Let’s Quilt It!!

There was one category at the International Quilt Festival that simply didn’t do much for me. Sadly, it was the machine quilting competition!!

There were 15 quilts in the category. Let me show you a few of them……

The first-place-winning quilt was created by Deb Schultz Grimes…..

“A Tribute to Ricky”

I had trouble getting really good photos of the quilting but found these two images on “The Quilt Show”…..

She did a nice job of creating a LOT of texture with the quilting!!

The Third-Place Ribbon went to Karen Hogan…..

“Trip to America”

She said that it was made with “original digitized quilting designs” so I am assuming that it wasn’t free-hand quilted, although she must be given a lot of credit for designing such an intricate pattern!!

This next quilt was made by Elda Alencar……

“Lencois Maranhenses”

She said that she was a 73-year-old Brazilian quilter who had only discovered machine quilting a few years ago. I would say that she has done pretty well for herself!!

This Christmas offering is from Inger Blood…..

This quilt showcased a scalloped border, Brodereie Perse applique and quilting with metallic thread…..

WOW!!!

This final one is from Sharyl Sheppard and it was probably my favorite of all…….

“Jerry’s Pier”

Look at the way she quilted these larger pebbles….

I love the idea of adding something to the inside of the pebbles!!

And these “waves” of FMQ designs were a great addition to the sky…..

There were a huge number of quits with magnificent FMQ, but they were all in other categories.

A time for Thankfulness!!

Here in the US, it is Thanksgiving, and I have SO many things to be thankful for!!!

First of course is my family…..

…..my sweet husband of 45 years (Michael)…..

My son and daughter-in-law (Brian and Amber)…..

…and my daughter and son-in-law (Jenny & Kevin)……

And this year, we have an addition!! Presenting Archer James…..

He was born on November 6th and we are all besotted with him!!!

I am also thankful for all of you….the people who have encouraged me so much in the past 3 years!!

Finally, in case you haven’t already figured this out, I am thankful for the ability to be creative!!

This quilt was made a lot of years ago but hangs in my house EVERY November…..

It reminds me of where I have come from and where I am headed to!!!

Come back tomorrow and we will resume our tour of the International Quilt Festival!!

More eye-catching quilts

As I mentioned yesterday, I am now down to showing a miscellaneous grouping of quilts that caught my eye at the International Quilt Festival.

Get ready for some more!!

There was an exhibition called “I Spy….a Barn Quilt!” and the quilts were certainly bright and cheery…..

I am sorry that I didn’t get the name of the maker of this quilt…..

….but if I was a cow, I am thinking that I might get dizzy heading into the barn for the evening!!!

I loved the bright colors in this one by Cynthia Smith and quilted by Gracie’s Petunias Quilts…..

“Carpenter’s Star”

Don’t you love the quilting that adds a wood grain to this “wooden” quilt!!

Finally is this beauty from Victoria Findlay-Wolfe and quilted by Shelly Pagliai…..

“Thunderstruck”

I am a fan of her work and this piece that started with a Lemoyne Star block is amazing!!

Moving right along…..

There was an exhibition called “Celebration of Life” and there were several quilts there that were memorializing people, places and things!!

This first quilt by Charlotte Beech was so much fun to look at……

“Shirt Off His Back”

She made it using shirts from a friend who has since passed from Alzheimer’s.

I love the way she used the stripes and plaids to create the hexagons…..

This fun quilt from Marina Panzhinskaya celebrated her daughter’s wedding, her new family and their joint unconditional love for cats!!!

“City Cats”

I am not sure what I liked best…..

…..the expressions on the cat’s faces……

….the wonky city border……

…or the absolutely STUNNING quilting…..

Spoiler alert…..I bought a tool and book about quilting these intricate designs!!

The final quilt is from one of my all-time favorite quilters….. Caryl Bryer Fallert-Gentry…..

“Watch Master”

This quilt is a homage to her father who was a watch repairman.

It is yet another example of how Caryl has reinvented herself over the years. Oh to be like her!!!

That’s all for today but on Friday there will be more…..

A few that appeal!!

Well, life has gotten in the way of blogging today so this post will be short and sweet!!!

