Congratulations To The Winners Of Our 2024 Textile & Fiber Arts Show!

We are happy to announce that winners have been chosen for this year’s annual textile and fiber arts show!


The ribbon for Best Of Show has been awarded to Gena Stout of West Plains, MO for her woven entry, “Suitable Memories Rug.” The artist had this to say about the piece:

This woven rug is meant to be an heirloom piece. I was able to save some of my Grandpa, Grandma, Dad, Mom, and step-Mom;s suits from years past. I then had to cut them apart and strip them into one-inch strips before weaving. My grandpa’s suits were the black wool, gray puinstripe, and blue pinstripe. I even found a gold child’s locket in one of the suit jacket pockets!…would love to know the story behind that. My grandma’s items were a navy crepe dress, a black wool skirt, a heather gray wool skirt, and a royal blue wool skirt. I fondly remember her wearing some of these things. My dad’s items were from the 1970s: a tan polyester suit, a brown polyester suit,a black suit, and dark gray corduroy pants. I remember his super wide neckties. My mom’s items were a brown wool plaid skirt, a brown wool skirt, a black herringbone wool suit, and a blue herringbone suit that had a twenty-two-inch waist. She was very petite. My step-mom’s item was a navy poplin suit. I made a total of eight rugs from these items during COVID—one for each of my siblings, their children, and my parents.

 

In the textile arts category, First Place was awarded to Connie Workman of West Plains, MO for her entry, “Hydrangea Quilt”, a handsome and colorful smaller-size quilt featuring the purple flower from the quilt’s title with patterned green leaves and purple-toned border.

Second Place went to another quilt entry from Connie Workman, this one titled, “Purr-sistence, A Grids Girl Mystery” and featuring a brown color scheme of patterned quilt stars.

And, Third Place went to a pre-made baby quilt with a stamped pattern under framed glass, “Embroidery Quilt” finished by Darlene Stanley of West Plains, MO.

 

In the fiber arts category, First Place was awarded to Mary Norseworthy of Peace Valley, MO for her entry “Standing Deer,” a magnificent crochet-cross stitch blanket with the image of a well-antlered buck.

Second Place went to the stunning marigold-colored entry “Handspun Alpaca & Merino Wool Shawl” by Sarah Redmond of Summersville, MO.

And, finally, in Third Place in the fiber arts category, Mary Norseworthy took home another ribbon for her tapestry crochet entry, “Faces Bag” with its minimalist-style cream and rust-colored overlapping faces.

 

 

Included with the competition entries, there was also a signature quilt made by the employees of the International Shoe Company in West Plains, MO; another signature quilt by the Order of the Eastern Star (which was purchased at an estate auction, so, it’s origin is a bit of a mystery!!! Anyone with info on it is encouraged to contact the museum); a beautifully-colored hexagon quilt; and a blue & white quilt that is being raffled off by the museum as a fundraiser—contact any board member or stop in at the museum to purchase your raffle tickets! The drawing for the quilt will be during the Ozarks Symposium event in September 2024.

Congratulations to all the entrants and kudos to the winners–there were SO many examples of great textile and fiber artistry in this year’s show!

Help Us Identify The Names On This International Shoe Co. Signature Quilt From West Plains, MO!

We need your help!!

Our museum was lucky enough to receive a most interesting artifact donation in 2019……..

We received a signature quilt made for an employee of West Plains’ International Shoe Company on the occasion of her retirement in 1985.  It is currently on display as a part of our annual Fiber & Textile Arts Show, and…..we need assistance identifying some of the names on the quilt.

As typical with Signature Quilts, the involved parties signed their names on blocks of this quilt—mostly in script/cursive lettering—and after the names were stitched over to complete the blocks, some of the names became hard to read. So, we are asking those of you in the community who might recognize the name of a relative or someone they know who was formerly employed with ISC at the West Plains factory to take a look and see if they can make out some of these signatures—-and please, share this post with those you know!

Here are the names we are looking to clarify:

Almeda ____________ ?  (Possibly Farrell OR Forrell OR Farnell OR Fomell)

 

__________________ Harris

 

Reta ___________  (Possibly Cross OR Crass OR ?)

 

Helen _____________?  (Possibly Comer OR Gomer)

 

Donna _______________? (Possibly Fore OR Tore OR Fare)

 

______________ Lee Jolliff (Possibly Noma OR Nana OR?)

 

This one has proved ESPECIALLY difficult. We need help with both the first and the last name!

