Oct. 11—The quilt displays dozens of balloons with a howling coyote gazing up at the sky from the corner.
Every year at Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, the New Mexico Quilters Association raffles away a quilt themed for the event.
This year, the quilt “A Howling View” was a group effort, with 14 people working on it for 976 hours. It was designed by long-term NMQA member Cheryl Glandon.
She said her design was inspired by coyotes because she had never seen a fiesta quilt with a coyote on it. Coyotes are found throughout New Mexico, including in Albuquerque, and they have a long-running feud with the state bird, at least if you watch cartoons.
“This is my third attempt for that coyote,” said Glandon.
Glandon said the group had the quilt assessed by a professional quilt appraiser, who valued it at $27,000.
Quilters in the association submit drawings of their proposed fiesta quilt. The club then chooses one design and the group works on it together.
Her first suggestion, she admitted bashfully, was to add a little pregnant-looking coyote with stubby legs to the quilt. Her second idea was a patch she really liked, but she thought it needed to be embroidered on the quilt. She was worried she could ruin the group’s hard work.
“If I embroider this and screw it up, I would screw up the whole quilt,” said Glandon.
She said it was the first landscaping quilt of its size she’s ever worked on.
“I’m quite proud of it,” said Glandon.
She made 20 of the 32 balloons displayed on the quilt, but each one has a special meaning to her.
“My dad was in the Korean and Vietnam War, so I put S.S. AMERICA up at the top,” said Glandon.
She’s also very proud to be the first person to put a gas balloon on the association’s Fiesta quilt.
The only balloon on the quilt that isn’t real is a NMQA balloon commemorating its 50th anniversary this year. Glandon joked that maybe someday the group would have a balloon.
Tisha Cavanaugh did the long-arm quilting, which is sewing the designed top fabric with the inner batting, or stuffing, and the bottom fabric.
The front of the quilt shows the balloons at midday with a blue sky, and the back is sewn to show the balloons at night.
“I did have a guy offer me 30 grand for it, and I’m like ‘I’d really have some upset ladies if I sold it,'” said Glandon.
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