‘Flowers for Steffen’: Milledgeville resident’s quilt featured in state showcase

Published 9:00 am Monday, June 13, 2022

A Milledgeville resident’s quilt is a finalist in Georgia’s largest juried quilt show happening this weekend in Marietta.

May Kay Mouton said her quilt, “Flowers for Steffen,” was made in association with the Steffen Thomas Museum of Art in Madison. Mouton is a member of The Lake Oconee Quilt Guild, and she said the group was invited to make quilts that were inspired by Thomas’ artwork for a show hosted by the museum. 

The piece is now a finalist in The Georgia Celebrates Quilts® Show presented by the East Cobb Quilters’ Guild.

Mouton said the aspect of this particular quilt that stands out the most is the intricate beading it boasts.

“It’s a beautiful design from Steffen Thomas,” she said. 

Mouton said the flowers in the design seem to be shedding, and she used beading to represent that shedding. 

“There were a ton of beads,” she said. “My hands were so bruised … I was [working on it] late at night, too, because I needed to get it done in time for the show at that museum, and I was doing it all odd hours and just one bead after another. They’re hard to shove through when you’ve quilted it already because you’ve got all this quilting stitched and you’ve got to shove that needle through.”

It was time-consuming work that even required the use of pliers, but the end result was a stunning piece.

“It was difficult, but that part really shows well. When the light hits it, the beads just glisten and glow, and it looks just really very pretty.”

Mouton has been quilting since 1978. It’s a craft she taught herself to do. She began by making clothing.

“And then I wanted to have a nice quilt for my bed, and they were more expensive than I wanted to pay, so I thought, ‘Well, I sew, I’ll make a quilt,’ so I started,” she said. “I made my first quilt, and then it was a long time before I made my second one. The particular technique I used to make it wasn’t very entertaining, so I didn’t make another one for a while until I needed another quilt, and then the next time I really liked it.”

Ever since then, Mouton has been making quilts for herself and her family, and she also competed in quilt making competitions for about 19 years, sending pieces all over the United States. Competition quilts, she said, typically take between a year and a year and a half to complete. She has won many ribbons along the way, and she even has one quilt at The National Quilt Museum in Paducah, Ky.

“My biggest excitement in my quilting life was getting that quilt in that museum,” she said.

Mouton said she won many of those ribbons making miniatures, and it’s a miniature that landed in the quilt museum.

These days, she doesn’t participate in many competitions any more. She said she makes most of her quilts for her home, and she wants to be able to keep them. 

She doesn’t expect to win a ribbon at this competition because it wasn’t made for that purpose. 

“And if you don’t do what the judges want in a competition, you are very unlikely to win,” she said. 

She is nonetheless excited to be attending the event with her daughter, who is also a quilter. 

The Georgia Celebrates Quilts Show is taking place this weekend at the Cobb County Civic Center. The show is the largest juried and judged quilt show in Georgia. The centerpiece of the show is the gallery of 344 quilts competing for more than $4,000 in cash prizes that will be awarded by nationally certified judges.

According to ECQG, the quilts reflect the growing diversity of the craft. Handmade pieces range from artful wall hangings to traditional bed coverings. Thousands of quilters and supporters from across the state and throughout the region attend the show, which is produced entirely by volunteers who are members of the ECQG. Also on display are quilt blocks created by K-12 students, participants in the Guild’s Block Party.

“Whether it be a mask or a prize-winning quilt, more people are sewing and quilting these days,” said Terri Taylor, Quilt Show chair. “We invite all of you to come celebrate quilts with us. There truly will be something for everyone. The imagination and workmanship of the quilt entrants is something to behold. Granny may not have made quilts like some of the modern and artistic quilts on display, but she would be right at home with other, more traditional quilts. Come to be inspired, you will be glad you did.”

In addition to the gallery of 344 quilts, the show will include a wide variety of vendors who come from all over the U.S., offering the latest quilt-related products for sale in the market areas. There will be quilted items and small treasures made by guild members for sale in The Quilt Store, along with fabric postcards, a raffle for gift baskets with each valued at $100 or more, commemorative pins, a sewing studio raffle, and a passport basket opportunity just for visiting the show.

Mouton said she and her daughter look forward to attending the show and being able to purchase fabric from the wide array of vendors who will be on hand.

As for what’s next for her, she said she’s already working on her next piece.

“If you take up quilting, you are never bored,” she said. “You always have a project that takes a long time, and you get to touch all this fabric and look at it [and] combine colors. You always have something that you’re working on. I’m working on a new quilt right now as a matter of fact. You finish one and you start the next one. That’s what we quilters do. We’re never without a project. It’s just an amazing hobby that’s just so fun.”