'Land That I Love': Yuba-Sutter Valley Quilt Guild hosts annual fundraiser

Shamaya Sutton, Appeal-Democrat, Marysville, Calif.
·3 min read

Mar. 7—The Yuba-Sutter Valley Quilt Guild will be hosting its 40th annual Quilt Show this weekend at the Yuba Sutter Fairgrounds in Yuba City. The show will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and again from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

This year's theme, "Land That I Love," falls into the "red, white, and blue" category with quilts that represent national pride and those that honor military veterans.

"I love being able to share with the community the talents of our guild and we have a lot of amazing quilters," said Colleen Pelfrey, a member of the guild and this year's chairperson. "I think sometimes if you haven't been involved, you don't appreciate the creativity, the time spent, and the tradition all of which goes into quilting."

The main purpose of the quilt show is to showcase the work of local quilters and give the artists a platform to network and expand from. The quilts are not for sale, however. Pelfrey said there have been cases where an attendee will contact one of the makers to buy a quilt from them that was on display. There will also be plenty of crafty vendors throughout the exhibit.

"We're a nonprofit and this is our biggest fundraiser for the year," explained Pelfrey. "Some of the stuff we do is education about quilt making for our members and the other half of the purpose is giving back to the community."

The quilt guild has donated hundreds of quilts to foster children, dialysis patients, dementia patients, the cancer center, and in recent years to fire survivors. This year a showcase of 32 quilts called the "Avenue of Valor" will be on display and later presented to local veterans during a ceremony at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday. Including these quilts, a total of 276 quilts will be on display covering the exhibit hall from floor to ceiling.

"We don't normally hang quilts from the ceiling," said Pelfrey excitedly. "But for this particular show I'm hoping that when you walk in the door your first thoughts are gonna be 'WOW,' it'll be a sea of red white and blue."

Pelfrey's mother was a founding member of the guild in 1983. Pelfrey herself has been involved since 1990 and will have several of her own pieces on display. Other prominent pieces to look for are the "Stars and Stripes Forever" Opportunity Quilt by Judy Martin and the quilt guild's challenge pieces inspired by patriotism and the love of American land.

Tickets for this event cost just $8 per person and children under the age of 12 are admitted free. Parking is also free. Those attending with their families may be interested in participating in a scavenger hunt that has been specially designed to keep children interested in and engaged with the quilts.

For more information about this event and the Yuba-Sutter Valley Quilt Guild visit valleyquiltguild.com. The Yuba-Sutter Fairgrounds are located at 442 Franklin Ave. in Yuba City.