DANVILLE — The Vermilion County Museum bursts with color and creativity this month.

Visitors to the 29th Annual Midwest Heritage Quilt Show will find 104 entries displayed on both floors, and each entry has its own style and story.

“We are really excited about this year’s show,” museum director Sue Richter said. “It’s a unique collection.”

The judge was impressed with the variety of patterns and the level of workmanship, Richter said, and she noticed improvement from past years.

Jeanine Sollers, a volunteer who helped hang the quilts, said, “They are absolutely beautiful — the way they put the colors together and the patterns. It’s hard to pick out your favorite.”

Like Richter, she was impressed by how much talent the quilters displayed.

Best of Show was awarded to Maggie Szafranski of Urbana for her “Circle of Life” machine-stitched quilt, which uses primary colors and resembles a kaleidoscope view.

Richter pointed out the workmanship — how difficult it is to get perfect points and to put squares on a curve, as well as its use of variegated thread.

Szafranski said it took her four months to complete the quilt; she had bought the pattern at a quilting festival in Houston last year.

She originally made the quilt to donate to the East Central Illinois Refugee Center. As she was making “Circle of Life,” she thought about her own immigrant background, and how the pattern was designed by a woman from Holland, and how it would help people who came to the United States, following their dreams. When she finished the quilt, however, she decided she couldn’t part with it yet, and she donated another quilt to the center.

Szafranski said she thought the quilt might win a blue ribbon in its category, but she didn’t expect best of show — considering all the talented quilters in the area.

Besides quilts and wall hangings, the show also features clothing, pillows and items in the new “household” category, such as table cloths and runners. A couple of the quilts are for sale; anyone interested is asked to contact a museum staff member, who will contact the owner.

Richter raved about the variety of entries — from the standard to the whimsical. Several bring smiles to a viewer’s face, such as the Wizard of Oz-themed quilt or the one titled Kaleidoscope Frogs, with several eyes peeking out of tall grass.

One quilt was made out of a father’s flannel shirts. Another, which shows women holding parasols, is a quilt from the 1930s or ’40s, which someone found in a bag of rags and restored to its present-day beauty.

A quilt near the museum entrance shows a rural scene, depicting a barn and old cars; its cloth border looks like a wooden frame. On the back side, the scene comes through like a photo negative.

Other quilts depict seasonal scenes, such as Christmas and Halloween, and some cater to children, such as those with puppies and kittens.

“That’s what’s so neat — what people come up with,” Richter said.

Sollers encouraged people to visit the exhibit, saying, “They are works of art.”

Also, for the first time, items such as coasters and runners will be for sale, donated by the Vermilion Valley Quilters and the Hearts and Hands quilt club. Proceeds will go to the museum. Old quilting magazines will be available at no charge.

Visitors also may vote for a “People’s Choice” winner.

Sponsor for the show is Threads of Time Quilt Shop. E&B Gifts and Awards donated ribbons.

Ribbons were awarded in 15 categories: baby, child’s, embroidered, kit, appliqué, pieced, appliqué/pieced, household article, novelty, unquilted top, wall hanging, clothing, pillows, antique-pre 1911, and miniature.

Winners

First place

Rosemary Burmeister, Appliqué/Pieced; Janice Elwell, Clothing; Sherry Fourez, Miniature; Jean Goebel, Lap Quilt; Linda M. Haltom, Wall Hangings-Small; Debra Janik, Wall Hangings-Large; and Maggie Szafranski, Pieced-1950 to Present.

Second Place

Donna Bennett, Pieced-1950 to Present; Betty Blanton, Pieced-1950 to Present; Mary DeRay, Wall Hangings-Small; Patricia Gerard, Lap Quilt; Janie Hackett, Unquilted Tops; Marge Perkins, Clothing; Viki Powell, Appliqué/Pieced; Alayne Roderick, Appliqué; Linda K. Thompson, Wall Hangings-Large; Ruth Shelley, Household; and Joyce Youngblood, Pillows.

Third Place

Betty Blanton, Appliqué/Pieced; Marilyn Blanton, Lap Quilt; Janice Elwell, Pieced-1950 to Present; Edy Farnsworth, Wall Hangings-Small; Linda M. Haltom, Wall Hangings-Large; Cindy Jaeger, Pieced-1950 to Present; Jane Lesko, Appliqué /Pieced; Carol Meyer, Wall Hangings-Small; Donica Miller, Novelties; Marge Perkins, Clothing; Barbara Potts, Unquilted Tops; Ruth Shelley, Wall Hangings-Small; Mary Stampini, Household; Marianne Venute, Baby; Joyce R. Wallace, Pieced-1950 to Present; and Joyce Youngblood, Pillows.

Honorable mention

Mary Bird, Wall Hangings-Small; Muriel Black, Pieced-1950 to Present; Patti Ecker, Wall Hangings-Large; Sara Kleihauer, Wall Hangings-Large; Donald Lesko, Pieced-1950 to Present; Jane Lesko, Pieced-1950 to Present; Connie Miller, Pieced-1950 to Present; Carolyn Sadler, Pieced-1950 to Present; and Marlene Tucker, Lap Quilt.

FYI

• The quilts will be on display through July at the Vermilion County Museum, 116 N. Gilbert St., during regular hours of 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Admission is $2.50 for adults; $1 for ages 13-17; and free for children 12 and under. For information, call the museum at 442-2922 or visit http://www.vermilioncountymuseum.org
• The museum also is sponsoring a quilt block contest, using a Civil War theme. Sample pattern names are listed on the museum’s website. The block must measure 12½ by 12½ inches, and be turned in by Dec. 29.