A Vermont Quilt Sampler
June 27 – September 7, 2026
ld DaysAbout the 2026 Exhibition
Judging & Awards
Each quilt submitted to A Vermont Quilt Sampler is reviewed by our amazing guest judge Pam Weeks, a nationally recognized quilting expert, historian, and author. Quilts have been the focus for more than half of Pam Weeks’ life. She started making quilts at the time of the Bicentennial craft revival and by the mid-1980s, Weeks was designing her own work. As the Binney Family Curator of the new England Quilt Museum, Weeks works with quilters, collectors, institutions, and co-conspirators to plan exhibits and continues research on the quilts in the museum’s collections.
One quilt will be selected for an award in the following categories: Judge’s Choice Award, Best Hand Quilting, Best Machine Quilting, Best Original Design, Billings Farm & Museum Staff Choice, and People’s Choice.
Visitors can vote for their favorite quilt throughout the summer, with the People’s Choice Award announced on August 17.
Special Events
Guild Days
On select weekends, local quilting guilds will demonstrate quilting techniques, present quilts by guild members, and answer questions about quilting. The 2026 dates include:
- Saturday, July 11: Northern Lights Quilt Guild
- Saturday, July 18: Green Mountain Quilters
- Saturday, August 8: Champlain Valley Quilt Guild
- Saturday, August 15: Heart of the Land Quilt Guild
Best Original Design
Drunken Deco by Martha Keagle, Addison, VT
“While piecing the quilt top, the quarter circles spoke to me as Art Deco fans,” said Keagle on the creation of this quilt. After this realization, she spent the next year exploring different Art Deco designs, motifs, buildings, architectural details, travel posters, and traditional patchwork and applique designs that eventually became the central elements of this intricate quilt.
Best Hand Quilting
Blue Diamond Memories by Noreen Hinton, Newport, VT
After discovering hand piecing, Hinton spent years creating this detailed quilt, utilizing found time. “As I made each diamond, I recorded where I was and what was going on. There are four blocks I made when my grandchildren were born. Each diamond holds a memory,” said Hinton.
Best Machine Quilting
Hangin’ On by Linda Diak, Chester, VT
Judge’s Choice
Bonfire by Rosalind Daniels, Cabot, VT
This striking quilt depicts the ritual burning after the apple orchard near Daniels’ home is pruned at the end of each winter. On the annual bonfire, Daniels said, “It is our most magnificent sign that spring is on its way and quilting the original photo consistently took me back to the optimism that the hints of spring bring each year.”
Judge’s Choice
Swings by Dustin Kemp, Jericho, VT
This quilt is a study in experimentation. Together with his mother, a lifelong quilter, Kemp used different fabrics, textures, dimensions, and materials to create this dramatic quilt. “In the end, this quilt holds my mother’s hand alongside mine,” said Kemp.
Judge’s Choice
Late August Sampler by Anna Williams, Woodbury, VT
This quilt is a natural dye sampler made from fabric dyed with plants that Williams grew and foraged, including Goldenrod, Tansy, Yarrow, and Sumac. “I’m interested in the subtle variations of color, opacity, texture, and how light moves through different materials and fabrics from different types of fiber in one dye bath,” said Williams.
What to see during the Quilt Exhibition
Bring a picnic and spend the day! Admission to Billings Farm & Museum’s Quilt Exhibition includes the Animal Barns, the Vermont Farm Life Exhibits, the Ottauquechee River Walk and the Billings Farmstead Gardens. Watch the farm animals – cows, draft horses, goats and sheep – in their scenic pastures. The 1890 Farm Manager’s House features the creamery, the kitchen and in-home innovations that were considered state-of-the art for the time period.
There’s something exciting happening every day at Billings Farm – view our daily schedules to find out what’s happening on the day of your visit.
This exhibition is presented with the generous support of our sponsor:
