Every other year, the Quilt Alliance (of which I am a proud member) hosts a fantastic fundraising event called Quilters Take Manhattan. I love attending, partly because it’s such a fun gathering, and partly because I love spending time in New York City, where my oldest, Hannah Fons, lives. Because tickets always sell fast, I had already purchased mine earlier this year, before COVID changed everything. I was given the option for a refund or to use my tickets for the revised event, online of course. Easy decision, I kept them.

The renamed celebration of all things quilting, Quilters Take A Moment, happens later this month, and I urge you to “attend” with me! The virtual event offers quilt celebs and great sessions galore. Read on, and use the many links I embedded to learn more about the amazing lineup.

Live presentations on Friday via Zoom include “The Incubation of a Quilt,” with designer and trendsetter Anna Maria Horner, followed by the debut of artist, writer, and independent curator Dr. Carolyn Mazloomi’s interview with the legendary Dindga McCannon.

Saturday kicks off with “The Quilt Keepers,” a panel discussion featuring the brilliant historian Merikay Waldvogel, fashion designer Emily Bode, collector and quilt dealer extraordinaire Julie Silber, and other luminaries. Laura McDowell Hopper will lead us on a virtual tour of the online exhibit, “Known and Unknown: Revealing Quilt Stories,” which includes quilts from Victoria Findlay Wolfe, Jacquie Gering, and Chawne Kimber, as well as antique and vintage quilts never before shown. Tucked in between the major live events will be music by one of my best quilt pals, Ricky Tims, a little bit of quilt comedy, and (I understand) some dancing!

What’s exceptional about Quilters Take a Moment is that it’s more than just a two-day event. Pass holders will have access to the event’s website whenever they want—for years to come! “The website will be a place for quilters to get away whenever they need inspiration, information, or just want to look at some amazing quilts,” according to executive director Amy Milne.

Learn more about this exciting event and sign up here. Event passes are $45 for members, $65 for nonmembers.

To entice you further, I have two free passes to give away. If you’d like one of them, just email me via the “contact” option toward the top right on this page by September 10. I’ll put all your names in an actual hat and draw the first one out on September 11, the second on September 13.