Dukart featured quilter at Stevensville quilt show

“Old Fashion Quilting Bee” is the theme at the Sapphire Quilt Show in Stevensville July 8th and 9th.

This year’s featured quilter is Debbie Dukart of Stevensville.

“So many quilts, so little time,” says Dukart. “My heart’s desire is to create one perfect quilt before I die. Museum quality – one that will win the champion rosette at the county fair, one that will be passed down to generations of my family, one that will be admired and loved and used for decoration and warmth. My legacy quilt? Who knows? Stranger things have happened.  

She has this to say about her life and her philosophy:

“I have always loved sewing and started out making doll clothes on a sewing machine, at age 9. I advanced to sewing my own clothes in high school.  I also took home economics classes in high school where my teacher wanted to teach me to tailor, and I proceeded to tailor a coat and sew a matching dress – a popular mode of dress at the time. My mother was a quilter and loved doing show and tell. I did not think I would ever have a passion like hers. My first attempt at a quilt was in 1975 when I made a baby quilt from a pattern in a magazine. A lady from my neighborhood volunteered to help me hand quilt it. I also assembled a recycled denim quilt that was finished later in life.

“Being very busy raising a young family and moving a couple of times and going to school, I never attempted quilting again until my mother came to visit in the early 90’s. I did not own a cutting board or rotary cutter, so we cut three hundred and eighty four 2 ½’’ squares using cardboard as our template and cut with sewing scissors. The fabric scraps came from a cardboard box that had been saved through all my moves. I sewed together 16 patch blocks, put sashing in between blocks that are not aligned correctly and finished by tying. I have enjoyed that small quilt and the memories of working on it with my mother. In 1995, I made my first king-sized log cabin quilt and thus my journey and passion began. My cardboard box has grown to closets and drawers filled with fabric. My sewing scissors have been updated to rotary cutters and cutting boards. I have taken many classes and made many quilts in the last 32 years. When I first started quilting, I loved sameness and not a lot of deviation in blocks. But progression is remarkable, designs, colors, styles, and techniques like triangle paper, paper piecing and applique all started to enter into how I create. Some patterns that I would not attempt as a young quilter, I regard as a challenge today.  

“I am a charter member of the Sapphire Quilt Club that began in 1995. I was so excited when I joined a quilt club as people there love to do the same things I do – it is so refreshing. I am a retired Family and Consumer Science teacher where I was able to share my joy of sewing and quilting with my students. I also love gardening, canning, making jams and jellies, traveling, spending time with my family and enjoying the outdoors.   

“I am a traditionalist at heart and really do enjoy the process of creating quilts. As I continue my quilting journey, I want to continue to grow in areas that challenge me to make more beautiful quilts and try things I haven’t tried before.

“I would like to close with a few bits of advice to new quilters: take classes and talk to quilters. Quilters are some of the most generous people I know with supplies, time and sharing their knowledge. Perfection is highly overrated. Be a good enough quilter but practice to improve your skills. Quilting reduces stress and is good for the brain. All colors go together; just look at nature and flowers. And because it is hard to remember everything, make labels for your quilts, document them, date them, take pictures, do a scrapbook, and insure them. Life is short, spend it doing something you enjoy doing.”

The “Old Fashioned Quilting Bee” Sapphire Quilt Show is Friday, July 8 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday, July 9 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Stevensville High School Gym, 300 Park Street, Stevensville.

This year’s show has a raffle table, vendors, a raffle quilt and quilts on display from all over Montana.

Proceeds from the show support the “Sunshine Quilts” project, an ongoing service that provides quilts to families and individuals in distress.