Marilyn Bujalski has been building a lot of beautiful, large quilts over the past 16 or so years.
Problem has been - she’s not had a place where she could display all of them.
Problem solved - given the recent invitation of Diane Jacobsen, county historical society board member and owner of The Carousell Works in Big Lake.
Marilyn’s 21 quilts, some as large as 12x16 feet, found a wonderful home over the weekend as a public display at Jacobsen’s popular convention center.
And the viewing business was brisk as art lovers from around the region visited her display.
A pre-opening party Friday night attracted 64 viewers. An hour after opening Saturday morning, another 72 had entered the display. By the end ofr the concluding Sunday show, 428 had viewed the exhibits.
Marilyn, a native of Clear Lake, is primarily self-taught in quilting. She began the business in 2000 by making what are known as art quilts. Over the years, she has large scale mosaic quilts, which were essentially on display at the Big Lake exposition.
She does other art quilts and the traditional bed quilts.
Among her many recognitions was being invited as one of 300 to display at the Houston, TX International Quilt Festival last fall.
Her selection for Houston: A 119-inch by 100-inch brilliant display of colors in “Coral Reef.” The piece, completed in May, 2015, had 44,000 pieces, the fifth largest of her entire collection.
Among her favorites on display: “The Clear Lake Farmstead,” composted and constructed in four months in 2009, and “Wild Horses,” a 14-foot by six-foot piece done in 2011.
The largest - and most impressive - is “Woodland Winter.”
The idea of a full collection of her quilt works came as a result of a showing last year at the Sherburne County History Center, she said.
Quilters of Sherburne County were invited to display some of their work; Marilyn brought three pieces of the October showing.
“They asked if I had more and I said, ‘Yes, I have more’.”
Three family members and historical staffers helped set up the display Friday.
Marilyn returned to her hometown in the late 1970’s a widower. She worked in St. Cloud for many years in the optical business and for a home builder, then served as city clerk for Clear Lake from 1998 until her retirement in 2011.
Her “retirement” has taken on other forms. She contributes proceeds from her sales to many local charitable groups.