Clara? S_________ ?


We appreciate all suggestions so, please, share with anyone who might have knowledge of employees that worked at the International Shoe Co. in West Plains, MO., around 1985.  You can contact us via our FB Page or email us at . Thank you in advance!

 

 

Open Entry Call For Annual Textile And Fiber Show Begins The Season At The Harlin

As we enter the New Year, we’re already preparing for another great season of art shows, history lectures, and educational workshops.

To kick things off in 2024, we are announcing an open call to all artists for submissions to our Annual Textile & Fiber Arts Competition Show!

Entry Dates will be Friday, January 12th and Saturday, January 13th, 12 pm – 4 pm each day.


Examples of different types of Fiber Art and Textile Art:

Quilting (No size limit)

Crochet / Knitting (afghans, garments, toys, etc.)

Stitching, Embroidery, Needlepoint, Petit Pointe

Weaving (rugs, textiles, tapestry, etc.)

Felting

Macramé

Lacemaking, Tatting

Sewing, Applique (including handmade garments, beaded items, etc.)

And there are many, many more kinds of textile and fiber arts…… so, don’t be afraid to enter just because it’s not listed in the above examples!


This is an open-theme non-juried art show with both youth and adult divisions. Entries must in some way consist of either fibers or textiles and must meet the given guidelines for acceptance into the competition. Guidelines for this competition can be found HERE.

Entries are guaranteed a place in the show’s exhibit. Each entry will be judged using a point-based evaluation system that evaluates three areas of skill (Construction 50 pts., General Appearance – 25 pts., Artistic Design – 25 pts.) for a total score. Prizes will be awarded to the entries receiving the highest scores in succession in each category, including Best Of Show. The People’s Choice award will be chosen by public vote. 

Guidelines: Limit five entries per artist. 2D and 3D entries; all styles, subject matter, and mediums allowed. All pieces must be original works of the artist entering. All work must not have been previously shown in a Harlin Museum Art Competition.  Any entry requiring special equipment for display must be accompanied by necessary display equipment.

To submit something to this show, please bring your entry to the museum on one of our two planned entry dates (Friday, January 12th, or Saturday, January 13th, 12 pm – 4 pm both days), where you will complete an entry form and pay your entry fees. You can complete your entry form ahead of time by filling it out online HERE.

If you have any questions, please contact us via email at .

Entry forms can be picked up at the museum or completed online by clicking HERE.

Winners of 2023 Fiber & Textile Arts Competition Show Announced

This year, the Harlin honors Gammill Sewing Systems/Gammill Quilting Machine Company and their founder, the recently deceased Ken Gammill, during our annual Fiber & Textile Arts Show.

The winners of the Competition Show have been announced below:

Best of Show has been awarded to Geraldine Richardson of Houston, MO for her Quilt Entry, “Hope”.

In the Quilting Category, first place has been awarded to Connie Workman of West Plains, MO for her charming brown quilt, “Silent Auction”. Ms. Workman was also awarded second place in the quilting category for her quilted coverlet, titled, “Leftovers”. Third place has been awarded to Elizabeth Rodrigues of West Plains, MO for her brightly-colored whimsical quilt, “Boxes”. And, both Honorable Mentions were awarded to Alma Pruett of Cabool, MO for her holiday-themed quilt, “Christmas Tree Farm”, and her red, white & blue entry, “Patriotic:”.

For the Yarn Craft Category, first place has been awarded to Sarah Redmond of Summersville, MO for her fashionable woven entry, “Shawl”. Second place winner is Fawn Cockrum of West Plains, MO for her crocheted entry, “Deer Table Runner”, and third-place has gone to the soft pink  “Knit Baby Blanket” by Karin Lee of West Plains, MO.

In the Sewing/Thread Craft Category, first and second place have been awarded to Penny Brill of West Plains, MO for her entry “Prom Dress” and “Child’s Dress”, respectively. Louis Sheridan of West Plains, MO, won third place for her felting entry, “Spring In The Ozarks” and Honorable Mention for her mixed media entry created from her mother’s bridal gown, “The Wedding Dress”.

