Patchwork Pals return to Arts Center for biennial display

By Travis Fischer, tkfischer@charlescitypress.com

A local favorite exhibit is back on display at the Charles City Arts Center this month.

On Friday, Oct. 6, the Charles City Arts Center hosted an open house to celebrate the return of the Patchwork Pals Quilt Guild and the “Patchwork Showcase.”

Every two years the guild brings its collective work to the museum, showing off the different techniques and patterns that members are working with. This is the seventh time the guild has brought quilts to the arts center for display, this time bringing in more than 50 different works put together by about 15 members.

The opening reception saw a big crowd come to appreciate the display of quilts, with different patterns and fabrics draped throughout the building.

“We have a nice cross section,” said guild President Collette Schmidtke. “We hope that it’s a real pleasant visual experience.”

Though they do their quilting independently, the guild members meet up once a month to share what they’ve been working on and discuss different techniques.

“We learn from each other and we bring in programs that are beneficial, too,” said Schmidtke.

The “Patchwork Showcase” will be on display through October, but a more permanent fixture will be the arts center’s new outdoor display.

Utilizing a 2022 grant from the Floyd County Community Foundation and additional funds from a city hotel/motel grant, the arts center ordered a new weather-proof display case for its monthly showcase signs to replace the previous display, which was prone to leaks. The new display case was ordered in January, but only just recently delivered and installed.

Arts Center Director Emily Kiewel said she hopes the new sign, illuminated by solar-powered lights, will catch the eye of passers-by.