A Show & So Much More: A Quick Look at Quilt Week Paducah 2025

It’s the middle of QuiltWeek in Paducah, Kentucky, and this event extends well beyond the convention center, so today I’m sharing some of the snapshots I’ve taken during my visit. I hope you enjoy this peek into QuiltWeek!

Around the Convention Center

Flood Wall Addition

Paducah sits on the Ohio River and flood walls are situated between the river and downtown. Murals cover many of the walls, and quilt themed murals are added periodically, including this year.

The Main Quilt Show

The main quilting event of the week is the American Quilters’ Society show held in the convention center and nearby pavilion.

Winning Quilts

Best of Show 2025

The best of show quilt for 2025 is an appliqué medallion style quilt titled A February’s Dream of Spring by Laurie Tigner. The techniques used to construct the quilt include:

• Movable Machine Quilting
• Appliqué (Machine)
• Appliqué (Raw Edge)
• Quilting (Free Motion)
• Quilting (Matchstick)
• Quilting (Ruler Work)

Modern Quilt Winners

The Modern Category is always my favorite, and here are the 2025 winners:

• 1st Place: Prickly Pear by Susan Braverman (center)
• 2nd Place: Overprint by Betsy Vinegrad (left)
• 3rd Place: FISH by Marianne Knöps

A Surprise for One of My Quilts!

I was shocked and honored that one of my quilts, Next Verse Different Than the First, recieved a judge’s recognition award from Catherine Redford.

The National Quilt Museum

The National Quilt Museum is just a few blocks from the convention center, and this year it has two fantastic exhibits in addition to many selections from the permanent collection.

A Life in Color: Caryl Bryer Fallert Gentry

Caryl Bryer Fallert Gentry is probably the most famous for Corona 2, which was the first machine quilted quilt to win Best of Show at the Paducah AQS event. Right now, the National Quilt Museum has an extensive collection of her work on display ranging from her first quilt to some of her most recent work.

Operation Expedition by Victoria Findlay Wolfe

While one exhibit covers decades of work, a second exhibit of work features a single series of pieces by Victoria Findllay Wolfe. The individual quilts in this exhibit are designed to play off of each other differently based on their arrangement which changes each time the series is displayed.

I was lucky to see this exhibit at the International Quilt Museum last Summer, and it is exciting to see it in a new arrangements this year. It even has some new pieces!

Quilts from the Permanent Collection

I’m always thrilled when my pieces from the permanent collection are on display, and this year all four are out. I’m particularly thrilled to have Infused Plaid (left in the photo below) displayed next to two Victoria Findlay Wolfe quilts!

Oh Wow! Miniature Quilts

The Yeiser Arts Center

In downtown Paducah, the Yeiser Arts Center hosts its annual Fantastic Fibers Exhibition.

The Paducah Quilt Show

For the past few years, a smaller quilt show has been held in a building at Carson Park featuring vendors and a couple of quilt exhibits.

SAQA Color In Context: Red

NACQJ Challenge

Shopping

There are terrific vendors at the shows, but there is also a lot of shopping in the area beyond the show.

Backyard Fabrics

This year was my first trip to Backyard fabrics, mostly because it is around 40 minutes outside of town. This is a great shop that I wish I had visited sooner!

Hancock’s of Paducah

Is a trip to Paducah complete without a visit to Hancock’s? If you have never visited before, check out my post on tips for shopping in this massive shop!

Are you at the show?

If you are at the show, I hope I run into you!

If you are here now or have ever attended, I would love to hear what your favorite parts of Quiltweek are!