Washington Times-Herald
ODON —
Legendary, one-of-a-kind Amish quilts will take center stage Saturday, as 95 masterpieces hand-stitched by local quiltmakers will be auctioned in a once-a-year public sale. The popular event has been previously profiled by such national magazines as Quilter’s World.
Manufactured commercial quilts are available through retail shops, but one-of-a-kind legendary hand-made works of art are available in Daviess County on Labor Day weekend. The auction provides the opportunity to own a hand-stitched, heirloom quality quilt from the heart of the Southern Indiana Amish community.
The Daviess County Amish Quilt Auction brings collectors, fund-raisers’ representatives, shop owners and people just interested in magnificent pieces of art from faraway places like Alabama, Georgia, New York, Washington state, and nearby cities like Newburgh and Evansville.
They arrive en masse, however they can get here, by car, tour bus and horse and buggy. And all for the opportunity to hold up a bid card and vie for the chance to return home with one or more of the most beautiful textiles on earth.
Quilt sale organizer Lucille Dillon started the auction 23 years ago as a way for local Amish and Mennonite women to market their quilts.
“We get a lot feedback about the whole community; all the motels are booked. I’ve been getting calls all week from people who are spending the whole weekend,” Dillon said.
Organizers expect about 2,500 to 3,000 attendees.
Each year about 95 to 100 handmade quilts, with names like, “Nancy’s Glory,” “Bear Chase,” “Irish Eyes,” “Log Cabin,” “Amish Star” and “Cathedral Window” draw appreciative gasps of wonder. This year an old-style quilt, done with the unusual “candle-wicking” design will be for sale.
“We have one for every size bed, twin, regular, queen or king,” Dillon said.
Several vendors will also have items available for purchase, including hand-pieced quilt tops.
The event is slated inside the air-conditioned Simon J. Graber Community Building, south of Odon, just off the Odon-Cannelburg Road, CR 900E.
Friday night the building will be open for preview, and doors open at 8 a.m, Saturday.
Cafeteria-style Amish plate lunches, including sausage and grilled turkey, will be served starting at 10 a.m., which will benefit Prairie Creek Amish School.
Oak Ridge Amish School will host this year’s bake sale.
Jay Yagle, an always-entertaining auctioneer, will get things started at the auction at noon.
