Peterson to be showcased at quilt show

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The North Clark Historical Museum’s 10th Annual Quilt Show will be held on Sat.-Sun., March 28-29.

The quilt entries will be hung on the main floor of the Mountain Valley Grange, located at 40107 NE 221st Ave. in Amboy. Quilting vendors and food will be downstairs in the Grange building. Times for the show are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sat., March 28 and noon-5 p.m. on Sun., March 29.

The artistry and quilt work of Roberta Peterson will be showcased at the North Clark Historical Museum, which used to be the United Brethren Church in Amboy and is now on the National Register.

At 1 p.m. on both Sat., March 28 and Sun., March 29, visitors will  be able to meet Peterson when she presents her trunk show.

Peterson is said to have developed a unique style which members of her quilt group can identify immediately. More than likely the clue is the applique – many of times she’ll add birds. “Garden Crows” was a favorite entry at the Quilt Show in 2008. She machine pieced it and appliqued the crows, making a stunning piece according to observers.

The background of a Peterson quilt is often a pieced design from a pattern, and instead of calling it finished, that’s when Peterson’s creative whim kicks in, and by applying what she calls handwork, an original is often born.

Area quilter, Barbara Sizemore, admires her handwork.

“Roberta Peterson’s embroidery and applique work are primo,” Sizemore said.



“I’ve fallen in love with wool, and now I’m doing wool applique,” said Peterson, whose goal this year is to finish her UFOs.

“It bugs me when I get stuck,” and “like an unfinished puzzle, it just doesn’t feel good to have an unfinished quilt project,’’ Peterson said. “There’s nothing I like better than to put the binding on. My favorite thing is to finish.”

Perhaps that desire to finish is what allows Peterson to get so much done. There’s a lot of garden work involved with an “event” barn on their property on the Woodland Bottoms that keeps her busy. In addition, five acres worth of peonies are shipped to California by Peterson every year.

While driving to California, her husband sometimes suggests that she watch the scenery. She, thinking that one sage bush plant’s like another, would rather work on her handwork.

“Starry Redwork” was a take-along quilt and it took many long trips to get the embroidery work done. She just feels better getting something done.

Peterson’s work will be shown upstairs in the Amboy Museum, and tea and cookies will be served downstairs. At the same time, the  quilt show with many entries will be right down the road at the Mountain Valley Grange building. Both events are free to the public.

Tickets for the Raffle Quilt will be sold at both the museum and the Grange. The drawing will be held in Novembers at the Community Celebration for Veterans.