We were both excited to visit Paducah (pə-DOO-kə). Neither of us had ever been to this part of Kentucky before and Paducah was on our travel route to a few Harvest Hosts along the Bourbon Trail. The town’s name intrigued us. That’s one of the great advantages of RV travel—visiting all the locations “in-between” our planned destinations.
Our first stop was the National Quilt Museum (NQM).
Established in 1991 by Bill and Meredith Schroeder, Paducah residents and founders of the American Quilters Society, NQM is dedicated to contemporary quilting. The quilts on display were beautiful, unique and unlike any we have ever seen. There were quilts featuring abstract images and quilts featuring hyper- realistic images. The image of pillows at the beginning of this post is a quilt, not a painting.
The quilt below can only be described as fun. It certainly resonated with us and made us smile! Many of the quilt squares highlight specific songs or lyrics from Beatles music. Click on the photos in the gallery below to get a full size image.
These next three quilts were from a special exhibit entitled Primal Force: Fire, which is on display through December 2028.
Lost Habitat
Carol K. Boyer
Syracuse, New York, USA
1 am deeply concerned about the wildfires that are burning off forested areas in the world. We are losing so many oxygen-producing plants that I feel many species are in real peril.
Materials: Cotton, nylon netting, cheesecloth, silk paper
Techniques: Machine raw edge appliquéd
Inferno
Marnie Murray
Portland, Oregon, USA
Wildfire season occurs every year in Oregon and every year there are more and bigger wildfires. Millions of acres burn as firemen fight to get them under control. I am sure that one year, not too far in the future, all the wildfires will merge, and our beautiful state will be one vast inferno that will leave nothing behind but smoldering black stumps and piles of ashes.
Materials: Cotton, dye, polyester and cotton thread
Techniques: Artist dyed, machine pieced, machine quilted
Campfire Glow
Michelle Jackson
Sandia Park, New Mexico, USA
The warm memories of a campfire glowing in blues and purples as the logs are slowly consumed.
Materials: Cotton, commercial fabrics, acrylics
Techniques: Hand dyed, raw edge fused, painted
The quilt below by Cassandra Williams of Grants Pass, OR, is entitled THE MAP MAKERS, 2003. The quilt is machine quilted, hand painted and beaded. We were fascinated by the amazing detail in this quilt. I never imagined that quilted fabric could create such life-like texture.
American Quilt Society Award: Best Quilt Lewis and Clark Expedition, Quilts Nashville 2003
The work below is entitled Mariposas Mi Amigas, designed by by Gail Garber Albuquerque, NM and Quilted by Kris Vierra of Lincoln, NE.
Here is one final quilt by Laurie Tigner of Rapid City, SD entitled A February’s Dream of Spring. The appearance of this quilt is what comes to mind when we think of quilting. However, the precision and detail are stunning. Raw-edge machine appliquéd, free motion, machine quilted. American Quilting Society Best of Show 2025.
We were extremely impressed with the NQM. It is a destination that is well worth making the effort to visit if you are passing through southwest Kentucky.
The NQM is is open Monday to Saturday 10-5 and Sundays 1-5. There is sufficient parking space for RVs under 23 feet long. We were able to squeeze into an end spot. The parking lot filled up quickly.
After we toured the NQM we found a better place to park on a free surface lot on N. Water street and Broadway. There is much more room to park large vehicles.
We have a lot more to tell you about our visit to pa-DOO-ka, Kentucky. Look for Part 2 of this post next Monday.
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