The Caroline County Council of Arts, will be hosting a four-day celebration of the fiber arts featuring the grand opening of the Fiber Arts Center of the Eastern Shore (FACES). To honor the occasion world-renowned quilter Elly Sienkiewicz will be teaching, lecturing, and exhibiting over the course of the four day period. A Silver Star honoree for her “profound contribution to the contemporary Quilting Revival” of the past half-century, Sienkiewicz’s has been designing, stitching, teaching, and writing about appliqué; and her work has been featured in exhibits and quilt magazines in the US, Europe, and Japan. Festivities also include a fiber arts One Stop Shop Hop; and a Quilt Crawl through historic downtown Denton. This event will kick off on Thursday, August 2nd 2012 and will end on Sunday, August 5th 2012 with ribbon-cutting festivities at the new fiber arts center.

Elly Sienkiewicz will be teaching her Star Ruching class on Thursday August 2; and her Quick-Start Baltimore & Portrait of the Artist class on Friday, August 3. On Saturday, August 4, Sienkiewicz will be giving a lecture entitled Baltimore Albums: A Visible Face of Social Revolution. Baltimore Album quilts originated in Baltimore, Maryland in the 1840s. Since then, they have become one of the most popular styles of quilts and are still being made today. In the early days, Baltimore Album quilts reflected the prosperous community of Baltimore where most quilts were made with new fabric, instead of the more commonly used scrap fabric. As the popularity of this quilt style grew, women far beyond Baltimore began making these album quilts. Through glorious photos, Elly will present her view on how this quilting technique captured the cultural journey and history of America, and influenced other industrialized nations. Was it due to a specific artist’s influence? Is old Baltimore’s answer a secret hidden in her quilts? Find out at either the morning or afternoon lecture. The lecture admission includes a morning continental breakfast or an afternoon tea and dessert buffet. Attendees will also receive free admission to the One Stop Shop Hop. Elly will be available for a book signing session immediately following the lectures, and her books can be preordered. Reservations can be made online at www.fiberartscenter.com/elly or by calling 410.479.1009. Class space is limited.

Also on Saturday, August 4th, the Heartland Quilters of the Eastern Shore will be hosting their annual One Stop Shop Hop at the Denton Firehouse from 3:00 pm to 8:00 pm. This event will feature over 45 fiber arts vendors including quilt, antique quilt, fabric and yarn shops; beaders; wool spinners; long arm quilters; wood workers; machine embroiderers; and much more. See www.fiberartscenter.com/shophop/ for a full list of participating vendors from the Maryland and surrounding states. Admission to the Shop Hop is included with your registration to the Elly Sienkiewicz lecture or may be purchased at the door. All guests receive an entry gift and can look forward to door prizes throughout the evening and raffle quilts from participating guilds. Food concessions will be available.
On Sunday, August 5th, the Fiber Arts Center of the Eastern Shore (FACES), located at 7 N. Fourth Street in Denton, will hold its official grand opening ribbon-cutting celebration. This free event will run from 12:00pm – 4:00 pm, and will feature live music, demonstrating weavers, spinners, and other fiber artists, the alpacas of Outstanding Dreams Farm and more. Free Range, an acoustic ensemble, will be one of the bands featured at this event. Comprised of Ali Reed Quillen on guitar and vocals, Steve Quillen on fiddle and vocals, and Curt Fox on banjo and vocals, their sound is primarily Traditional Bluegrass, seasoned with a bit of old-time, Irish and folk.
Throughout the week, various quilts and other fiber arts will be on display in locations throughout downtown Denton including The Foundry, the Museum of Rural Life, and the Choptank River Heritage Center. Ten Baltimore Album quilts by Elly Sienkiewicz will be on exhibit at FACES and a fiber arts sale will take place on the grounds of the center.

For more information on Fiber Fest or any of the planned activities, please contact Marina Dowdall at the Caroline County Council of Arts at carolinearts.org or 410.479.1009