She is humble, too, about the fact that she was selected to be the featured quilter for the upcoming Panhandle Piecemakers Quilt Guild Show, calling herself a “pinch-hitter” who was called in when the original candidate had to have wrist surgery. At 107 inches square — more than eight feet for those who are keeping score at home — it seems to fill the room in a pattern that dances around the borders in shades of violet and blue, always paying deference and pointing the eye back to the design in pink and red that holds things together in the center. According to Sims, there is an element of comfort in a quilt that connects it the people who made it — often for generations to follow — with those who snuggle beneath it or share the account of where it came from and how it was made. On May 1 and 2, the guild will host a judged quilt show that includes a “Red Hat Creation” challenge, where one section of the overall exhibit will honor the local Red Hatters organization with works that key off of that particular color. Those judges, Sims pointed out, will be adding or taking away points for things like the piping around borders, how well pieces of fabric are joined together, the precision of mitered corners and the exactness of points on the tips on triangle sections. The Panhandle Piecemakers Quilt Guild “Red Hot Quilters” show will be held at Sandpoint Community Hall on Saturday, May 1, from 10 a.

Tags: sims, mdash, guild, machine quilting, quilt, keepsake quilting