the papa gallery
Special Event – a salute to paducah’s quilters
What: A Salute to Paducah’s Quilters
Exhibit Dates: April 1-April 25, 2026
When: Tuesday-Saturday, 11-3pm
In celebration of the AQS Quilt Show in Paducah, we’re featuring a month of art inspired by quilting and textile traditions.
🪡 Special Quilt Exhibit – “Variations on a Theme of Old Blue Jeans” by Suzanne Alexander
👜 Quilted Bags – designed and finely crafted by Vickie Lee Gingrich (see more below)
🏽 Redwork Quilt – A historical display on loan from PAPA Artist, Julie Brigance, and family.
🎨 Show-in-a-Show – Miniature Paintings inspired by quilting, stitching, and things we love about Paducah. By participating PAPA Artists
~ Join us, and enjoy this creative celebration of fabric, craftsmanship, and local inspiration throughout April! ~
Show-in-a-Show
Participating PAPA Artists have a special collection of quilt-inspired miniature paintings to delight Paducah’s Quilt Enthusiasts. Come find your favorite and take home a memory.
See a few examples below
Redwork Quilt
The historical Redwork quilt’s primary distinction is the red outline embroidery on white or muslin fabric. Redwork quilts became an American staple in the late 1800’s, when “Turkey Red” thread came about. The first colorfast red of it’s time, it had something else going for it: a skein of the cotton floss only cost a penny!
On Loan by Julie Brigance and family
Bags by Vickie Lee Gingrich
In addition to doing beautiful paintings, Vickie Lee Gingrich also does beautiful quilting. PAPA Artists are especially fond of her artist tote bags, as they are extremely useful for transporting paintings! She makes bags of all shapes and sizes and accepts commissions for custom bags. Each bag is unique, sturdy, and finely stitched!
If you are interested in owning a custom-quilted bag, send us an Email and we’ll pass it on! Vickie will contact you at her earliest convenience. Include your name and phone number in your message to thepapagallerywebsite@gmail.com
Variations on a Theme of Old Blue Jeans
Meet Suzanne Alexander
Lover of textiles and maker of quilted things
Suzanne Alexander’s affinity for quilting comes through deep roots. Women in her family made quilts for generations until the need for quilt making began to abate. As a little girl, she observed both her grandmothers’ prolific handiwork. She remembers being small enough to get shooed out from under the quilting frame and later poring through their needlework catalogs as a young teen. Her mother also sewed most of the clothes for her and three sisters including countless Barbie doll dresses and even Suzanne’s wedding dress. Always drawn to textiles, it was not until she retired that she could really get into the hobby she’d tried for years to find time to do.
The art part of Suzanne’s journey has also come along incrementally. Her husband Charles is a painter and their affiliation with other painters at the PAPA Gallery began to rub off on her. Thoroughly enjoying her textile journey, Suzanne finds creative ideas everywhere. She’s also learned that when she finishes a quilt, the person it needs to live with will come along at the right time.
At this point of her life, she now cares for some of the historical family quilts reaching back at least 3 generations. She is the only one in this generation carrying on the quilting tradition, but as she adds to the collection of comfort textiles, she has hope she may not be the last.
We invite you to sign up for our Newsletter! Our once a week bulletins that you see on our front page will brighten up your in-box, PLUS you will be first to know about special events, member announcements, and extended hours at the Gallery.
We are thankful for the author, PAPA member and quilter extraordinaire, Suzanne Alexander!
Address
124 Broadway St
Paducah, KY 42001, USA
(270) 575-3544
Open Hours
Tuesday – Saturday: 11am – 3pm
Other times by appointment only.
Call (270) 519-3198 for appt.