Quilters Day Out 2026
On March 14, 2026 the annual gathering of the Guilds and Quilters in Paroquet Springs, called Quilters Day Out started promptly at 9:00 am.
If you are not familiar with QDO let me give you some background from their website:
What is Quilters' Day Out?
The Louisville area Quilters' Day Out, also known as QDO, is a gathering of Kentucky Heritage Quilt Societies’ District 6 guilds. We come together one day a year to celebrate our love of all things quilting. It's a day of camaraderie, sharing, shopping and just plain fun!
Whether you're a first time quilter, have been quilting for years, or just love seeing the amazing quilts displayed, QDO is the place for you. You can learn new techniques at guild-sponsored demonstrations, find a guild you'd like to join, talk to old friends, make new ones, or find that special item you've been looking for in the vendors' room. And let's not forget the wonderful door-prizes given away by the guilds! There's so much to do and see, so we hope you'll join us this year and every year from now on!
The History of Quilters' Day Out
The first Quilters' Day Out was organized by the Kentucky Heritage Quilt Society (KHQS) on the third Saturday in March of 1990. In June 1991, the members of the National Quilting Association passed a resolution to take the celebration nationwide. Since then the celebration has expanded to encompass the entire month of March!
In Louisville, the celebration of Quilters' Day Out, affectionately known as QDO, began small. Members of the local guilds got together for "sit and sews" in various locations, including local churches. In 1997, the event was organized by three of the local guilds - Kentucky Cover Lovers, Quilters' Choice Fan Club & Lyndon Baptist Church Piecemakers. For several years after that, organization for the next year's event was passed from guild to guild. Eventually, though, the celebration became too large for any one group to organize, and in 2003 the guilds of District 6 joined forces to organize each year's event.
From the days of small "sit and sew" gatherings, the event has expanded to include guild booths and demonstrations, vendors' booths and even the occasional speaker. Who knows where the future will take us!
I love participating in this event as I get to see many of my friends, make new friends and find out all about the latest quilt techniques and inspirations. I had a 10×20 foot booth this year and it was crazy busy! I didn’t have time to chit chat with friends, but I did squeeze fun in when I could.
I want to thank my wonderful friends, without whom I would’ve been struggling setting up and breaking down my booth.
Darletta Poos, you are a gem. Your generosity knows no bounds and I appreciate everything you do to help my fledgling little quilt business. Thank you to your son for helping to pack everything, it was the fastest I’ve ever packed up before!
Thank you to Maureen Lane and her hubby Matt Eggsware, my two best friends that always step in to help me, your friendship means the world to me and I appreciate all you do!
Thank you to Hannah, for getting roped in to help, haha. I appreciated you jumping in to pack things up, it helped immensely.
And finally, thank you to Pamela Mattei and her amazing team at Quilters Day Out. I think Pamela and her team did an amazing job promoting the event, getting vendors, helping to keep things running smoothly, and ensuring a safe space for everyone to gather.
Here are a few pics of me and my friends, and the craziness of the day. I can’t wait to do it again next year!
Me and Darletta Poos getting ready to greet all of the customers. I’m wearing the Burnside Bibs from Sew House Seven, which is a class I’m offering next month.
Me and my bestie Maureen Lane, taking a quick pic together before it gets too crazy to hang out.
When Maureen took her lunch later in the day, she snapped this pic of my booth. What a great shot of all the customers checking out the quilting goodies.
