Saturday, July 25 • 9:30–10:30 am • First United Methodist Church, Parlor, 624 S Adams St., Marion, IN

Take an introductory-level tour through 190 years of American quilt history in this bed-turning drawn from the speaker’s own collection. From 1830 to the 2020s, you’ll see typical examples from each era and experience firsthand how quilt fashions and fabrics changed to reflect their times. A wonderful overview for quilters at any stage of their journey!

About Mary Jane Eichacker-Kaufman

Mary Jane Eichacker-Kaufman is the retired Curator Emerita of Social History at the Indiana State Museum, where she curated the internationally renowned David Pottinger Collection of Indiana Amish Quilts and greatly expanded the non-Amish quilt collection. Over 45 years in the museum field, she has authored more than twenty major exhibits — individually and as part of a team — along with countless smaller ones.

Mary Jane is an active member of the Midwest Fabric Study Group and the North Stars quilting bee, a volunteer for The Quilters Hall of Fame, and a member of the Costume Society of America, which she has served in both regional and national offices.

By Rosalind Webster Perry and Marty Frolli, Copyright 1992 Rosalind Webster Perry, Published by Practical Patchwork

Marie Webster was a leader of the Great Quilt Revival of the early 20th century. A Joy Forever– the first book of her classic patterns- features her original applique designs from the years 1909-1925. Here are her popular Sunbonnet Lassies, Poppy, and May Tulips patterns, as well as some never published before, including her vibrant Poinsettia and the charming crib quilt, Bunnies.

A Joy Forever also tells the story of Marie Webster’s remarkable career as a quilt designer, author and businesswoman. The book is lavishly illustrated with vintage family photographs and color pictures of Marie’s beautiful quilts.

Patterns included in this book:

• Bedtime
• Bunnies
• Daisy
• French Baskets
• Frapes and Vines
• Iris
• May Tulips
• Poinsettia
• Poppy
• Sunbonnet Lassies
• Sunflower
• White Dogwood

A result of the Heritage Quilt Project of New Jersey by Barbara Schaffer, Natalie Hart, Rita Erickson, and Rachel Cochran, with a Foreword by Virginia Avery and Contributions by Cuesta Benberry, Bets Ramsey, and Merikay Waldvogel.

“Every woman’s quilt is like her child – beautiful.” Florence Peto

The quilts Florence Peto collected and those she made were of such high quality that they became significant parts of museum collections. Florence’s enthusiasm for life, thirst for knowledge, and love of quilts led her on a path she might not have expected as a young woman at the end of the nineteenth century. Through books, magazines, lectures, and exhibits, she shared the stories she found in quilts and created a legacy that endures into the twenty-first century.

Thursday July 23, 2026, 1:00pm – 4:00pm Marion Public Library, Maker’s Space, 600 S Washington Street, Marion, IN

Got a bag of leftover strips, odd-shaped scraps, and fabric bits too pretty to throw away? String patchwork is your answer! This time-honored technique transforms even the tiniest remnants into something surprisingly beautiful — and endlessly personal.

In this workshop, you’ll learn to work with what you have, letting your fabric collection guide the design rather than the other way around. String quilts have deep roots in American quilting history, born from a tradition of wasting nothing and creating everything. Every quilt that emerges from this process is genuinely one of a kind, because no two scrap bags are alike.

Whether you’re a confident quilter or just finding your footing, string patchwork welcomes all skill levels. The “rules” are refreshingly few. What matters most is your eye for color, value, and the happy accidents that happen when you trust the process.

Come with an open mind, a variety of strips and scraps, and expect the unexpected — because the best part of string quilting is discovering what your fabric wants to become. We will start by sewing some sample blocks, then explore some of the variations and possibilities. This is a great class for quilters who are willing to break some rules.

All experience levels are welcome! Bring a variety of remnants of scraps, because you won’t know what you need until you see what’s possible!

Students need a sewing machine, sewing tools, a wide variety of fabric remnants–don’t bother with matching! The instructor will also bring fabric from her stash to share.

Celebration 2026 will feature the induction of Judy Martin and will be July 23 – 25, 2026. Reserve your booth today!

Location: First United Methodist Church 624 South Adams Street, Marion, Indiana.

Mall hours: Thursday and Friday, July 23 and 24, 9am -4pm. Saturday July 25, 9am – 3pm. Vendors must be ready at opening each day and must stay until closing each day. Set up is available on Wednesday, July 22, 9am – 5pm. All vendors must vacate premise by 6pm Saturday leaving booth area in original condition.

Booth size: minimum 9′ deep by 9′ wide.

Booth fees: $100 for 3 days.

TQHF will provide one table and two chairs per booth, electricity (vendor must bring heavy duty extension cords) and WiFi password.

Vendors are responsible for the collection of all applicable taxes as required by law. Indiana Sales and Use tax rate is 7%.

Vendors are responsible for security in their booth space during show hours. TQHF is not responsible for personal injury, loss of money, personal property or inventory.

Smoking is not permitted on the property.

The decision of the show management must be accepted as final in any dispute.

Thank you for your consideration!

Ice Cream Social Wednesday, July 22 • 6:30–8:30 pm • First United Methodist Church

Arriving early for Celebration 2026? Join us Wednesday evening for a relaxed pre-event reception — the perfect opportunity to reconnect with quilting friends and make new acquaintances before the fun begins.

Enjoy ice cream while chatting with fellow quilting enthusiasts in a casual, welcoming atmosphere. Share your latest projects, exchange ideas, and get to know attendees who share your passion for quilting.

We look forward to welcoming you!

Price: $10.00

Friday, July 24 • 12:00–2:00 pm • Matter Park Garden House, N River Rd & N Quarry Rd, Marion, IN Limited to 80 guests

Join us for the highlight of Celebration 2026 — the induction of Judy Martin into The Quilters Hall of Fame!

Following our celebratory luncheon, Judy’s husband, Steve Bennett will treat us to “Inside the Mind of Judy Martin from the Man Who Knows Her Best”” — a personal Powerpoint journey through Judy’s 57-year quilting career. A journey from teenage quilter, to editor at Quilter’s Newsletter and QuiltMaker magazines, to quilt book author, and eventually to Quilter’s Hall of Fame Honoree. He shows photos of lots of Judy’s quilts and highlights her contributions to the quilt culture along the way.

Also during the luncheon, we will present the Crystal Thimble Award to the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution in recognition of their significant contributions to quilting heritage and community service.

Don’t miss this memorable afternoon celebrating the best of the quilting world!

Registration fee required. Space is limited — reserve your seat today!

Friday, July 24 • 10:00–11:00 am • First United Methodist Church, 624 S Adams St., Marion, IN

If you had to choose one quilter who has influenced your journey most, who would it be? For Tracey Barber, the answer is easy — Judy Martin. Join Tracey for an intimate bedturning featuring decades of Judy Martin quilts made by Tracey and others from her shop, Lyons Quilting. From stunning log cabins to intricate lone stars, these quilts tell the story of one quilter’s deep and lasting love affair with Judy Martin’s designs.

About Tracey Barber

Tracey Barber is the owner of Lyons Quilting, one of the largest quilt shops in Colorado and a featured top shop in Quilt Sampler Magazine. She came to quilting over twenty years ago as a comfort after losing her mother, and has been hooked ever since — inspired by color, log cabin blocks, lone star quilts, and foundation paper piecing. As a busy shop owner, she has mastered the art of sewing efficiently and loves sharing her tips and tricks along the way.

Tracey lives in Mead, Colorado with her husband, three dogs, and one dog-sized cat. When she’s not quilting, you might find her behind the wheel of a race car or out exploring nature.

Friday, July 24 • 2:30–4:00 pm • Marion Public Library, Meeting Room B, 600 S Washington St., Marion, IN

After World War II, public interest in quiltmaking declined — but dedicated quilters still sought sources of patterns and instruction. Responding to that need, women at their kitchen tables created pattern mail order businesses, while others corresponded in groups searching and sharing early 20th century quilt ephemera. From these humble beginnings grew an entrepreneurial spirit among women who designed quilts, understood business, and found ways to bring their skills into the commercial world.

Among the first were those who introduced needlework and quilting as leisure activity, born of the colonial revival that emerged in contrast to the industrial world. For many women, that leisure became economic support during the Great Depression years. We know the names of those who succeeded — but there were surely others whose efforts have quietly disappeared from history. Join Xenia Cord as she traces this rich and largely untold story from kitchen table enterprises to the rise of the quilt magazines we know today.

About Xenia Cord

Distinguished scholar, caring mentor, prolific author, and pioneering quilt historian, Xenia Elisabeth Blom Cord is the 2018 inductee into The Quilters Hall of Fame. Born in Norway, raised in Ohio, and adopted by Indiana, Xenia has devoted her career to sharing her love of quilt history and educating the next generation of quilt historians.

Windham fabrics has reprinted the fabric panels with Marie Webster’s designs! This floral quilt panel features prints of the Marie Webster designs Iris, Morning Glory, French Baskets, Cluster of Roses, Dutch Baskets, Poppy, Pink Dogwood, Windblown Tulips, Wreath of Roses, American Beauty Rose, Gay Garden, and Magpie Rose. Georgia Bonesteel designed the panel when the fabric series was first produced in 2009 by Windham Fabrics. The panel is 36″ x 43″.

