Callaway 200 wall hanging contest opens soon

<p>Submitted photo</p><p>Callaway County is celebrating its 200 years of existence with arts and crafts. The Kingdom of Callaway Historical Society debuted this quilt, created by local quilters, in January. Now they’re calling on other creative types around the county to submit wall hangings for an exhibit May 30 at the Bicentennial Bash.</p>

Submitted photo

Callaway County is celebrating its 200 years of existence with arts and crafts. The Kingdom of Callaway Historical Society debuted this quilt, created by local quilters, in January. Now they’re calling on other creative types around the county to submit wall hangings for an exhibit May 30 at the Bicentennial Bash.

The Kingdom of Callaway Historical Society wants you to celebrate the county’s 200th birthday by getting crafty.

From April 1 to May 1, the historical society will accept entries into its fiber art wall hanging competition.

With April 1 fast approaching, now is the time to start working on projects, organizer Diane Burre Ludwig said.

Organizers have kept design requirements deliberately loose to encourage contestants to think outside the box — or the fabric shop, as the case may be.

“We’re going to be as flexible as possible,” Ludwig said. “We’re counting leather as fiber.”

She said the society wants lots of creativity: quilting, macrame and weaving are all welcome, as are more far-out concepts.

“My cousin Sheila Guthrie and I are doing a wall hanging for fun (not in the contest) by asking each of the KCHS board members to bring us a twig from their part of Callaway — then we are going to make them into a wall hanging,” Ludwig said. “Each board member left our board meeting Monday with a plastic baggie to put their twig in. Another lady, who grew up in Callaway but now lives in Independence, is doing one using her grandmother’s handkerchiefs.”

The society is going to be more strict on size requirements, however. Submissions must be between 12-by-12 inches and 36-by-36 inches. Wall hangings need to have either a 3-inch sleeve, loops along the top or some other convenient way to hang them for display.

Entry forms may be picked up at the museum or downloaded at bit.ly/2W4JVO4.

Ludwig said the society is preparing for about 70-75 entries, but they will take as many as they receive.

Each artist may enter up to two pieces at the KCHS museum, 513 Court St. in Fulton. Each entry costs $10.

Entries will be displayed May 30 during the Bicentennial Bash in downtown Fulton.

“(We) want to have those in the shop windows downtown, so people can go by to vote,” KCHS Museum Director Nancy Lewis said. “We’ve reserved the Callaway Bank window, and we’ll have one or two or 1o in the museum window too.”

A panel of judges will choose their favorite 10 designs, and community members may vote to select another 10.

Those top 20 designs will go on display at the Rooster Creek Quilt Show in July and will also tour around the county during Callaway 200 festivities. Artists may reclaim their wall hangings in late November.

For more information, visit the museum, call 573-642-0570 or email [email protected].