by Harold D. Gingerich
The Story of the Topeka Quilt Show & Sale and the Shipshewana Quilt Festival
Every quilt is unique; every quilt lover has a story.
Quilting is a tradition that has
been handed down from mother to
daughter. Many of these quilts have
become treasured family heirlooms
lovingly passed down from generation to generation. “This was my great
grandmother’s wedding quilt.” Or, “My
mother’s aunt pieced this when she was
working as a night nurse.” How about,
“One winter when I was a boy I painted
the quilt blocks, helped pick out the
material, and Mama quilted it for me.”
In many respects quilts and quilting
is a part of the fabric of our lives in
this area. Started by Sue Christner in
Honeyville, the Topeka Quilt Show &
Sale has been one of the premier shows
in Northern Indiana. In 2009, the first
Shipshewana Quilt Festival burst on
the scene and is now drawing international acclaim and thousands of quilt
enthusiasts interested in learning more
about the art of quilt making.
It all started when Sue (Mrs. Carl)
Christner of Honeyville saw an ad in
the paper about a quilt show in Albion,
Indiana. It started her thinking, “Why
not here?” She started talking about a
possible show in 1974. That was all it
took. Quilters started to respond and
94 quilts were put on display at the
pg 14 · The Hometown Treasure · June ‘12
first “Susanna’s Quilt Show” held in the
Honeyville Store. Reportedly over 250
people showed up for the one day “first
annual” event. Space quickly became
an issue, but that wasn’t the only challenge Sue would have to face.
Early in 1977, the Indiana State
Board of Health and LaGrange County
issued an ultimatum under the sanitary bedding law. The ban not only
prohibited the sale of Amish quilts at
sales and in stores, but would not allow
their return to the individuals who
had made them. No one was allowed
to sell quilts without a $25.00 license
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