A quilt made by five Hoodland piecemakers will be a semifinalist at the 2022 American Quilter’s Society’s (AQS) QuiltWeek, a prestigious international quilt show with entries from 43 American states and 15 other countries. The five local quilters who will be recognized at the show for
their collaborative work on the quilt are Patricia Sharp, Charlene Opperman,
Andi Hobgood, Jean Ludeman and Darlene McKinney.

“It’s going to be pretty exciting to be there with all these amazing quilts. It’s
quite the recognition,” Ludeman said.

The 2022 AQS show will be held April 27-30 at the Schroeder Expo and Carroll
Convention Center in Paducah, Ky. The annual contest, now in its 36th year,
will feature works from 406 contestants. Awards will be given in 16 categories
along with nine overall awards. Cash prizes totaling $125,000 will be awarded.
All semi-finalist’s quilts will be displayed at the show for an audience of more
than 30,000 expected attendees.

The five found the inspiration for their quilt, titled “First Run at Timberline
Lodge,” from a watercolor painting called “First Run” by local artist Steve
Ludeman, depicting Timberline Lodge on a wintry morning.

“We’ll be able to showcase Timberline to those out in the east,” his wife, Jean,
said.

Each piecemaker created and quilted a panel, that when hung together
replicates the painting of the lodge.

The quilt is 60 inches by 43 inches with each piecemaker contributing a 12-
inch by 43-inch section in which they showcase their individual interpretation
of the painting through fabric selection and technique.

“It’s tricky getting everything to line up,” Opperman said. “I think it turned
out pretty good for five people working together on one big project.”
The five quilters met as members of the local “Piecemakers” quilting group of
approximately 20 local quilters who meet every Thursday at the Hoodland
Lutheran Church. They began working on the project in 2020 but shelved the
quilt for a period during the pandemic before rejoining and completing the
work in 2021.

“COVID kind of got in the way,” Ludeman said.
The group entered the quilt in regional shows in 2021 and won “Viewer’s
Choice” at the Columbia River Gorge Quilt Show in October 2021.

“When the quilt turned out so well, we thought we’d take a chance and submit
it for (the AQS QuiltWeek) show,” Ludeman said.

“AQS has a longstanding history of having the best of the best quilts in our
contests,” stated AQS President Bill Schroeder in a press release.
“This year’s contest is no exception, and these quilts are truly exceptional,” he
added.

Members of the group will attend the show in Kentucky and winners will be
announced at the AQS Awards Presentation on Tuesday, April 26 before the
show.

The piecemakers are looking for a permanent home for their quilt to be
displayed in the community after it is returned from Paducah.

They have not yet determined if they will collaborate on more challenging
group projects.

“Getting five people to agree on every little thing; that’s definitely working,”
Opperman said. “It’s a great group of people to work with.”
More information is available online at www.AmericanQuilter.com.