AQS Quilt Show & Contest (American Quilter's Society)

If you love quilts, you'll want to attend the AQS Quilt Show at DeVos Place Convention Center, August 21-25, 2012.

More than $40,000 will be awarded in the quilt contest. A huge Merchant Mall will feature the very latest in quiltmaking supplies, antique and new quilts, and quilt related gifts. Classes are geared to all levels of quilters, from beginners to advanced, featuring traditional techniques like piecing, applique and quilting and extended to the latest in surface embellishment with paint, thread or embroidery.

Four days of quilts and fun with quilters from across the United States and around the world.
More than 300 quilts will be on exhibit.

Show hours and admission:
Wednesday - Friday 9:00 am - 6:00 pm
Saturday - 9 am - 5:00 pm
If you order tickets in advance, daily admission is $10; at the door is $11. Multi-day admission is also available for $30.
Advance tickets must be ordered 30 days before the show.

You won't want to miss visiting the:
Grand Rapids Public Museum - Explore the Museum in a whole new way by picking up a copy of the Discovery Hunt Collecting A-Z at the front desk. Don't miss Q is for Quilts.
Take a self-guided "Mini-Bite" Museum Tour. Choose your favorite topic "Quilts" and learn more about the Museums textiles, fabric and clothing collection.

Community Archives and Research Center - The Community Archives and Research Center is a collaborative support facility which houses the historical documents and artifact collections of the Grand Rapids Public Museum. Experience first-hand about how the museum's collections are stored and preserved. Specialized tours of individual collections such as Clothing & Textiles (including quilts), Furniture, Native American Collection and decorative arts can also be arranged to enhance the general tour of the facility. Wear your walking shoes. Group meets at the CARC building. Behind the scenes Tour pricing is $12.00 per person and must be scheduled.

Gerald R Ford Museum will feature three art quilt major exhibitions from Studio Art Quilt Associates.
Creative Force: July 11, - September 16, 2012
Sense of Adventure: June 15 - July 9, 2012
Beyond Comfort: June 15 - September 16, 2012

Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park - this 132-acre attraction features the most comprehensive outdoor sculpture collection in the Midwest, indoor and outdoor gardens, largest tropical conservatory in the state, guided tram tour and café.

The Quilt Gardens of northern Indiana are only a short 100 miles south of the Grand Rapids area. The Quilt Gardens Tour consists of a colorful patchwork of quilt inspired gardens and quilt-themed murals linked by the roads that form scenic Heritage Trail.