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 but not limited to:
- The Quilting Experience and Virtual Voyage: Pixels & Patchwork Exhibits by Victoria Findlay Wolfe
- ABYSS: Anglerfish & Octopus collections presented by Cherrywood Hand Dyed Fabrics
- Achromatic Exhibit by The Thread Benders
- America250 Exhibit by Quilting by the River Friends
- Black Diamonds Quilts by Friends of Klaudeen Hansen
- Celebrating our Country’s 250th Birthday Exhibit presented by Prairie Lakes Quilt Club
- Quilts by Heidi Parkes
- Sacred Threads Traveling Exhibit by SAQA
- Second Nature by Women Who Run With Scissors
- Solo Exhibition by Leah Evans
- The Stock I Came From by Black Threads
- Watershed Exhibit by SAQA IL-WI
- The Great Wisconsin Quilt Show Quilted Fashion Challenge Exhibit
- The Great Wisconsin Quilt Show Modern Mini Quilt Challenge Exhibit
- The Great Wisconsin Quilt Show Challenge Exhibit
- The Great Wisconsin Quilt Show Kids’ Quilt Challenge Exhibit
Quilted Fashion Challenge
Fashion Show and Exhibit
The Great Wisconsin Quilt Show once again invites you to show us your Quilted Fashion! View garments and accessories created with quilting fabrics and/or piecing and quilting techniques in a special exhibit at the event, and join us Saturday, Sept. 12, for a fun-filled fashion show on stage.
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.
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!
Victoria Findlay Wolfe (right), The Quilting Experience
Come together for an evening of celebrating the community of quilting and quilters. Hear stories and inspiration from Victoria Findlay Wolfe, as she shares her creative process, with tips, exercises and encouragement for cultivating storytelling in your own quilt making. Laugh, cry, get the warm fuzzies and reflect on how our lives are sewn into the seams of our own work. Leave with inspiration to create your own quilting experience that’s rich with memories and personal narrative.
Catrina J. Sparkman (left) and The Black Threads Quilting Collective
Artist Talk: The Stock I Come From
Through voice, story and textile, the artists present a theatrical performance that illuminates personal and collective histories, tracing lineage, memory and the threads that bind generations. This special event expands “The Work of Remembering,” a community‑centered exhibition exploring how Black artists preserve history through textile and narrative, beyond the gallery, inviting audiences into a deeply embodied experience of storytelling and tradition.
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.
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 Robin Koehler and David Bailey, 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.