There were two awards in the Youth Category, with first place going to Glory Eskandar of West Plains, MO for her quilt entry, “Stripes Quilt” and second place going to Norah VanBibber of West Plains, MO for her arm knitting entry, “Afghan”.

Congratulations to all who entered! Visitors can see these entries and others on display in the Hathcock Gallery through February 5th.

Winners of 2022 Harlin Museum Fiber & Textile Arts Show Are Announced

The Harlin Museum would like to announce the thirteen winners of their 2022 Fiber & Textile Arts Competition Show, which will be on display in the museum’s Hathcock Gallery through Sunday, February 20th.

The winner of the award for Best of Show goes to the entry titled Stack & Whack, a vibrant quilt of the pattern by the same name in various shades of blues and greens by May Schmitt of West Plains, MO.

In the Textile Arts category, which includes quilts, quilt collage, applique, etc. entries, 1st place has been awarded to Alma Pruett of Cabool, MO for her brightly-colored quilt featuring fabric hexagons in contrasting reds & blacks, titled Hexagon Stack & Whack. The 2nd place award goes to the Art Deco-inspired quilt that features central panels of the Parisian cabaret, Moulin Rouge, on the front and a back pieced with a fabric line commemorating the 1964 movie, “An American In Paris”, titled Ooo la la/Deco Days In Paris, entered by JoAnn Hereford of Ava, MO. This quilt will be raffled off in October 2022 to benefit the Ava Art Guild—raffle tickets are available at the Ava Art Gallery in Douglas County, MO.

And the 3rd place award in the Textile Arts category goes to Library Raffle Quilt, a handsome quilt with 25 central squares filled with different geometric shapes in shades of red, white, grey, & black created by Calico Cabin Quilt Sewciety of West Plains, MO.  This category also incudes two Honorable Mention awards for Stained Glass, a quilt in rich purple, pink, blue, and green hues, and Red, White, & Black Hunter Star, a quilt in the pattern of the same name featuring eight-pointed stars in a black & white polka-dot fabric, both by Alma Pruett of Cabool, MO.

 

 

The Fiber Arts category this year includes entries of knitting, crochet, embroidery, wool felting, and macramé. The awards for 1st and 2nd places go to the crocheted afghans, The Greatest of These, and Richards War Room, both examples of mosaic crochet created by Michelle Kennedy of West Plains, MO. The 3rd place award goes to Macramé Bracelet entry by Cherry Taber of West Plains, MO, a lovely piece with rich browns and beige & rust-colored stones. The Fiber Arts category also includes one Honorable Mention award, which also goes to Cherry Taber of West Plains, MO for her playful knitted character doll holding her very own fuzzy friend, titled Miss Poppet & Her Teddy Bear.

 

 

And, in the final category, Mixed Media, which is comprised of entries that feature multiple forms of textile/fiber artistry, 1st place has been awarded to Elizabeth Rodriguez of West Plains, MO for her entry, Attitude, a framed quilted and appliqued piece featuring a vibrant fabric rooster. Bonnie Bainbridge of West Plains, MO took 2nd place for her quilted, appliqued, and embroidered winter wall hanging titled, Merry Merry Snowmen. The 3rd place Mixed Media award goes to May Schmitt of West Plains, MO for her entry, Sewing Tote Bag, a lovely yellow fabric tote bag created by the artist and embellished with appliques and embroidery in a sewing motif.

 

 

The winner of the final award of the show, the People’s Choice Award, will be decided when voting ends at 2 pm on Sunday, May 20th. Votes for this award can be cast by visiting the museum in person or checking out the Harlin Museum’s Facebook page (just look for our 2022 Fiber & Textile Arts Show photo album on our page and click “Like” on your favorite to vote).

Winners of Harlin’s 2021 Fiber & Textile Arts Competition Show Announced

The Harlin Museum of West Plains, MO is proud to announce the winners of their 2021 Fiber & Textile Arts Competition Show, which will be on display in the Hathcock Gallery of the museum from February 5 – 28 on Friday, Saturday, & Sunday afternoons.

The Best of Show award goes to an entry entitled, “Where The Wild Things Are”, a felted wool and embroidery piece from the Needlework Category of the Adult Division that depicts a character from the popular children’s book of the same name. The creator of the vividly imaginative piece and winner of the competition’s top prize is Sarah Holson of Houston, MO.

