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Countdown to A Celebration of Quilts JUST 3 WEEKS UNTIL THE LOWELL QUILT FESTIVAL! Limited Seating A RARE CHANCE TO MEET A QUILT LEGEND Marianne & Mary Fons Think about the explosion in quilting's popularity over the past couple of decades. Few have been more instrumental in that phenomenon than award-winning quilter, author and public television host Marianne Fons. That's why we're thrilled that Marianne is making a rare appearance at this year's Lowell Quilt Festival. Her two featured events promise to be lively, informative and fun. Come give a hearty New England welcome to a legend of the quilt world! Marianne is well known from her Love of Quilting public television series and magazine of the same name. She's no mere celebrity, though. An avid and award-winning quilter in her own right, Marianne has written and edited literally thousands of pages of quilt instructions, and is co-author of the Quilter's Complete Guide, one of the best selling quilting books of all time. Appearing with Marianne is her daughter, Mary Fons, who's taking the quilting banner to a whole new generation with Hey Quilty, a magazine and web program aimed at newer quilters. With the retirement of Marianne's longtime partner Liz Porter, Mary has also joined her mom as co-host of Love of Quilting on PBS. Seating is limited, so get your tickets now for one (or both!) of two fun LQF events: on Thursday evening, August 9th, Marianne and Mary offer an exciting slide show and lecture featuring extraordinary quilts and the quilters who made them. On Friday morning (August 10th), join them for brunch and a blue-ribbon panel discussion on the future of quilting. For complete information and to order tickets, visit http://www.lowellquiltfestival.org/. Today's Featured LQF Partner AMERICAN TEXTILE HISTORY MUSEUM Seven museums and galleries around Lowell will feature special quilt exhibitions during the Lowell Quilt Festival. A FREE shuttle bus gets you around to see them all! At the American Textile History Museum, enjoy Homefront & Battlefield: Quilts and Context in the Civil War This year marks the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War. ATHM guest curators Lynne Bassett and Madelyn Shaw have selected approximately 150 artifacts and graphic reproductions to be included in a special exhibition that uses quilts, textiles, clothing, and other artifacts to connect deeply moving and insightful personal stories about the war, its causes, and its aftermath with the broader national context. Textiles were integral to the Civil War, physically, economically, ideologically, and emotionally. The exhibition builds on recent scholarship to tell of the events that led to the war, the stories of men and women affected by it, and the opportunities and challenges that followed. The project is intended to encourage visitors to view the war not in isolation or through stereotypes and simplifications, but in its complicated and uneasy place in the context of American history. Through a wealth of artifacts drawn from around the nation, audiences will be able to see the human experiences beneath the veneer of the Blue and the Gray. Also featured: FREE screenings of Stitched on Gallery Night, August 10 (at 5pm and 6:30pm). Enjoy this fun-filled documentary following three quilters racing to complete their entries for the International Quilt Festival. The 72-minute film focuses on the competition, tight bonds of friendship, and artistry surrounding the largest quilt show in the nation held annually in Houston. Behind every stitch, there is a story of friendship, art and passion. More information: www.athm.org For more information an all the events and happenings during the Lowell Quilt Festival, visit www.lowellquiltfestival.org   This e-mail was sent from New England Quilt Museum Immediate removal with ® Secure. To forward this e-mail to a friend or colleague, . To change your e-mail address or update preferences, .