Joanne Brownlee displays many of the quilts she has made in the great room of her Ooltewah home.
Brownlee also displays her quilts in a cabinet in her foyer.
Joanne Brownlee holds one of her favorite creations, a handmade quilt that illustrates Bible stories in its squares.
Kathy Skomp positioned this floral-themed quilt above a dresser in a bedroom.
This quilt draped over a ladder behind a bar is one of 15 quilts Kathy Skomp has made and put on display in her home.IF YOU GOWhat: American Quilter's Society QuiltWeek.When: 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 13.Where: Chattanooga Convention Center, 1150 Carter St.Admission: $14 one day, $25 two days, $35 multiday pass.Information: quiltweek.com.MORE QUILT SHOWSNational Heritage Quilt ShowWhen: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturdays, through Sept. 27Where: McMinn Living Heritage Museum, 522 W. Madison Ave., Athens, Tenn.Admission: Free to museum members, $5 all others.Information: livingheritagemuseum.comCommon Threads Quilt ShowWhen: 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Oct. 3, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Oct. 4.Where: Mount Olive Ministries, 3533 Harrison Pike, Cleveland, Tenn.Admission: $3.For more information: 423-472-7567.QUILT APPRAISALSThink your family heirloom is valuable for more than sentimental reasons? Find out during American Quilter's Society Quilt Week. An appraiser who has completed the AQS certified appraiser program will be at the Chattanooga Convention Center for one-to-one meetings with individuals bringing quilts for inspection. The appraiser will sit down with the visitor, spread out the quilt to examine it from all angles, ask questions and review any documentation before giving an estimation of value. There is a fee of $50 per quilt, and no limit as to how many quilts one may bring. Misty Rowland, AQS appraisal coordinator, says appointments are not required. Appraisals will be held 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 12-13, in Room 11 at the convention center.
What do a heavy-metal rocker, a biker chick and an aeronautical space engineer have in common?
They're all members of the Badass Quilter's Society -- a local group of card-carrying American Quilter's Society members whose mission is to dispel stereotypical myths about quilters.
"We are quilters who want to be recognized for who we are and what we do. In an industry that's really trying to freshen itself up, beat the stereotypical image of a quilter being a boring frump, our organization is at the forefront of that," says Maddie Kertay, BQS founder and owner of Spool quilt shop on McCallie Avenue. "Quilters are not all white, slightly graying and wearing cardigans."
Kertay founded the group online two years ago with a website backed up by social media. The online membership has surpassed 7,000 members and about 250 of those live in the Tennessee Valley, she says. The group's target demographic is ages 46 to 57, but its membership spans teens to senior adults, she says.
She believes the group's reputation earned them a coveted spot in the huge American Quilter's Society QuiltWeek that opens in the Chattanooga Convention Center on Wednesday. Of the nine exhibitions, featuring more than 500 quilts, the BQS show is the only display by local quilters.
During QuiltWeek, there will be workshops on seven topics led by nationally known instructors, displays, quilt appraisals, special events and 125 vendors. Tickets may be purchased at the door each day or in a multiday pass.
Terry Guill, AQS director of show operations, says he can "handily guarantee" 10,000 to 12,000 QuiltWeek visitors over the four days, but adds that it's common for attendance to more than double that number.
"For the average person who never comes to an AQS show, they are going to be very surprised at the art of the quilt. These are not grandma's quilts you sleep under," he says. "These are not quilts you'd see at a craft show. These are art quilts. First-time visitors are usually struck by the sheer magnitude of the art."
Ooltewah quilter Kathy Skomp calls the AQS show "a chance to help local people understand how big quilting really is -- what a huge, wonderful art form it is."
Quilter Joanne Brownlee says that, for the hobbyists, the show offers "new things vendors have, new lines of fabric. We're always looking for something new."
Following are examples of how these two quilters accent their home with their original art:
DECORATING WITH QUILTS
KATHY SKOMP
Years quilting: 15.
How she started: "I actually grew up in a fabric store. My mother and grandmother were upholsterers. I grew up in the workroom of their store in North Carolina. I've always sewn since I was a child, then started quilting after I took a class at Sew Be It (in Ringgold, Ga.)."
Her style: "Primitive, modern -- I love them all."
Hand or machine quilter: All machine.
Number of quilts in her home: 15 on display.
Hours a week spent quilting: "It's full-time because it's my profession. I owned a quilt shop for seven years in East Ridge called Lavender Lime, then I started working for one of my vendors. I am a sales rep for Moda Fabrics/United Notions in Dallas. I also have a small, part-time, pattern-design company, Designs by Lavender Lime. I design quilting patterns and books and ship these to my distributors, who then sell them across the country and internationally. The pattern design is done on computer so, once drawn out, I test them all (makes quilts) to make sure the patterns work. Writing and testing patterns takes about 15 hours a week."
Favorites she made: "The Bistro, which is hanging in my house. My biggest seller is called Brave. It is in honor of military personnel."
JOANNE BROWNLEE
Years quilting: 20.
How she started: "All my ancestors quilted, and I've always loved quilts." She took quilting lessons in her early 40s, "and that started the passion."
Her style: "I like all kinds of quilts, but my style has been mostly primitive (hand-appliqued) quilts until just recently, when I have gotten into more traditional and even some modern things."
Hand or machine quilter: "I piece them and then machine quilt. I have hand-quilted, but I get impatient."
Number of quilts in her home: More than 50.
Hours a week spent quilting: "My husband says 40 hours a week. Our church also makes quilts for shut-ins and people facing serious life situations. I do a lot of quilting for that. I love it, it's my passion. I just wish I had a bigger budget."
Favorites she made: "I hand-quilted a Bible quilt that has John 3:16 around the border and primitive figures of the different Bible stories. Another is the quilt hanging in our great room that won first prize in the Cleveland (Tenn.) quilt show."
Contact Susan Pierce at spierce@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6284.