Nacogdoches native’s quilt wins blue ribbon at Houston Rodeo

NACOGDOCHES, Texas (KTRE) -A Nacogdoches woman submitted her quilt to be judged at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

A group of 14 women meet at the Nacogdoches Treatment Center every Wednesday to work on quilts. The group takes quilts that are left unfinished by a family member of someone in the community, and they come together to finish them. Their work is paid off by donations to the treatment center.

Linda Parrish has been a part of the group for around two years now, and they were approached by the Nacogdoches Go Texan Committee to submit a quilt to be judged at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

“We got together and brought a few quilts up here and mine was chosen, never expecting to earn anything. We sent mine off and lo and behold, praise God we got a blue ribbon out of it,” Parrish said.

Parrish says she’s made a lot of quilts for other people and that her husband wanted one, so they started the design process.

“So, it took us a little while to negotiate a pattern and we came up with the broken star, and it’s in red, white and blue; he is a veteran,” Parrish said.

Parrish says this win allows them to highlight the cause they quilt for, the Nacogdoches Treatment Center. The treatment center offers fellowship, activities and other services on weekdays for people with dementia and Alzheimer’s.

Executive director of the treatment center, Kathy Strong, says the ladies’ quilts are a huge fundraiser which allows them to help every person regardless of their financial state.

“I’m not surprised one of our ladies won because they do a wonderful job, and they are passionate about it. They love what they do and not only that, but they love to be together, and they love to support the treatment center,” Strong said.

Parrish is proud to be a part of this group.

“It gives Nacogdoches and the treatment center here some recognition, and that’s all it’s about, it’s not about me,” Parrish said.

The award-winning quilt will go on tour now. It goes to the Texas Quilt Museum from May until the end of August. Then it will go to the International Quilt Festival in November, and will be returned after the festival is over.

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