Nearly 200 quilting enthusiasts vied for awards and recognition at a recent weekend event, “Tomorrow’s Treasures,” a quilt show with vendor wares available presented at Memorial High in Manchester on April 23-24 by members of the Amoskeag Quilters Group, based in Hooksett.

“This was a special year, a return to gathering after a delay due to Covid,” said Kathy DeSchuiteneer, quilt show chair and Manchester resident. “Everyone who participated, attended, or contributed raffle prizes is most appreciated.”

DeSchuiteneer and other organizers greeted scores of attendees including Nashuan quilt masters Linda Banner and Donna Kennedy, whose works of art claimed space among 175 quilts of varying sizes suspended from sturdy wooden overheads.

Some of the needle artists won satin ribbon prizes in several categories. A quilt radiant with pink, cream and yellow hues named, “Hallelujah,” won Best of Show honors for Betty Chouinard, of Londonderry.

Elsewhere, Merrimack quilters Annick Bouvier-Selwyn, Terry Burris, Lisa Courtemanche and Susan Werst competed amid contenders ranging from patchwork, embroidered, multimedia or other styles of construction. Merrimack’s Joanne Duggan, AQG librarian, and husband Dennis Duggan, AQG historian, chronicled the event with photos and also entered several exquisite quilts. Sales of an indigo blue starburst raffle quilt benefitted Girls, Inc., a national nonprofit nurturing strong, smart and bold young women.

The AQG, a nonprofit founded in 1988, is dedicated to promoting and preserving the craft and heritage of quilting, an activity online sources attribute to ancient Egypt. Indeed, the Craft Industry Alliance, a global trade association of professionals based in Wellesley, Massachusetts, reported in 2020 a population of 9-11 million quilters in North America and a quilting marketplace of fabric, thread, sewing aids, quilt sales and other relatives equaling $4.2 billion.

Members of AQG meet September through May on the third Thursday of the month at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Hooksett. Newcomers are welcome. More information can be accessed online: amoskeagqg.org.

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