Lakes Area Quilt Expo hits Detroit Lakes Oct. 14 at Washington Square Mall

Detroit Lakes, Minn. (KDLM) – Colorful patterns stitched to perfection are sure to adorn the Lakes Area Quilt Expo at Washington Square Mall in Detroit Lakes this Saturday.

On Oct. 14, the Lakes Area Quilt Guild will be hosting the event at the mall to show off some of the best pieces that were completed by members of the group over the past year and also feature some technique demonstrations for a half-dozen skills that are assured to help any aspiring quilter.

Connie Wood, a longstanding member of the Quilt Guild, said the group is celebrating their 40th birthday this year and its membership has continued to grow over the decades.

“It started with 11 members that met in each other’s homes,” said Wood. “We now have 56 members and I would say that there are a lot more young people joining.”

She also said lakes area residents may have seen their quilts around town and not realized it.

“One of them is a quilt that we made for the public library and it’s displayed behind the circulation desk,” she said. “And this past summer, we assisted some of the young 4-H-ers with making their first quilt. And maybe you say some of those at the county fair.”

Wood said she got into to quilting through the 4-H program when she was younger and it’s a hobby she’s stuck with over the years. In fact, she added, she’s assembled a nice collection of fabric over the decades she can use for upcoming projects.

“I’ve been collecting fabric, which probably I could weigh right now,” said Wood. “So I have fabrics that are 40 years old and I find that it’s really fun to pull those out and put them into quilts. I think a lot of my fellow quilters have really large stashes.”

The members will feature demonstrations on binding techniques, salvaging and English paper piercing, among others at the expo on Saturday, between 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. the at Washington Square Mall.

Anyone interested in joining the Lakes Area Quilt Guild can stop by the community room at the Detroit Lakes police station on the fourth Thursday of each month at 6:30 p.m. for a short meeting, show and tell with the members and then an educational topic for quilters.

The next meeting of the Lakes Area Quilt Guild is Thursday, Oct. 26.