Show will feature more than 100 quilts

Quilting is Mollie Dalpae’s meditation.

Her love for piecing together kaleidoscopes of cloth spans 20 years and creations too numerous to mention.

When the Spokane Valley Community Center director pitched the idea of hosting a quilt show fund-raiser to her auxiliary, the ladies – many of them quilters – eagerly took up the cause.

“It’s been something that I’ve wanted to do for a long time,” Dalpae said.

The result is “A Garden of Quilts,” a show with more than 100 exhibits made by quilters throughout Spokane County and North Idaho.

In addition to the quilt display, which is open to the public, the event includes a tea party that quickly sold out.

Works will be displayed at Horizon Middle School on next Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and proceeds from the show will support center operations and programs that serve low-income families in Spokane Valley.

Guests can peruse 30 booths with businesses offering quilting supplies, tea goods and other items.

The diverse array of quilts includes heirlooms from the 1800s that have been passed down through generations, as well as modern renditions of Victorian and country styles. Quilts come in every color and geometric pattern imaginable and include embroidery and other lavish embellishments.

“We are really running into some beautiful quilts. You should see my basement right now,” said Nina Hofmeister, a fellow quilter and auxiliary president.

“We have wall hangings, and we have large quilts. It’s just so amazing.”

Award-winning quilter Eileen Green will display some of her innovative works.

In planning the event, Hofmeister said the auxiliary consulted with The Brambleberry Cottage and Tea Shoppe and Briar Patch, a quilting store.

PlantLand Nursery Garden and Gift Center helped create a garden theme to give the show a unique flair.

Captains took charge of 30 tables for eight, gathering an assortment of china, linen and centerpieces to give their tables personality.

The ladies sold the tickets and within a short time the 240 seats were filled.

“We were totally amazed because, like I said, we’ve never done this before,” Hofmeister said

Young quilters attending Horizon Middle School helped with the project, which she expects to become an annual fund-raiser.

“I think we’re permanently into this. We have convinced our husbands to make 70 quilt racks that will double-hang.”