How to Prepare for Quilt Shows: 4 Articles Every Quilter Should Know

January 30, 2026

The 2026 quilt show season is underway, and with shows across the US drawing thousands of quilters to each event, there is a good chance many of us will visit one (or more) in the coming year. The season kicked off with Road to California last week and continues with QuiltCon in Raleigh and the American Quilters’ Society show in Daytona Beach in February.

I was thrilled that my quilt received an honorable mention at Road to California this year! Photo Courtesy of Sarah Goer.

If you are heading to a show next month or at any point this year, there are some things you can do now to prepare and have the best possible experience once you’re at the venue.

Beyond Class Supplies: 5 Important Things to bring to QuiltCon

This article focuses on QuiltCon, but most of it applies to any quilt show, so you can use most of the information to prepare.

One thing I mention in this article that is very specific to QuiltCon is the exchange and sharing of small personal items such as buttons and stickers. The current trend is stickers with a photograph of one of your quilts or a fun saying.

Here’s a preview of my stickers for this year. I chose two of my quilts from the show to feature. I’m particularly excited about the die-cut sticker to go with my irregularly shaped quilt.

Sew on the Go: Packing a Sewing Kit

If you are taking a workshop at a quilt show, a basic sewing kit is often on the supply list. We all have our favorite supplies, but it’s easy to overlook key ones when packing up. In this article, I go over the essential elements you should include in your kit. I refer back to it when I’m packing up for a workshop, sew day, or retreat.

3 Steps for Quilt Show Snapshots

Once you are at the quilt show, you will probably want to capture photos of some of your favorite quilts. This short article covers the three minimum snapshots you should take of each quilt to help you remember what you like about the piece and to find the maker online to see more of their work.

Creating Preset Hashtags on an iPhone

Do you plan to share your quilt show experience on social media? Hashtags aren’t as necessary as they once were, but if you want to add some of the same text to each posting, such as a sentence or phrase about the show and location, you can set up a keyboard shortcut to make posting your photos even more efficient.