Smoky Mtn Quilters of TN Quilt Show in Knoxville TN

44th Annual Smoky Mountain Quilters of Tennessee Quilt Show
Date(s) of Show: June 20-21, 2025 9-5 Friday and 9-4 Saturday

Email: info@smokymtnquilters.com
SMOKY MOUNTAIN QUILTERS OF TENNESSEE
44th ANNUAL QUILT SHOW WILL FEATURE OPPORTUNITY
FOR ATTENDEES TO PRESERVE THEIR QUILT STORIES

KNOXVILLE, TN – The Smoky Mountain Quilters of Tennessee (SMQ) will present their 44th annual Quilt Show & Competition June 20-21st, in the Knoxville Expo Center, 5441 Clinton Highway (at Merchant Drive) in Knoxville, TN 37912. In addition to the more than 200 stunning quilts on display, the show will once again feature a special opportunity for attendees to bring their own quilt to share and document through the “Go Tell It!” project by the Quilt Alliance (QA).

“Recording these stories was such a hit with attendees last year that we wanted to be sure to offer this activity again,” said Janet Wambach, SMQ Show Co-Chair. “Every quilt has a story, and those stories are important to pass along. It is a shame that so many stories from the past have been lost.”

Attendees are encouraged to bring a quilt – whether historic or contemporary – to the show for documentation. The formula for “Go Tell It!” is simple: one person talking about one quilt in front of one camera for three minutes. For more information about the “Go Tell It!” projects, please visitwww.quiltalliance.org/projects/gotellit.

“We are thrilled to offer our attendees the opportunity to record and preserve a short video story about a quilt they cherish,” said Nancy Watson, SMQ Show Co-Chair. “If you love a quilt that you made or a quilt that someone else made, bring that quilt to the show to document it! We will record you telling your short story with your quilt and if you are happy with the recording, send it to the Quilt Alliance, a nonprofit organization dedicated to documenting, preserving and sharing our quilt heritage.”

Many other special activities are planned for the show. Merikay Waldvogel, a nationally known quilt collector, researcher and writer and Cindy Stuart, a certified quilt appraiser, will present an antique quilt turning on Friday, June 20, at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Throughout the show, shop vendors and the SMQ Boutique, which offers a unique selection of items handcrafted by guild members. There also will be a scavenger hunt with prizes for the younger attendees. Certified Appraiser Cindy Stuart will offer quilt appraisals by appointment. Contact her at (865) 386-0940 to schedule an appraisal.

The show will take place from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Friday and from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Saturday. Admission is $10; for a 2-day pass, $15, and free for children under age 12.
The Expo Center has free parking and is accessible to the disabled. For more information about the show and the guild, please visit www.smokymtnquilters.com, email info@smokymtnquilters.com or find us on Facebook: Smoky Mountain Quilters of Tennessee.

About Smoky Mountain Quilters
The Smoky Mountain Quilters of Tennessee typically meet on the first Tuesday of each month at Messiah Lutheran Church, at the intersection of Papermill Drive and Kingston Pike in Knoxville. A 6:30 p.m. social time precedes the formal meeting, which begins at 7 p.m. Please check the SMQ website, as dates and locations may vary.

SMQ’s primary goals are to promote and encourage the knowledge of quilt making as an art and a craft, to study its history as an integral part of our past, and to promote friendship through shared activities. Guild activities include workshops, block drawings, exhibits, and quilts made for local charities. The guild’s more than 100 members are as diverse as the quilts they love — traditional and art quilts, complex and minimalist modern designs, miniatures and bed-sized, and hand- or machine-stitched.

About the Quilt Alliance

Quilt Alliance is a nonprofit 501c3 organization established in 1993 with a mission to document, preserve and share our American quilt heritage by collecting the rich stories that historic and contemporary quilts, and their makers, talk about our nation’s diverse peoples and their communities. In support of this mission, the Alliance brings together quilt makers and designers, the quilt industry, quilt scholars and teachers, and quilt collectors to further the following goals:
•       to promote the understanding of the quilt as an important American grassroots art form,
•       to share stories and documentation about quilts with a broad public, and
•       to educate Americans about the importance of documenting quilts and quiltmakers so that their stories will not be lost.

For more information, visit www.quiltalliance.org, or find QA on YouTube at www.youtube.com/quilt alliance, on Facebook at www.facebook.com.quiltalliance, and on Instagram and Twitter @quiltalliance.