Thursday, July 29, 2010

Quilt Odyssey - The Quilt Show!

Well now that I'm done sharing what I learned in my quilt classes, I should probably share my pictures of the quilt show.  (I was actually scheduled to take another class with Sharon Schamber all day Saturday, but felt too rough to make it - my fibro was giving me fits!)

I have to say I enjoyed the quilt show, but then again, I've never been to one I didn't like.  It was smaller than both Paducah and the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival in Hampton, but larger than the quilt symposiums we have locally each year.  There was a big emphasis on machine quilting here.  I see that more and more in these shows.  And when it's done well, it's simply gorgeous!  But those type of quilts are ones you'd hang on your wall but never on your bed.

Best of Show 'Filigree' by Marilyn Badger

Marilyn Badger won Best of Show in Hershey for a quilt from a pattern by Judy Neimeyer called Thistle Pods.  (There are a couple of Judy's patterns I would love to make too.)  Marilyn used 15,000 yards of metallic thread on this quilt.  Unfortunately it didn't show up very well in the pictures...

Closeup of 'Filigree'

You'll have to forgive me that I forgot to get the name of each quilt and it's maker.  I just took pictures of the ones I really liked.  You'll also need to ignore the plastic tape in some of the pictures.  They use it to block off the quilts and it's difficult to get a full picture without it.

This dog quilt just made me smile.  I don't think it won any awards, but I know I'd love to have it in my house!

Dog quilt

I love the 'Woodland Creatures' quilt and was glad to see it made up.  I actually have all the patterns and fabric for this one and it's on my to-do list.  Well truthfully, I forgot I had it, but now that I'm reminded, it's definitely on my list!

Woodland Creatures

I took lots of closeups of this one.  Look at the possum and it's babies...

Closeup of bottom of quilt

The quilt has squirrels, birds, raccoons, skunks, flowers...

Another closeup

Can you see the dragonfly and even a ladybug on the leaf?  I'm not sure how much extra this quilter added to the patterns, but I think she did a fantastic job!

Squirrel, mice, dragonfly, ladybug...

There was a beautiful crazy quilt there that caught my attention.  I have to do my first CQ piece in a couple of months so I have it on my brain...

Crazy Quilt

Check out the center of it...

Closeup of center

Look at all the dimension in those flowers!  This quilt probably took her longer than any other quilt in the entire show.

I was really drawn to the applique quilts as that's what I most enjoy making.

Rose quilt

I also looked closely at the quilting on the applique quilts to get some ideas for some future projects.

Rose quilt closeup

This next one won the blue ribbon for 'Appliqued Quilts'...

Wings and Feathers

It's another one that used a lot of metallic thread in the quilting, but I think it showed up better in the pictures.  They also used a lot of crystals on it.

Closeup of metallic quilting

Would this be considered a stained-glass quilt do you think?  They paid a lot of attention to detail.

Another closeup

I like the use of piecing and applique in the this sunflower quilt...

Wedding Rings for Mavis & CJ

I loved both the quilting and the applique on this next one.  Look at all those tiny berries and how she uses gradated fabrics for shading...


And here's another filled with nature...

nature quilt

The quilting in the center of this quilt was in my mind, the best in the entire show.  It really gave movement to the birds and butterflies.  I love the bumble bees in it too!

closeup of center

And this final picture is only a small portion of the quilt.  For some reason I can't find the other pictures of it.  In any case, the thread painting on this seal is phenomenal!  It looks just like fur to me.

Thread painting on seal

Of course there were a lot more quilts at the show and most of the ones I've shared didn't win any ribbons.  I had a great time looking at each quilt and came back with lots of great ideas and a renewed enthusiasm for my projects.  Now I just need to start feeling better and I can start working on them...

Until later...

"A simple life in the fear-of-God is better than a rich life with a ton of headaches" 
Proverbs 15:16 (MSG).





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