In the past, quilts were made by women in their spare time to keep their families away from cold weathers. The quilts held the love and stories of the makers, and when they have been passed down to the next generations, they also carry on the emotions and memories of the previous users. Nowadays, quilts have since evolved from being practical as blankets for warmth, to pieces of artwork that can be visually appreciated on the wall.
It’s not an easy task to showcase a collection of quilts, it requires many hard works of our enthusiastic association members, the support of professional quilting instructors and suppliers, as well as an appropriate venue to display these artworks. In 2019, the Taiwan International Quilt Association (TIQA) has successfully hosted an international quilt exhibition and competition in Taipei, Taiwan. We expected to encourage quilters in Taiwan to advance their skills and creativities through the competition, and to learn from other quilters’ work both domestically and internationally. Furthermore, quilters from all levels as well as quilting supply vendors could freely exchange ideas and new products at the vendors booth area.
As a result of many positive feedbacks from our last quilt event, we plan to hold a second quilt exhibition and competition in 2021. Not only do we want to encourage people to continue their enthusiasm for making and designing quilts, we also look forward to a thriving quilting environment in Taiwan.
We aim to provide a platform for quilters to showcase their work, and to broaden their views through artworks exhibited by quilters from abroad. Professional quilting instructors in trade as well as supply vendors are also invited to participate, so that quilting can also have a play in its economic value.