There were a number of quilts that just appealed to me and here are a few of them…..

This quilt in the Tactile Architecture display was made by a team of 5 people with over 35 people involved in some way ……

“It’s a Mad, Mad, Mid-Mod World”

This was one of those quilts that just makes you smile and it was so much fun to listen to people as they walked up and first saw the quilt. The most common comment was “It reminds me of ‘The Jetsons'” and I definitely agree!!

In particular, I love the secondary design that was made from the quilting…..

Speaking of quilting, I found something interesting in this maze quilt from Vicki Miles and Marilyn Popplewell…

“Palace Garden Maze”

At first glance, you think that all of those FMQ stitches are pebbles and everyone knows how LONG it would take to do THAT many pebbles….

BUT, as I came in even closer I could see that it was really a “loopy meander”…..

Now it would still have taken a lot of time but is so much faster to do. As a matter of fact, I often find that my pebbles turn into a loopy meander and my regular meander turns into a loopy meander too.

It is definitely one of my go-to designs!!

The Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA) had two different exhibits. the first was called “Gastronomy” and there were a couple of quilts that caught my attention.

This quilt from Dianne Firth was appliqued between two pieces of polyester net and the effect was amazing….

“Bread”

You could see thru the background and, although they don’t show up in the photo, the shadows behind the quilt were wonderful!!

I love the way the quilting adds motion to the design…

This quilt from Sue Colozzi called to me because of the intense thread painting and couching in the greenery…..

“Cranberry Bog Reflection”

Since one of my next projects is to do the background for “Sadie the Saddlebill Stork”, I scrutinized many of these types of quilts and came home with a few ideas that seem to be working….spoiler alert….once we get thru the show, I will show you what I have been working on!!

In that same vein, have a look at this thread-painted beauty from Alison King….

“Once Loved”

Look at these amazing details in the grass…..

….and especially on the roof and chimney…..

AMAZING!!

Okay….sorry that this one is so short and sweet, but more to come tomorrow!!!

Pieced with Love

The pieced competition at the International Quilt Festival has always been one of my favorites. I am thoroughly amazed at the creativity and accuracy that these quilts exhibit!

Audrey Esarey got my viewing off to a good start with her Mobius quilt….

“Mobius Radial No. 2

This is one of those quilts that will stay in my mind for a long time!!

This quilt from Beth Nufer and Clem Buzick was made with Dupioni silk…..

“Sphere”

Don’t you think that would be REALLY hard to piece and applique??

The Blue-Ribbon went to Amy Pabst for this beauty…..

“Heat Lightning”

This is another example of her “Micro-piecing” technique that I talked about a few days back. Check out this post for more examples of her technique.

I especially like the border treatment…..

This beauty from Setsuko Oki was hand pieced and quilted!!

“Symphony of Light and Breeze”

I always tip my hat to handwork artists. It is something that I do not have the patience for!!

This quilt from Sarah Ann Smith is simple but so effective…..

“Phlamingo, Some Assembly Required”

It shows a great usage of the “Crossed Canoes” block and I love the small amount of “Big Stitch” quilting that she added….

Second place was awarded to Ruth Ohol for this ACCURATE quilt….

“Memories From Hotel Fahey”

I think that I would have gone crazy trying to piece that border!!

In her artist statement, Paula Doyle said that she was trying to create a quilt with a fresh and contemporary feeling. I would say that she accomplished that…..

“Yukata Bee Quilting”

Nancy Goodman scored a Third-place ribbon for this fun quilt….

“Alhambra at Sunset”

My mind doesn’t do well with Improv piecing, but Nancy’s sure does!!

Being a SUPER FAN of Sunflowers, this quilt from Luz Seidensticker definitely caught my eye…..

“The Troubadour”

Linda and I both loved the dimension that she presented with these upturned flowers….

It is so much more effective than just having all of the flowers facing forward!!

The name of this quilt is “The Troubadour” and after I read that I had to go back and figure out why. The answer came in two paper-pieced birds….

I hope that you are enjoying these impromptu quilt shows!! Come back tomorrow for a showing of various miscellaneous quilts that caught my fancy!!!