Continuing with the Adult Division, in the Knitting/Crochet Category, 1st and 2nd place were both awarded to Gloria Greear of Summersville, MO for her knitted afghan entry, “Shepherd’s Afghan,” a whimsical spread of sheep being herded by sheepdogs, and her knitted garment entry, “Multi-Colored Sweater”, a lovely and colorful hip-length cardigan sweater, respectively.

And, in the competition’s largest adult division category—quilting— 1st place is awarded to Alma Pruett of Cabool, MO for her quilt entry, “Bow Tie ’30s”. 2nd place was awarded to Kathleen Borg of Cabool, MO for her entry, “Civil War Churn Dash Runner”. 3rd place was awarded to Bridget Williams of Mtn. Grove, MO for her quilt entry, “Sun Bonnet Sue”, and she also picked up an Honorable Mention for her quilt entry, “Farmer’s Daughter”. A second Honorable Mention award for the Adult Division Quilting Category goes to JoAnne Biros of Plato, MO for her quilt entry, “Sister’s Choice”.

And, finally, the Top Winner in the Youth Division is Olivia Wood of Willow Springs, MO for her Quilting Category entry, “Lilac Dance”, for which she will be the recipient of the Carrie A. Warren-Gentry Memorial Award for Youth Talent in Textile Arts, a special annual monetary award set up by the Warren family of West Plains, MO to honor the memory of their beloved family member and the well-known textile artist, Carrie Warren-Gentry, who passed away in 2010.

The competition this year was judged by Cindy McLean of Pomona, MO, and Bonnie Bainbridge of West Plains, MO, both accomplished textile & fiber artists with decades of accomplishment between them. Each entry was judged on a point-based system, with construction being worth 50 points, general appearance worth 25 points and artistic design also worth 25 points, making for a possible 100 points per judge—or 200 points total. Winners will receive award ribbons and small monetary prizes, while the Best of Show will receive, in addition, a $100 gift certificate from the show’s main sponsor, Six Sisters Mercantile.

Included in the display with the competition pieces, visitors will also have the opportunity to see some of the rare and historic textiles that are part of the museum’s permanent collection, including signature quilts made by two local churches, a signature quilt created by employees of the International Shoe Company of West Plains, MO upon the retirement of a longtime coworker, a patchwork quilt made for a Civil War soldier that accompanied him during battle and barely managed to make it back home, and a lovely display of the millinery collection of hats that belonged to Lida Bozman, longtime West Plains resident.

 

Museum Opens 2021 Season With Annual Fiber & Textile Arts Competition Show

The Harlin Museum will open for it’s 2021 season of events by accepting entries on Friday, January 29th and Saturday, January 30th (12pm-4pm each day) for their annual Fiber & Textile Arts Comprtition Show, which will be on display for the public from Februry 5th-28th in the museum’s Hathcock Gallery.

The museum is putting out a call for submissions to all regional fiber arts and textile arts artists. Entry fees for competition will be: 1 entry – $20.00; 2 entries – $30.00, 3 entries – $35.00, 4 entries – $40.  Enter 4 pieces and get a 5th entry FREE!  Limit 5 entries per artist. Cash or check only. Entries and entry fees are to be brought to the main gallery of the museum between 12pm-4pm on the appointed days for drop-off and each entry must meet the given guidelines for acceptance into the competition portion of the show.

Submissions may include any item that was created using fibers or textiles, including examples of: quilts/quilt art, afghans, crocheted & knitted articles, embroidery, hand-woven or machine-woven articles, felted wool projects, lacework, tatting, applique, handmade apparel from pattern or personal design, beaded items, woven rope, canvas work (needlepoint, petit pointe, etc.), macramé, etc.

The guidelines for competition are that any type of art or craft item that utilizes fiber or textile components as part of the piece is eligible to enter, all pieces must be the work of the artist entering the competition,  and entries must not have been previously entered in a Harlin Museum Competition Show. All competition entries will be evaluated 25% for general appearance, 50% for construction, and 25% for artistic design. A complete list of all submission guidelines can be found HERE.

Any questions regarding eligibility or other inquiries can be emailed to the museum at or you may contact the museum directly at (417) 256-7801. We look forward to another exciting year of art and regional hisrtory at The Harlin! See you at the museum!

