Not everyone has the patience of Hanford resident Penny Lininger. When she enrolled in her first quilting class in 2006 and began creating a T-shirt quilt for her husband, she never expected it to take her nearly three years to complete.

But her hard work paid off when the quilt was displayed alongside 28 other creations at the Quilter's Quarters "Show & Tell" on Sept. 14.

"When I was young I didn't have the patience, but now I do," Lininger said. "Sometimes you just have to step away and keep coming back to it."

The store's owner, Linda Carter, has hosted the event for five years to honor her fellow quilters and encourage them to finish their projects.

"All of them deserve the opportunity to have their work seen because they are all pieces of beauty," she said.

This year's event drew dozens of women and a few men to the store on Douty Street to revel in each other's successes.

The store hosts quilting classes throughout the year. and the works of the students and instructors were displayed and assessed by those who attended.

Those attending were able to pick their favorite piece in seven different categories that included small, medium and large quilts, home decoration and even wearables.

Lininger's 8-year-old granddaughter, Mckenna Lininger, created the crowd's favorite children's quilt.

"I like quilting because you get to sleep with it or hang it on a wall as a decoration," Mckenna said.

Mckenna began the brightly colored quilt in one of the store's classes taught by Suzanne McDermott who has been a teacher at Quilter's Quarters since last year.

McDermott made dresses for 30 years before she began quilting in 1975. Now she enjoys sharing her passion with others.

"I want them to enjoy it as much as I do," she said.

Hanford resident Yvonne Gordon-Huffenberger attended the event with the hope of winning the grand door prize, a Husqvarna Viking sewing machine.

"I have a really, really old one that my grandmother bequeathed to me, but I'm ready for an upgrade," she said.

Gordon-Huffenberger started quilting so she could create something for her newborn daughter, but she's found that she likes to create smaller items like handbags.

"It's fun because you get to see it completed and they don't take forever to finish," she said.

Carter opened the store in 2005 after she realized how much time and money she was spending outside the county on fabric and needles.

Now Quilter's Quarters serves as a gathering place for quilters of all ages who buy fabric, swap tips and take classes.

The annual "Show & Tell" event honors the quilters for perpetuating the craft.

"I think quilting is an art and these ladies deserve to be rewarded for their talent," Carter said of the quilters.

For more information about Quilter's Quarters, call 584-6899 or visit www.quiltersquarters.net.

This reporter can be reached at 583-2427.

(Sept. 26, 2009)