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.

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.

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.

Saturday, July 25 • 2:00pm-3:00pm • First United Methodist Church, Parlor, 624 S Adams St., Marion, IN

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.

Saturday, July 25 • 1:00–4:00 pm • Marion Public Library, Maker’s Space, 600 S Washington St., Marion, IN

Discover the satisfying art of making rope baskets! In this hands-on workshop, Tracey Barber guides you through creating simple rope baskets using cotton clothesline and your sewing machine. Along the way you’ll explore creative ways to make each basket uniquely yours — through fabric wrapping, decorative threads, appliqué, knots, and more. Leave with a finished basket and the skills to keep making them at home!

All supplies are available through Lyons Quilting — contact information provided upon registration.

Supply list:

• 100% cotton clothesline — Gypsy Quilter natural color recommended for beginners (please do not substitute other brands)
• Well-running sewing machine with zigzag capability, cord, foot pedal, and zigzag-compatible foot and plate
• Schmetz Jeans needles (size 130 recommended)
• Fray Check
• Thread and two bobbins to match or contrast your project (variegated threads are fun!)
• Optional: fabric scrap or fat quarter with a fun motif for appliquéing inside the bowl bottom (do not cut out in advance)
• Scissors

Saturday, July 25, 9:00am – 12:00pm, Marion Public Library, Maker’s Space, 600 S Washington Street, Marion, IN.

Mountains of scrappy fabric await! In this hands-on workshop, Tracey Barber teaches you the fundamentals of foundation paper piecing using Leila Gardunia’s beautiful Scrappy Mountains pattern. You won’t finish every block in the time allotted — but you’ll leave with solid technique, real momentum, and a project you’ll be excited to complete at home.

Choose your size: the large version (58×68) uses all 100 blocks from the booklet, while the smaller version (36×40) uses about half. Either way, the result is a stunning scrappy quilt that makes great use of your fabric stash.

All supplies are available through Lyons Quilting. Give them a call at 303.823.6067.  They ship for free or Tracey can bring the supplies to class.

Supply list:

• Scrappy Mountains foundation papers by Leila Gardunia
• Add-an-Eighth or Add-a-Quarter ruler (6″ Add-an-Eighth recommended)
• Scissors and rotary cutter (any size)
• Small cutting mat
• Size 80 Microtex machine needles
• Small ruler, at least 6.5″ on one side
• UHU glue stick and pencil
• 50-weight thread (Aurifil or Masterpiece recommended)
• Fabric — scraps or fat eighth bundles in blues or purples/teals
• Well-maintained sewing machine with adjustable stitch length
• Seam ripper
• Iron or seam roller

Starch and press your fabric before class!

Thursday, July 23, 2026, 10:00am – 11:00am, Marion Public Library, Meeting Room B, 600 S Washington St, Marion IN.

Judy Martin’s PowerPoint presents more than 100 images of her original quilts that illustrate creative ways of arranging quilt blocks. Many of the examples create secondary patterns where blocks meet, obscuring the rows used for construction. The quilts shown include strippy quilts and medallion quilts, as well as ones with straight or diagonal rows of blocks, with our without sashes or alternate plain squares. Some have pieced sashing or pieced alternate blocks. With the exception of the medallion quilts, all are sewn in rows, though few of these look like rows of blocks. Many of Judy’s sets make the blocks appear to float on the background. Numerous quilts combine small and large blocks. Several quilts combine two to as many as five block types, sizes, or colorings. She sometimes pieces the backgrounds of her star quilts. The presentation includes a number of her Log Cabin variations as well as stars and other non-Log Cabin quilts that have Log-Cabin-like setting possibilities. For some of these, Judy presents drawings showing multiple arrangements of the same blocks and bits so you can see how much of a difference the set can make.

Saturday, July 25 • 11:00 am–12:00 pm • Marion Public Library, Meeting Room B, 600 S Washington St., Marion, IN

Just when you thought you knew all the latest sewing and quilting hacks — along comes Donelle McAdams to introduce new ways to use what you already have, new tools to make your job easier, and tips and techniques that will save you time and frustration.

Get answers to your most pressing sewing questions including which threads, needles, and notions to use. Gain knowledge of significant sewing secrets from an expert with decades of experience. This fast-paced lecture and demo will have you saying “I wish I had known that sooner!” — and “Why did I not think of that?” Come experience your own AH-HA moment and take your sewing skills to the next level!

About Donelle McAdams

Donelle McAdams is the owner of SEW BIZ in Marion, Indiana, and the designer of the Quick Easy Mitered Binding and Border Tools — sold internationally in the sewing and quilting industry. A former Family and Consumer Sciences teacher, she has been a quilt store owner for 43 years, a Gold Accredited Teacher for Westalee Design/Sew Steady, and teaches internationally. Her love and enthusiasm for sewing and quilting is absolutely infectious — taking a class with Donelle is guaranteed to be information-packed, inspirational, and FUN!

Saturday July 25, 2026 9:00am – 3:00pm, First United Methodist Church, Annex Building, 624 S Adams Street, Marion, IN

Create a bold patriotic wall hanging with Eleanor Burns’ Tumbler Flag Wall Hanging Class!

This class includes a pre-cut tumbler fabric kit, so you can get right to sewing with no prep required. Learn how easy and accurate quilting can be using the AccuQuilt cutting systems while assembling a striking flag-inspired design. This scrappy quilt blends three classic color families—red, white, and blue—for a fun mix of prints and textures. Perfect for confident beginners and beyond. Finished size: 21” x 32”.

Kit cost is $32.95, payable to Eleanor Burns in class.