Mary Jane Kline (left) of Walnut Creek, Leona Hershberger of Millersburg and Jane Gormley of Wadsworth take their time looking over the quilts at the Amish Country Quilt Show being held at the Holmes County Expo Center through Saturday. WALNUT CREEK — In an area well known for its quilts, the Amish Country Quilt Show is as much about viewing as it is shopping, sharing tips and technique classes. ProShow is the coordinating company for the show being held through Saturday at Holmes County Expo Center, state Route 39, Walnut Creek. In the scraps and notions sale, quilters offered quarters, scraps and supplies and pattern books at garage sale prices. Lorna Rowsell, who hails from Portsmouth, England, shaped a trip to Toledo to visit her sister, Lynne Brechin, around the show. For quilters who want a hands-on experience, the show features an Amish Quilting Bee.

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RICK GRAEFE PHOTO/ Nancy Derickson of Glendale, president of Thimble and Thread Quilt Guild, shows that the old-time quilting bee’s sociability sometimes is replaced by a modern sewing machine’s ease of speed. Melissa Hanthorn of South County is chairman of the Thimble and Thread Quilt Guild’s Expo 2009 , which will take place Friday through Sunday, March 20 through 22, at Queeny Park in Ballwin. While Quilt Expo 2009 will display a variety of quilts made recently by members, it also will include prized antique quilts from the 19th century through the 1950s, collected by the Vatterott family and displayed at their Cedar Creek Conference Center in New Haven. Although most guild members today are, on average, much older than they were when she first started the group, Ameduri said there always is a burst of energy with new members joining after a show, which Thread and Thimble initiates every two years.

The Threads that Connect original designs for redwork embroidery are the invention of area residents Ann Badasch, owner of My Just Desserts in Alton, and artist Rose Tomlinson, depicting forever the bloom of local flowers like irises and tulips, historic structures in Elsah and most recently incorporating specially created “Red Hat” patterns. Kits can be purchased at My Just Desserts featuring florals and the homes and gardens of Elsah, with original designs for stitching on preprinted fabric, or the basic patterns can be purchased separately and transferred to whatever type of fabric desired. As an added option, Red Hat Ladies groups can learn the art of embroidery, while creating a beautiful keepsake when The Threads that Connect sponsors A Red Hat Day in Elsah for groups of eight to 20. Tomlinson has created a range of Red Hat pictures, including a variety of hats alone, a hatbox, a Red Hat lady wearing a hat and several others that participants can choose from. Badasch said that each Red Hat club has a specific day of the month that they meet, so she and Tomlinson felt the best way to give everyone the opportunity to participate was to let each group schedule its own day. For more information or to make a Red Hat Day group reservation, or reservations for the quilting events, call My Just Desserts at (618) 462-5881.