The 140 quilts that filled Landrum Middle School’s gymnasium last weekend appeared more as works of art than something thrown on a bed to keep your feet warm.

“There are some that just speak to you,” said Ellen Henderson, co-chair of this year’s Landrum Quilt Show. “Many people are drawn to the traditional ones because they are familiar, because they remind them of their grandmother and watching her quilt.”

The Landrum Quilt Guild entertained hundreds of quilters and quilt admirers Thursday, Friday and Saturday, June 9-11, at its 11th bi-annual quilt show.

This show is a “People’s Choice” award show, according to Henderson. Each attendee received a ballot and was asked to cast a vote for their favorites.

First-time show participant Eva Nicklaw captured Best in Show with her “A Bit of Baltimore” quilt. The quilt also won first place in the large appliqued wall hangings category and a vendor ribbon.

The Landrum Quilt Show originated in the early 90s. In 2009, 1,200 people came through over three days.

This year the show drew people from across the region and a few from as far away as Illinois and Ohio.

Mary Ellen Wuerfel of Landrum said she was delighted to bring her daughter Deb Stanko to the show. Stanko flew in from Cleveland, Ohio, for the weekend.

“I’m just so happy to have her here with me, I can’t tell you,” Wuerfel said. “I’ve passed all my sewing on to her. It’s really therapeutic and I want her to experience that, too.”

Wuerfel passed a family tradition that reaches back generations, as many quilting families do, to Stanko.

“She’s passed down all of my grandmother’s unfinished projects and that’s what has really gotten me started with quilting,” Stanko said. “We came here today because I really wanted to learn more and see what others have done.”

Quilts offer so much room for creativity, Henderson said.

Among the 140 quilts on display at this show were those with travel themes, religious themes, holiday pictorials, animals, floral images and traditional geometric patterns.

Quilts varied from the strictly traditional to art quilts and quilts with elaborate embellishments. Some of the quilts were hand-stitched while others were created with a longarm machine.

“I think people would really be amazed by what some quilters an do with fabric,” Henderson said. “We have a lot of really innovative quilters.”

Quilting teacher Polly Taylor drove from Jonesborough, Tenn., for the event.

Taylor said she was particularly happy to see longtime friend and renowned quilter Georgia Bonesteel.

“She’s really the one who got us all going again back in the 70s,” Taylor said. “In fact, I have one of her very first publications from years ago.”

Bonesteel is one of the founders of the Landrum Quilter’s Guild, which first began meeting 40 years ago about the time Bonesteel is known for reviving the hobby nationally.

Winners in Landrum Quilt Show
The following quilts and quilters won awards at the Landrum Quilt Show held June 9-11 at the Landrum Middle School.
• “A Bit of Baltmore,” by Eva Nicklaw, won best of show. It also won first place in the large appliqued wall hangings and a vendor ribbon. This is Nicklaw’s first quilt show. She reportedly pieces everything by hand – not using a sewing machine.
• “Civil War Splendor,” an original design by Sandy Wolf, won a first place in the long-arm quilted bed quilt category, along with two vendor ribbons and a ribbon from the Landrum Area Business Association.
• Sybil Radius received six awards: first place for art quilts; first place and vendor ribbon for lap quilts; second place for large appliqued wall quilts; and two third places for quilted articles and large pieced wall quilts.
• Debi Miller also received six awards: two second places, small appliqued wall quilts and lap quilts; third place, machine-quilted bed quilts, two vendor ribbons and a sponsor ribbon from the Spartanburg County Parks Commission.
• Rita Fowler won two first place ribbons:  machine-quilted bed quilts and quilted articles.
• Carol Hediger received a first place in the hand-quilted category along with a vendor ribbon and third place for a small appliqued wall quilt.
Other multiple ribbon winners included:
Margaret Freedman, first place, small pieced wall quilts, and a sponsor ribbon from the City of Landrum; Barbara Massey, first place, small appliqued wall quilts and second place, art quilts; Connie Wells, first place, large pieced wall quilts, and second place, miniatures; Betty Fortner, second place ribbons for large and small pieced wall quilts; Phyllis Cole, second place ribbons for machine-quilted bed quilts and quilted articles; Marilyn Doheny, second place, long-arm quilted bed quilts, and third place, art quilts; Donna Sutton, third place, large appliqued wall quilts, and a sponsor ribbon from Spartanburg School District One; Jean Lessig, second place, hand-quilted bed quilts, and vendor ribbon; Judy Gallman, third place, miniatures and vendor ribbon; Emily Boisvert, third place, long-arm quilted bed quilt and vendor ribbon.
Marie Cryderman won first place in miniatures. Third place ribbons went to Mary Margaret Lejeune, hand-quilted bed quilts; Della DeSantis, lap quilts; and Debbie Williams, small pieced wall quilts.
Wanda Brothers and Janet Boland received vendor ribbons.
Amy Willingham’s art quilt was recognized by the Quilters of South Carolina for a first-time quilt.