Quilt Guild show visitor is golden

The Glendale Quilt Guild rolled out the gold quilt for special guest Huell Howser, host of the “California’s Gold” TV series, during the 32nd annual Quilt Show’s opening day festivities Friday at the Burbank Airport Marriott.

Howser arrived around 11 a.m. and was presented with a quilt made by the members of the local quilt organization, said Heidi St. Royal of Burbank, chairwoman of this year’s show.

St. Royal originally sent Howser an e-mail inviting him to the show and telling him this year’s theme was “Quilts of the Wild West.”

“I told him western quilts are gold,” she said, emphasizing the word that’s part of his show’s title. “He called me back the next day.”

She told him the club had made a quilt for him and mailed him a picture of it. And he called her back again, she said.

“He said to me, ‘Honey, are you bribing me?’ and I told him we don’t bribe —our quilts are from the heart.”

The quilt has the words “Huell Howser California’s Gold” stitched into the center.

Howser spent more than an hour touring the display room inside the convention center, interviewing members and the public.

“Women were going nuts, following him around and they all wanted to be interviewed,” St. Royal said.

Show founder Carol Andrews of Pasadena explained the history of the guild to Howser during her interview. The first show was at the Glendale YWCA and drew 763 people. There were 68 charter members and all were Andrews’ quilting students, Andrews said.

“We were delighted that he took an interest in quilting and wanted to do a show on it,” she said.

The show will continue through Sunday. It includes workshops taught by guest teachers from all over the country and vendors showing and selling quilting machines, tools, material, patterns and sharing all the new methods for quilting.

For more information, visit www.glendalequiltguild.org.