Illinois Woman Deemed Textile Queen After 68 Consecutive Years of Blue Ribbons

Story originally published by The State Journal-Register

In 1948, Marian Brockschmidt entered two embroidered pictures in at the Illinois State Fair. Sixty-eight years and hundreds of ribbons won later, she refuses to let her age slow her down.

The 94-year-old Springfield, Illinois, resident spends her days creating items for the yearly occasion. This year Marian entered 21 items into the textile division and came out with eight more blue ribbons to add to her collection. "It means a lot to me that I got what I did this year because last year I only got two blue ribbons, and I thought I might be slipping," Marian told The State Journal-Register.

In fact, her success in state fair competition year after year caused the rules for exhibitors to be changed. Marian won Best of Show so many years in a row, that they altered the rules so no person can win in consecutive years.

Marian's passion for quilting came from a family tradition. Both her mother and sister were avid quilters, and when Marian moved to Philadelphia where her late husband was stationed during World War II, she decided to take up the craft in order to keep herself busy. As time passed, competing at the state fair became a fun activity for the whole family.

Marian has already started crafting next year's textile entries and says she will continue quilting for the rest of her life. "It keeps you on your toes when you exhibit because you know if there's any kind of flaw in it, the judges will pick it out," she said. "I always look forward to when I bring the things home, the tags always have the judges' comments on the back. So you learn what you need to improve, and there is always something to learn."