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2020 Quilting & Textile Art Competition Show on display until February 9th

The 2020 Quilting and Textile Arts Competition Show is now underway at the Harlin Museum. The exhibit, which is open to the public with free admission, is a gallery show featuring both the competition quilts and textile art pieces entered by contestants from all around the Ozarks. The display also includes historic textile pieces from the museum’s permanent collection and a few new pieces on loan from private quilt & textile collectors of the area.

Textiles have long been an important part of history in the Ozarks, from raising animals for their fiber to carding, spinning, and weaving those fibers into beautiful pieces of wearable art, household bedding, and other miscellaneous textile items. Each piece tells a story of the heritage, history, accomplishment, and relationships of the maker while also serving many useful and practical purposes.

Historic textile pieces exhibited in this year’s show include a friendship quilt made by the employees of the International Shoe Company that was gifted to a co-worker on the occasion of her retirement, two quilts made by groups that met at Grimmett School on the old Siloam Springs route near Pomona, MO., as well as several quilts completed by various local church groups over the years and donated to the museum’s permanent collection, and even one quilt that made it all the way home from the front lines of the Civil War.

The competition portion of the Harlin’s annual show was expanded this year from the existing adult division to include a youth division for textile artists age 17 and younger. This decision was prompted both by a recent change in leadership at the museum and by the donation of a memorial award to the museum by the Mark Warren Family of Pomona, Missouri.  The Carrie A. Warren-Gentry Talent in Textile Arts Memorial Award recognizes excellence in youth who show talent in the textile arts, a life-long passion of the award’s namesake who passed away in 2010. This award, which includes a one-hundred-dollar prize to the top winner of the youth division, is now a permanent addition to the museum’s textile show.


Out of the 14 entrants to the competition this year, there were 12 entries to the Adult Division and 12 entries to the youth division. The award for Best of Show went to Alma Pruett of Cabool, MO for her Blue Stack & Wack quilt entry. In the Adult Division, Quilting Category, 1st place went to Dee Graham of Pomona, MO for her purple Heart entry; 2nd place to Kaye Huff of West Plains, MO for her entry named Tranquility; 3rd place also went to Alma Pruett for her quilt, Light & Dark Christmas; and a Special Merit Award was given to Gena Stout of West Plains, MO for her entry, Shibori Indigo Quilt, whose quilt squares were embellished using the Shibori method, a unique Japanese dyeing technique. In the Textile Arts Category, 1st place went to Gena Stout of West Plains, MO for her knitted garment, Transformational Wrap; 2nd place went to Geraldine Richardson of Houston, MO for her embellished wall hanging, Butterfly Spring; 3rd place went to Gena Stout for her handwoven tunic, Purple Passion; and an Honorable Mention also went to Mrs. Stout for her handwoven rug entry, Sentimental Memories, a rug woven from men’s neckties that the artist collected from her grandfather, father, husband, and son. A second Honorable Mention was awarded to Angela Bullard of West Plains, MO for her felted wool landscape, Fuchsia Sky.

In the Youth Division, the top winner of the Warren-Gentry Memorial Award went to Alexis McGhee of West Plains, MO for her quilt entry, Cats; 1st place in the Quilting Category went to Olivia Wood of Willow Springs, MO for her quilt, Rosebud; and 2nd place went to Myles McGhee of West Plains, MO for his entry, The Farm Quilt. In the Youth Division, Textile Arts Category, 1st place was awarded to Jackson Hufstedler of West Plains, MO for his crocheted entry, Americana Infant Blanket; 2nd place went to Clark Martin of West Plains, MO for his entry, Patchwork Pillow; 3rd place went to Lily Dixon of West Plains, MO for her embroidered handmade garment, Flower Apron; an Honorable Mention went to Rylee Brown of West Plains, MO for her crocheted Hat #1 and a second Honorable Mention went to Gabby Voshell of West Plains, MO for her entry, Rag Skirt.

Prizes will be awarded to the winners of the competition at the artist’s reception during Gala Night at the Museum from 5 pm-7 pm on Saturday, February 8, 2020. Gala Night will feature food, drinks, live music by Sean McCormick, and a wool spinning demonstration by the Harlin’s featured Artist of the Month, Mary Palmer-Scott of Mary’s Little Lambs. All are encouraged to attend.

The Harlin Museum’s 2020 Quilting & Textile Arts Competition Show is on display in the museum’s Hathcock Gallery until Sunday, February 9th.