Are you a member of a Quilt Guild and want to arrange an adventure for your group? Traveling to a quilt show as a group always adds to the fun.  We invite guilds or other groups to charter a bus and come join the fun at McMinn County Living Heritage Museum’s National Heritage Quilt Show September 4-October 29, 2010.    

This year’s theme “Once Upon A Time” seeks excellence in design, craftsmanship and color in both traditional quilt making as well as art quilts. We can help you plan a memorable experience for one day or two, including lodging and dining. The McMinn County Living Heritage Museum will work closely with you to arrange an unforgettable adventure for your members!   Admission to the show for your bus driver and/or tour guide is complimentary. 

Groups of ten or more should be registered with Museum at least two weeks in advance so we can plan ahead for your visit.    

After you visit the quilt exhibit let us help you plan your adventure as you wish. Options include:  

-Enjoy the quilt show and the permanent collection at the Living Heritage Museum  ($10 per person)
-Tour the Englewood Textile Museum (Included)
-Enjoy the “World’s Best Ice-Cream” at the Mayfield Dairy Visitor Center ($5 per person) -Experience tea and a tour at the Keith Mansion, a Civil War era B&B ($10 per person)  
-Shopping in Historic Downtown Athens
-Tour the L&N Railroad Depot and Museum ($5 per person)
-Tour McMinn County’s Appalachian Quilt Trail. These beautiful hand-painted quilt blocks decorate the buildings around town and on barns in the scenic countryside. Athens is proud to claim the largest display of quilt blocks at 16 quilt patterns. 
-Special rate at the new Comfort Inn of Athens (off I-75, call 423-252-8030 for details)

For a special time only! Amish Quilts: Design Lessons from Illinois Workshop and Lecture opportunity taught by Janice Tauer Wass Register for one or both!  

Lecture: October 22, Friday at 6 pm.  Discover often-overlooked quilts, made near Arthur, Illinois, in this hour-long presentation. Learn their history going back to the 1870s and their developing diversity as quilt makers merged their desire for simplification with quilt making trends. Illinois Amish quilters have produced masterpiece quilts that are considered to be among the best examples of American folk art. Find inspiration for your own quilt making. ($10 per person, admission to quilt show included in price)  

Workshop: October 23, 2010, Saturday, 9 am to 3 pm Explore Amish success in color and design to improve your own quilt making.  The Amish quilts made in Illinois provide examples for the discussion of design elements such as value, rhythm, simplification, visual tension, and balance. The class will start with a brief outline of the history of Illinois Amish quilts including an introduction to their evolution in terms of fabrics, colors, and patterns. Then participants will discuss a design vocabulary that will help them to see these quilts more clearly and analytically as artistic compositions.  The last part of the class will involve demonstrations and exercises using small pieces of fabrics to better understand color and communication. No sewing machine is needed. This is a design class so students will be working from Jan’s book and with one-inch squares of solid color fabrics. A kit of supplies for the class will be provided. ($70 per person, admission to quilt show included in price)

Call the Museum at 423-745-0329 or email us to book your tour today!

The Living Heritage Museum is centrally located between Chattanooga and Knoxville, just off Interstate 75. We also have great hotels and Athens is home to a Cracker Barrel and Shoney’s.