Quilters Hall of Fame Celebrates Eclipse with Quilt Challenge

The Quilters Hall of Fame displayed the “Total Eclipse of the Quilt” challenge winners for public viewing, and the exhibit is open through May 4.

Deb Geyer, the executive director of The Quilters Hall of Fame, said it is special that The Quilters Hall of Fame can be in a location affected by the total solar eclipse.

“The reason we decided to challenge quilters is because quilters are so creative,” Geyer said. “They all come at what they are creating from a different place and they have different perspectives.”

Geyer said she received 17 submissions from quilters across the United States.

“We put out the call on social media, and also some of the other organizations that are nationwide picked up on it,” Geyer said. “Word of mouth got it around, too.”

Makenna Metzcar, a student at Indiana Wesleyan University and an attendee at the exhibit, said her favorite quilt from the challenge was “Moonshadow, Moonshadow.”

“It had a country house with half in light, half in dark,” Metzcar said. “It was a really nice representation of hopefully what we get to see here.”

Geyer said The Quilters Hall of Fame had two jurists decide how many submissions would be accepted into the exhibit, and a certified judge ranked the submissions.

“After we knew what was going to be in the show … we hired a certified judge to come in and give first, second and third place, and two honorable mentions,” Geyer said. 

Debi Shepler, the president of the board at The Quilters Hall of Fame, said the quilt exhibit portrays the solar eclipse in a lot of interesting aspects.

“Some are based on scientific facts, some are very whimsical and cute and some are folklore,” Shepler said. “If people come and see it, they are going to see a lot more than just quilts.”

Metzcar said the exhibit is a reminder that Marion has a lot to offer.

“In the broader scope of it … it is bringing awareness to the area,” Metzcar said. “As far as community goes, it is a reminder that there is still stuff here … there is a community here that you can be a part of.”

Geyer said she is expecting Marion to be full of visitors traveling to see the eclipse, and The Quilters Hall of Fame will remain open.

“We are hoping that we can be good hostesses for them, and we wanted something special to show them,” Geyer said.

Many people will be traveling to Marion for the eclipse, and Metzcar said she hopes they might see how much the city has to offer.

“It is bringing awareness to the area,” Metzcar said. 

Geyer said the Quilters Hall of Fame exhibit was a huge success.

“We had such a variety of submissions, and we are thrilled with the show as it is,” Geyer said.

Shepler said the solar eclipse will be memorable and exciting for Marion.

“To recognize an event that is completely out of our control … it brings the community together when you have these activities,” Shepler said. “Even for the sake of history, it will make things more memorable.”