Region's fiber artists featured at quilt show
Coeur d'Alene Press | UPDATED 10 years, 5 months AGO
<p>Couer d'Alene quilter Arless Sheet poses with some of her work. Sheet is the featured artist at Quilt Fiesta, a quilt show taking place today from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds.</p>
Quilters from throughout the region will celebrate their craft today and Saturday in Coeur d'Alene, and the public is invited to join them.
Quilt Fiesta, this year's annual quilt show hosted by the North Idaho Quilters Guild, will feature more than 275 quilts by local artists and on display in the Jacklin Building at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds.
The show will begin at 10 a.m. both days, ending at 6 p.m. today and 5 p.m. Saturday.
Admission is $7 and covers both days. Parking is free using the Kathleen fairground entrance.
The show's featured artist this year is Coeur d'Alene quilter, Arless Sheet.
Sheet said she feels honored to be chosen.
"Art feeds the soul, and I have chosen quilting and fiber art as my medium," she said.
Sheet grew up in Rugby, N.D., and married her high school sweetheart, Francis, more than 52 years ago. She spent 30 years traveling to and living in many parts of the country while Fran served in the U.S. Navy. She raised two sons, Troy and Todd, and has seven grandchildren.
When telling her story, Sheet laughs about her working years.
"I worked in the fledgling computer industry, first a key punch operator, on the old mainframes, the old IBM desktops and into the age of the first in home shopping and banking," she said.
Sheet learned to sew as a young girl, primarily making clothes for her dolls, then learned to sew her own clothes as an adult. She called herself "the best-dressed, poorest sailor's wife."
She won a free quilting class, and that's what got her started in this passion.
After retiring from the computer world, Sheet spent time feeding her passion by working in many quilt stores and teaching many classes - teaching students the skills they need to create wonderful pieces of art. She is an accomplished instructor. Those students have become friends and family to her.
Sheet creates most of her own designs with no cookie-cutter quilts. One of her quilts was recently on display in an exhibit at the state Capitol building in Boise.
"Her attention to detail is extraordinary," said Sally Clouse, a member of the North Idaho Quilters Guild, and a past featured artist herself.
A walk through Sheet's home tells the story of many years of quilting. Her art hangs proudly on almost every wall, draped across beds, or in a special display.
Quilt Fiesta will also feature:
* A merchant mall with 18 different quilt and fiber stores with lots of items any quilter or fiber artists would be interested in.
* A small display of Quilts of Valor with quilts, made by North Idaho residents, that are donated to a national effort to provide all returning service men and women touched by war one of these quilts as a token of appreciation and gratitude for their service and valor.
* An educational display showcasing different aspects of quilting which can be observed at one's own pace.
* North Idaho Quilters Guild is comprised of quilters from various communities in North Idaho, eastern Washington and western Montana. The guild has been in existence since 1995, and has almost 200 members. The guild's mission is to promote quilting and the skills of all members. The guild holds meetings six times a year. For more information, visit niqnews.com.