Would you believe one of the most popular events in the Smokies for the Spring season is a festival called… Quiltfest?
The initiated know quilting is serious business, just as practically every “quaint” art and craft has a surprise vein of popularity and intensity within its fanbase. It is a multi-billion dollar industry based on an extremely eye-catching, relaxing and generations-old trade that combines the practical (everyone needs blankets at some point to keep warm!) with a geometrically hypnotizing design scheme that allows for unique works of art and infinite color scheme and theme possibilities. They can also fetch and attract big money. If paintings and framed works of art, which you normally can’t even keep on your lap for an extra bit of comfort and insulation on a cold night, can reach epic levels of interest, money, skill and competition, why not quilts?
That answer gets revealed each March in Pigeon Forge, as it has been for 24 years now. The Quiltfest is both a festival, as something open for the public to come and enjoy, and an expo where professionals also gather and attend for a variety of purposes. Everything quilting related is found here, giving the public thousands and thousands of awesome quilts to look at and enjoy, vendors who sell quilts and quilting supplies, competitions with thousands of dollars in prizes offered, quilting classes and more!
From the online brochure:
A Mountain Quiltfest has now found a permanent home in the prestigious LeConte Center at Pigeon Forge. This state-of-the-art event center provides over 232,000 square feet of exhibition and classroom space to house our quilt show, vendors, classrooms, lecture areas and even a dining area – all under one roof!
Quilt Show & Vendor Hall Hours
Tuesday, March 20th
8:30AM to 4:00PM – Classes begin.
Patchwork & Pickin with Yvonne Hollenbeck & Jean Prescott.
11:30AM to 1:30PM
Box lunch.
Show Opens to the Public:
Wednesday, March 21st – 9:00AM to 5:00PM
Thursday, March 22nd – 9:00AM to 5:00PM
Friday, March 23rd – 9:00AM to 5:00PM
Show & Tell – 6:00PM
Saturday, March 24th – 9:00AM to 4:00PM
For convenience, registration information is as follows:
Pre-registered students need to check-in with the Registration
Desk prior to the beginning of their first class. Pre-registered
students will, at this time, receive their A Mountain Quiltfest name
badge and 2018 thimble.
The Registration Desk will be open the following dates and times:
Monday, March 19th
3:00PM – 7:00PM
Tuesday, March 20th
7:00AM – 5:00PM
Wednesday, March 21st
7:30AM – 5:00PM
Thursday, March 22nd
7:30AM – 5:00PM
Friday, March 23rd
7:30AM – 5:00PM
Saturday, March 24th
7:30AM – 8:30AM
