Morales takes top prize at CSG’s Second Annual Quilt Show
Published 1:00 pm Wednesday, February 12, 2025
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Sandy Gard speaks during a quilting lecture on February 1 lecture. (PHOTO PROVIDED)
Quilts on display through March 31; Voting is open for People’s Choice
Quilter Debra Morales of Haden, Alabama was awarded Best in Show in the Cotton Street Gallery’s Second Annual Quilt Show for her Caswell Quilt. Sandy Gard, member of the National Association of Certified Quilt Judges (NACQJ), judged this year’s competition.
Morales took up quilting 11 years ago. Before fulfilling her dream of learning to quilt, she went back to school to become a Master Gardener, and her love of horticulture is reflected in her winning quilt. Based on the Caswell Carpet at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Caswell Quilt design first appeared around 1835.
Morales’ quilt, which is made from yarn-dyed handwoven fabrics, features 25 blocks with flowers and birds intricately sewn by needle-turned appliqué.
“Each little piece is turned with a hem so you can’t see the stitches or the raw edge of the fabric,” said Morales.
As a Master Gardener, she enhanced the details.
“I fixed the flowers,” she said. “They didn’t look real. I put in the irises, the bleeding heart, the sunflower, and hydrangeas, and I added embroidery and designed the border.” The border is made up of tree branches with climbing flowers intertwined and features the quote “All the flowers of all the tomorrows are in the seeds of today.” She then sent the quilt top to Carolyn Knight, of Mount Olive, Alabama, who added the backing and did the quilting.
Morales said her favorite thing about quilting is “the creativity of it. It is very detailed.” As the Best in Show winner, Morales received $500. This is her second time winning the Cotton Street Gallery quilt competition.
Gard, the competition’s judge, gave a lecture on quilt making at the Andalusia Public Library on February 1.
Cotton Street Gallery founder Sue Wiggins said, “The attendees were mesmerized. Sandy shared examples of people who were creating art quilts and incorporating objects into their quilting beyond stitches. She encouraged her audience to be creative and work outside the box of traditional quilting.”
Gallery visitors can see Morales’ Caswell Quilt and others on display through March 31 and can cast their vote for the People’s Choice Award. The gallery is located at 104 North Cotton Street in Andalusia and is open Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Quilt show sponsors include the Kiwanis Club of Andalusia, the Alabama Humanities Alliance, and Clark Trailer Service, Inc.
The Cotton Street Gallery celebrates Southern textile art and artists and offers textile-related classes and demonstrations for adults and children throughout the year. Proceeds from the gallery benefit AIR Andalusia.
To learn more about Cotton Street Gallery, visit cottonstreetgallery.com. To learn more about AIR Artists Inc./AIR Andalusia, visit airartists.org/.
Source: Andalusia Star