By Rosalind Webster Perry and Marty Frolli, Copyright 1992 Rosalind Webster Perry, Published by Practical Patchwork

Marie Webster was a leading quilt designer of the early 20th century. The first collection of her original patterns, A Joy Forever, authored by her granddaughter Rosalind Perry and quilt teacher Marty Frolli, introduced these patterns to a new generation of quiltmakers. By popular demand, they have teamed up again on a second book of Webster floral applique designs, with color photographs, full-size patterns and complete instructions for 14 quilts. Noted quilt historian, Cuesta Benberry, has contributed the Preface.

Patterns included in this book:

• American Beauty Rose
• Wind Blown Tulip
• Morning Glory
• Morning Glory Wreath
• Pansies & Butterflies
• Wreath of Roses
• Magpie Rose
• Cherokee Rose
• Cluster of Roses
• Dutch Basket
• Primrose Wreath
• Pink Dogwood in Baskets
• Rainbow
• Gay Garden

Join The Quilters Hall of Fame today! Every membership level receives:

• Free admission for one year to the museum for the membership holder.
• Our quarterly e-newsletter.
• A 10% discount in the museum gift shop.
• Lower fees at our annual Celebration event.

Members at the $100 level and above may request a collectible Marie Webster Cat’s Meow House.

Members at the $250 level and above may request The Quilters Hall of Fame, our book featuring 42 quilting legends who have shaped the art of quilting.

If you would like to request upper level perks or if you would like to receive a tax receipt instead of perks, please make a note on the check out page.

Your membership will help to:

• Showcase the honorees with permanent and changing exhibits.
• Provide a variety of educational programs to the public for both adults and children.
• Support our annual Celebration and induction of honorees.
• Support ongoing development of the research library and collection.
• Maintain a unique historical site. The Marie Webster House is the only National Historic Landmark to honor a quiltmaker.

This quilt pattern was  designed to feature the Marie Webster Big Floral Quilt Panel printed by Windham Fabrics for The Quilters Hall of Fame. Quilt design by Jocelyn Smith is expandable from a throw size (56 1/4″ x 78″) to a bed size ((71″ x 94 1/2″).

Required Materials

Throw size quilt

• 1 Marie Webster’s Big Floral Quilt Panel by Windham Fabrics
• 1/4 yard medium green fabric
• 1/4 yard dark green fabric
• 6 fat eighths or (6) 2 1/2″ x WOF jelly roll strips of accent print fabrics in a variety of colors to coordinate
• 2 1/4 yards background & outer border fabric
• 7/8 yard sashing & inner border fabric
• 3/4 yard cornerstone and binding fabric
• 5 yards backing fabric

Bed size quilt

• 2 Marie Webster’s Big Floral Quilt Panel by Windham Fabrics
• 3/8 yard medium green fabric
• 3/8 yard dark green fabric
• 10 fat eighths or (10) WOF jelly roll strips of accent print fabrics in a variety of colors to coordinate
• 3 yards background and outer border fabric
• 1 1/4 yards sashing and inner border fabric
• 3/4 yards cornerstones and binding fabric
• 5 3/4 yards backing fabric

Do you ever wonder what your favorite quilter’s house would look like? Are the rooms in Tula Pink’s home the same colors as her fabrics? Does Jenny Doan have a hobby-other than quilting- that is reflected in her house? TQHF Honoree Georgia Bonesteel asked these same questions about the quilters of her day and created a quilted answer in The Street Where Quilters Live. Join us as we explore this three-panel textile exploration of eighteen noted quilters, learn about their lives and their quilting, and see how their style is represented in the quilted “homes.”

This exploration will be presented by The Quilters Hall of Fame Collection Committee. The blocks in this quilt were made by twenty-one noted quilters, Bets Ramsey, Jean Ray Laury, Yvonne Porcella and more. The quilt The Street Where Quilters Live was assembled by Georgia Bonesteel and was donated to the TQHF permanent collection.

Thursday July 23, 2026, 2:00pm – 3:00pm, Marion Public Library Meeting Room B, 600 S Washington Street, Marion, IN

From the nineteenth century forward, a few — but not many — American quiltmakers put their names on their quilts. Some did more than that, embedding sorrows, sentiments, and messages in their patchwork. In this entertaining presentation, Marianne Fons takes you on a visual journey from the 1800s to the present, with quilts doing much of the talking. And by the way, it turns out making a quilt is more like writing a novel than one might think.

About Marianne Fons

Known to millions of quilters nationwide as the former co-host of Fons & Porter’s Love of Quilting on Public TV, Marianne Fons co-authored Quilter’s Complete Guide with Liz Porter — one of the most popular quilting books of all time with over 500,000 copies sold. She taught and lectured about quilts coast to coast for twenty years.

In her hometown of Winterset, Iowa, Marianne spearheaded the establishment of the Iowa Quilt Museum in 2016 and the renovation of the Iowa Theater in 2017. Named Madison County Citizen of the Year in 2022, she writes the Substack column Reporting from Quiltropolis, offering slice-of-small-town-life snapshots of quilty goings-on in Winterset and beyond. A lover of narrative, Marianne has recently focused on fiction — workshopping novels and landing a book deal for one of her manuscripts.

May 15–16, 2026 | The Quilters Hall of Fame, Marion, Indiana

Registration includes the May 15 concert and all three May 16 Master Class sessions. This seminar is made possible in part by sponsorship by the Indiana State Quilt Guild.

Life is a Basket of Scraps Concert — Friday, May 15,2026 | First United Methodist Church | 624 S Adams Street, Marion, IN Doors open at 6:30 PM | Concert begins at 7:00 PM

Ricky has successfully blended two diverse passions, music and quilting, into one very unique and interesting career. His skills as a pianist, composer, and producer are well-known by the thousands who have heard his music.  So get ready for an evening like no other—where music meets storytelling, laughter meets reflection, and inspiration takes center stage. He will carry you through moments of triumph, tragedy, and pure joy with heart-felt story telling, beautiful music and a touch of quilting magic and will enlighten, entertain and inspire you as he takes you through the world of creativity and connection.

Concert attendance is also open to the public. $20 at the door.

Master Classes — Saturday, May 16 Marion Public Library | 600 S Washington Street, Marion, IN Meeting Room B Doors open at 9:30 AM | First session begins at 10:00AM

Ricky’s Master Class lectures go far beyond a typical lecture. Combining in-depth instruction, detailed handouts, and multimedia visuals, each session is designed to help you discover and trust your own creativity — and learn to make the quilts you’ve always admired but didn’t think you could create. Ricky breaks down color, design, and technique into approachable, actionable concepts that leave beginners and experienced quilters alike energized and ready to work at a new level. You don’t have to bring your sewing machine, just your imagination.

• Session 1: 10:00 – 11:30
  • Quilting Caveman Style: Create your own amazing quilt without using any pattern at all. We forego quarter-inch seams, and break a lot of the traditional quilting “rules”.  Ricky has been known as The Caveman Quilter for many years. The moniker is associated with quilting freely… without rulers, without measuring, and without using quarter-inch seams.  Learn how to create improvisational patchwork and working without a pre-planned pattern.  It’s freeing, fun, therapeutic and looks complicated but it’s not.
  • Harmonic Convergence: Learn how to make a magical, easy and very fun quilt, but caution is required as they’re rumored to be addictive!  Using as little as four fabrics and Ricky’s techniques, they’re great for both traditional and contemporary quilters.  From a last minute baby or lap quilt to art quilts, jackets, pillows and other patchwork items.Once you learn the process and start seeing the endless possibilities, you will want to make more.
• Lunch 11:30 – 12:30 
• Session 2: 12:30 – 2:00
  • Locomotion: Break loose from blocks and sewing straight seams!  Find freedom in curved piecing and learn Ricky’s easy, no-pins piecing technique without 1/4” seams that allows you to design your own original and unique artful quilt featuring pieced curves, orbs and other non-traditional designs and how to reproduce it in fabric.  Prepare to amaze yourself with quilting creativity that you may never have thought possible.
  • Gridified Art Quilts: There is joyful magic when your imagination becomes reality.  This Master Class invites you to step into the spotlight as the creator, director, and star of your own visual production.  Watch your artistic vision come alive—scene by scene and block by block—as you take your favorite photo until the curtain rises on a masterpiece that is uniquely your own.
• Break 2:00 – 2:30
• Session 3: 2:30 – 4:00
  • A Quilt is Born: A behind the scenes journey into Ricky’s latest stunning quilt, The Visitation, winner of the 2025 International Quilt Festival Best of Show. Ricky shares his background, thoughts and creative process as well as some the techniques he uses to produce this stunning work of art. Attendees will have a special opportunity to see The Visitation at session 3. 

Bonus: Additional quilts by Ricky Tims will be on exhibit at The Quilters Hall of Fame May 5–August 1, 2026.