To commemorate Fayette’s bicentennial, the Peacemakers Quilting Group has selected “Granny’s Attic: 200 years of Quilting” for the theme of its annual show to celebrate Fayette’s 200th birthday. The show is held each year in conjunction with the Fayette Festival of the Arts.

Quilts have been an important part of the heritage of the American Midwest, providing warmth, comfort, and beauty since the pioneers first came to the area. The Peacemakers will celebrate that heritage by replicating Granny’s Attic in the sanctuary of Linn Memorial United Methodist Church on the campus of Central Methodist University from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturday, August 5.

The beautiful stone church with its magnificent stained-glass windows will provide a backdrop for the quilts, which will be draped across the chairs in such a way that the sanctuary will seem to bloom with color. Wide aisles between the chairs will make it possible for visitors to get close-up views of the quilts without touching them. The stage at the front of the church will feature some of the older quilts and other items that might be found in Granny’s Attic.

“Many of the over 120 entries this year are family heirlooms, treasured by many generations,” explained Peacemaker Linda Lembke. “Some of these entries are made from feed sacks or dress scraps pieced together to form familiar and some not-so-familiar patchwork blocks. Others feature hand-embroidered or hand-appliqued blocks, and almost all are hand-quilted.”  

Not all the quilts in the show are old, however. Some were completed as recently as mid-July of this year, Lembke said. “We have a nice mix of new and old quilts and wall hangings and some beautiful examples of free-motion and long-arm machine quilting.”

Lembke invites visitors to the show “to marvel at the countless hours and the millions of stitches which have gone into each quilt in the show and to consider the love that went into the making of each quilt.”

The Peacemakers share a love of quilts and a desire to help the community. The annual show provides a way to share this beautiful art form with others and to give quilters an opportunity to show their work. It also provides support for the Fayette Ministerial Alliance Food Pantry. Admission to the show is free, but profits from a free-will offering will be divided between the Food Pantry and the group’s Quilt of Valor Project.  

Since 2011 the original Peacemakers have created and presented 62 quilts to Fayette area military personnel and veterans through the national Quilt of Valor program. Many of these quilts will be displayed in the back of the sanctuary.