The sanctuary of Linn Memorial United Methodist Church in Fayette was overflowing with color on Saturday during the Peacemakers Quilt Show held in conjunction with the Fayette Festival of the Arts.Show generates “sizable” check to Fayette Ministerial Alliance Food Pantry.


BY LINDA LEMBKE
PEACEMAKERS QUILTER

Visitors to the Peacemakers Quilt Show “In the Garden” were delighted by a wonderful display of almost 200 quilts and wall-hangings which made the sanctuary of Linn Memorial United Methodist Church bloom with color.  
One of the Peacemakers’ goals for the show is to raise money for the Fayette Ministerial Alliance Food Pantry. Thanks to the wonderful support for the show they will be able to present a sizable check to the Food Pantry in the next few weeks.
Another goal is to share the beauty of quilting with the community and to provide quilters with a beautiful venue in which to show their work to others.  Many people commented on the love and hard work that had gone into each of the quilts on display in the show.  A number asked questions about how they could begin quilting or expressed an interest in retrieving some of their UFOs – unfinished objects in quilt lingo.
In addition to organizing the annual quilt show the Peacemakers also make quilts for the national Quilt of Valor program.  They were able to display many of the 36 Quilts of Valor which they have presented in a special Quilts of Valor display in the back of church.  
The stage area at the front of the church provided a perfect venue to display some of the many quilts which embodied the show’s theme of “In the Garden.”  
A slide show featuring flowers ran continuously providing a backdrop of color for the flower garden quilts.  Other special exhibits included a display of quilts and quilt tops made at the Peacemaker’s Quilt Camps and a display of African American quilts by Vidella Chapman.
The Market Place, which featured pincushions, placemats and other quilted items, Christmas ornaments, purses and quilt magazines, did a lively business throughout the show.  The winning ticket for the Peacemakers opportunity quilt belonged to Debbie Forderhase.
This is the ninth show sponsored by the Peacemakers Quilting Group.  Included in the group are Dorothy Jean Ayres, Linda Lembke, Julie Menees, Jo Rohr and Connie Shay.
The Peacemakers would like to thank everyone who helped to make the Peacemakers Quilt Show a success including those who exhibited quilts and those who attended, Commercial Trust for donating funds for the booklet, Paisley Boutique for the lovely bouquet for the silent auction, Appletree Quilting and Satin Stitches of Columbia and Missouri Country Quilters of Boonville for providing attendance prizes, the congregation of Linn Memorial and CMU for the use of the sanctuary and the Fayette newspapers for providing excellent coverage of all of  the Peacemakers’ events.
More pictures of the Quilt Show are on page 8.