Create. Learn. Celebrate.
The Great Wisconsin Quilt Show is thrilled to once again welcome quilting enthusiasts to the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wisconsin, to celebrate the joys of quilting. We are proud to host this event for a community that shares so much passion and dedication for their craft. From the buzz of the vendor mall to the beauty of the quilt exhibits, The Great Wisconsin Quilt Show offers so many opportunities for you to delve into quilting and engage with other quilters.
Quilt Exhibits
Take a walk through the incredible array of award-winning quilts in our 10-category juried and judged Quilt Contest exhibit. Study the stitches, take in the designs and become inspired by hundreds of beautiful quilts. Be sure to vote for your favorite for the Best of Show award!
Find inspiration for your next project in this exhibit and several other special quilt exhibits, including:
- Marquetta B. Johnson Legacy Exhibit presented by the family of Marquetta B. Johnson
- Art Quilts: Playing with a Full Deck presented by St. Charles, IL Quilt Guild
- Colorwash Quilts presented by PAQA Professional Art Quilters Alliance
- Flora & Fauna presented by Prairie Lakes Quilt Club
- Improvised Art Quilts presented by Laura Wasilowski
- The Poppy Quilt Challenge Exhibit presented by Cherrywood Hand Dyed Fabrics
- Quilt Block of the Month presented by Reedsburg Quilt Guild
- Trash Talk: Sustainability in Focus presented by Maday Delgado
- Witness: Sharing Cancer Stories presented by Francesca Olsen
- The Great Wisconsin Quilt Show Modern Mini Quilt Challenge Exhibit
- The Great Wisconsin Quilt Show Hexagon Challenge Exhibit
- The Great Wisconsin Quilt Show Kids’ Quilt Challenge Exhibit
NEW! Quilted Fashion Challenge
Fashion Show and Exhibit
New to The Great Wisconsin Quilt Show: show us your Quilted Fashion! Submit any garment or accessory you created with quilting fabrics and/or piecing and quilting techniques to be exhibited at the event, and join us Saturday, Sept. 6, for a fun-filled fashion show on stage.
All experience levels welcome!
Online entry form must be received by Aug. 9, 2025.
See quiltshow.com/quilt-contest for full details.
Lectures & Workshops
Explore hundreds of educational opportunities to pique your curiosity, including one-hour lectures, hands-on workshops and Sit & Sew workshops, all facilitated by leading educators.
View the full educational schedule here. (Coming July 7)
Vendor Mall
View our extensive list of vendors who travel to The Great Wisconsin Quilt Show to showcase the latest fabrics, threads, notions and sewing machines.
With a vendor mall covering 100,000 square feet, you can spend an entire day just shopping!
Raffle
Win great quilting prizes in The Great Wisconsin Quilt Show Raffle! Purchase tickets at the PBS Wisconsin booth near the main entrance. Tickets are $3 each, four for $10 or ten for $20. All proceeds support PBS Wisconsin. Winners need not be present to win. Full contest rules are available at the PBS Wisconsin booth during the show.
View a full list of raffle prizes and donors. (Coming in August)
Join us for live interviews from the event
Catch live updates from the event at the Alliant Energy Center. Deanna Springer of Nancy Zieman Productions will give virtual viewers an inside look through brief interviews and coverage of other event highlights.
Evening Events
The Great Wisconsin Quilt Show is excited to announce two new evening events!
I Stitch, Therefore I Am, with Laura Wasilowski
Discover the artist’s colorful life presented with slides of her narrative quilts like “Gus Cleans His Room” and “Nude Blue Chair Reclining.” Laura shares about the techniques used in creating her art quilts and hand embroideries. She will also sing a selection of tunes from the Chicago School of Fusing Bond Fire Songbook throughout the event.
Quilt Tales, with Chris Kirsch
A quilter’s life is full of creative exploration, experiences and mishaps! Enjoy a lighthearted look at one quilter’s journey as her love affair with fiber continues to evolve. Chris will be “formally” attired when she pulls quilts and other intriguing items from her overflowing suitcase. Listen on, as she spins tales of the quilts and what she’s learned from each of them.
Tickets are available for purchase here in advance and at the Class Ticket Sales desk in the front lobby during the event.
Community Service Project
9 a.m.-3 p.m. Daily in the Atrium
Share your love of quilting by joining our community service project, a collaborative effort led by Nancy Zieman Productions and PBS Wisconsin Education. You can help create a warm welcome for refugee families resettling in Wisconsin. Your quilt will be gifted to new neighbors alongside PBS KIDS educational materials for children and distributed to families in their new communities throughout the year by PBS Wisconsin Education.
Here’s how to participate:
• Plan 30 minutes or more to sit and sew.
• Donate fabric in bright colors: 1/4 yd or more.
• Donate a new, finished bed-sized quilt.
The quilting process and more details will be available this summer at nancyzieman.com/blog.
Quilt Appraisals
Quilt appraisals are a great way to determine and provide a written record of a quilt’s fair market value if needed in the event of loss or damage. For $65, you will receive a professionally written document for each quilt appraised. Information regarding your appraisal will be kept confidential. Quilts will be appraised by Allison Rainboth and Robin Koehler, who are certified by the American Quilter’s Society and members of the Professional Association of Appraisers – Quilted Textiles.
A separate appraisal is needed for each quilt you wish to have appraised. The average appraisal will take approximately 30 minutes per item.
