Bill should go". Apparently, the news about the chintz medallion had spread, and it had already caused quite a stir. Easy to understand why.

A big line formed for Show & Tell while I was over talking to Australian quiltmaker extraordinaire Margaret McDonald. My friend Mary Bywater Cross said I should go last in Show & Tell so everyone would stick around. Another person whose name I didn't get, came up and insisted I go first because some people had to leave. When I returned to the table to pick up the quilt and saw the line, I wasn't sure what to do. I slumped down in my seat, and let the folks running Show & Tell decide what they wanted to do with me. After three people showed quilts, the Show & Tell crew waved me up on stage.

Chintz Medallion, c. 1820, Achsah Goodwin Wilkins, Baltimore, Maryland

The volunteers did their best to hold the chintz medallion, but it's not an easy task. The thing is huge! We wrestled with it for a few moments, and soon it was open so everyone could see it. I said a few words, which probably didn't sound too eloquent, and hurried off stage. Deer in the headlights. I didn't want to take up a lot of time since there were all those people waiting in line, and some were probably unhappy that I got to go ahead of them. I made my way out to the hallway, only to be followed by people who either had comments or wanted to see it up close. Eventually, I got the quilt out of the building, but missed a lot of the Show & Tell as a result. Thankfully, Siobhan got pictures!

I'll admit, originally I did want to cause a stir by sharing this quilt during Show & Tell. I just didn't realize how much of a stir it would be. The following day, I had an opportunity to share it with a small group of people who had a specific interest in it, including the Triplett sisters, Merikay Waldvogel, Debby Cooney, and Barbara Brackman. We all gathered in the Triplett's hotel room and viewed the quilt, along with two incredible chintz quilts from the Poos Collection. My quilt was so large we had to drape it over two beds. As you can tell from the picture below, I was in heaven. That's Debby in the background, with the quilt draped over her lap, looking a little dreamy-eyed.

In the end, it wasn't much ado about nothing. Just the opposite. We all believe we're looking at a quilt from the Achsah Goodwin Wilkins workshop, and that's a beautiful thing. I was thrilled to share it, even though the mayhem at Show & Tell did catch me a little off guard. Next time I go to the AQSG Seminar, I may have to keep my plans for Show & Tell a little closer to the vest. Either that, or hire bodyguards!