Category: Quilt Show

Finishing Well

Yesterday, we ogled some of Janet Stone’s quilts. As I walked through the gallery, I was continuously impressed with her finishing techniques.

Let’s take a look…..

When I first looked at this, I thought the black and white had been embroidered in place, but now I think it is simply a black-and-white print fabric used as part of a flange.

However it was done……it is SO effective!!

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Not only are these prairie points perfect, but each is also embellished….

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This one is just a simple use of a striped fabric, but using it in two places along the border added so much interest!!

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Look at the elegance of the quilting and these curved edges. The addition of the gold embellishment just added to the ambiance!!

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More embellished prairie points, AND a stripe…..

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Isn’t this a fun way to edge a quilt…..

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THEN there are these circles…..

….all fully embellished, of course!!

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The red triangles are “inward-looking” prairie points. Combined with the red checked binding, it is unbeatable!!

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I am in the process of organizing a new guild program, titled “From UFO to TADA!!”. One of the things I am going to talk about is finishing techniques, and you can be assured that MANY of these will make an appearance!!

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One of my favorite things about quilting is motivating others and helping them in their quilting journey. As part of this endeavor, I LOVE to present programs and workshops to groups and guilds around the world. All of my programs work well with Zoom meetings, and I would love to speak to your group.

You can find out more at this link…..

Alphabets & Sheep!!

If you say these two words in the quilting community, everyone automatically knows you are talking about Janet Stone.

There is currently a lovely display of all 26 of her Alphabet Quilts at the National Quilt Museum, and I had the opportunity to browse when I was in Paducah.

I always wondered why Janet fixated on Alphabets, and now I know…..

THIS was her VERY FIRST alphabet quilt….

“Letters From a Broad” by Janet Stone

Such a FUN name to start off this amazing project!!

This is #26…her last one….

“Blooming Blocks and One From the Flock” By Janet Stone

Many of them are very similar in style….Letters and Sheep, but they all have ONE thing in common…. they are technically PERFECT!!

Just look at the intricate quilting and applique on the border of “Crazy For Ewe”….

This one had us all scratching our heads to figure out the alphabet blocks….

“Nouveau Quattro Alfabetico” by Janet Stone

After several tries at working through the alphabet, the onlookers finally realized that the I & J are together in one block!!

My question…..HOW did she ever come up with this idea!!

The “cuteness” factor in this one appealed to me greatly…

“Mutton But Letters” by Janet Stone

This one was gorgeous….with the Americana look to it…..

“Crazy for Ewe” by Janet Stone

But, here is the BACK of that quilt…..

Now, you may wonder HOW you can see the letters in the correct orientation, even though this is the back….. here is the explanation…..

Oh my…. I would never THINK about doing this and certainly wouldn’t have the patience to pull it off!!

Here is an example…. “N” on the front…..

…..and “N” on the back…..

One wonders where her next inspiration will come from. I can’t wait to see!!

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The other outstanding thing about her quilts was her finishing techniques….. come back tomorrow and we will explore those more!!

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If you don’t want to miss my personal tour of the AQS Show in Paducah, be sure to subscribe…….

Food Quilts that Stole the Show

Yesterday we looked at some of the quilts in the National Quilt Museum exhibit, “New Quilts From an Old Favorite — FOOD!”

Let’s check out a few more today…..

“Three Sisters Garden” by Barbara Bredemeier

I love the use of the “Corn and Beans” block.

I first found this block while making a 50th-anniversary quilt for my parents and trying to come up with a block to represent their annual garden. Mine was a little simpler….

….but seeing these brought back fond memories for me!!

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“Lunch at Luigi’s” by Zeeda Magnuson

I love the plaid tablecloth created with nine-patch blocks. And the colors are fantastic as well!!

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“Charcuterie Album” by Barbara Romano

These “Baltimore Album” blocks are the tastiest I have ever seen!!

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“Neapolitan” by Marsha Beane

She put her love of quilting AND ice cream to good use!!

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“Celebration” by Glenda Wilder

The pineapple blocks are great, but the orange peel and pickle dish blocks on her head are fun additions…..

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The third-place winner was…..

“General Sews Chicken” by Susie Cobbs

“General Sews”…..oh my….the creativity of quilters is outstanding!!

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Second-place went to……

“Lobster with a Side of Shrimp” by Kathleen Plumley

I LOVE the way she used the “Snails Trail” blocks to turn into shrimp!!

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The blue ribbon went to…..

“Grandma’s Sewing Kit” by Jessican Drennan

The border is made up of “The Thrifty Wife” blocks, but I honestly didn’t notice them. I was too busy looking at the detail in the quilt.

It is all raw-edged appliqué and the details are amazing. Look at the number of pieces in the cup handle and cookies….

She did put tulle over the top before quilting. I believe that the great effect of this quilt was achieved because she didn’t try to quilts around each individual piece of fabric, but used a diagonal grid instead.

This made it almost impossible to realize that it was not a whole cloth!!

The exhibit was sponsored by “Royal Dansk” cookies, and it probably didn’t hurt that she included one of their cookie tins in the piece…..

AND, you have to see the pins on the pincushion….

SOOO creative!!

This exhibit was fun to see, especially the creativity that quilters bring.

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One of my favorite things about quilting is motivating others and helping them in their quilting journey. As part of this endeavor, I LOVE to present programs and workshops to groups and guilds around the world. All of my programs work well with Zoom meetings, and I would love to speak to your group.

You can find out more at this link…..

Let’s Eat at the National Quilt Museum

I loved spending a couple of hours at the National Quilt Museum in Paducah!! One of my favorite exhibits was this one….

Part of my excitement was that my friend, Rosie, had a quilt in this exhibit….

“A Slice of Culinary Life” by Rosell Crockett

She used the Drunkard’s Path block to GREAT effect, and added cute sayings as well…

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“Who Wants A Slice?” by Julie Wells

She made good use of 9-Patches and “Wheel of Fortune” blocks to create this retro kitchen!!

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“Girl with a Pearl Onion Earring” by Lisa Arthaud

Lisa used so much imagination in this quilt….

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“The Great Escape” by Kathryn Wright

Just look at her use of “Courthouse Step” blocks for the basket….

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“Old and New, Borrowed and Blue” by Maggie Ward

I love the Double Wedding Ring designs, but what really caught my eye was the lace on the cake layers…

It added a fun touch to the quilt.

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“Vegie Salad” by Rachel Siegel

The clamshell blocks were hand-embroidered and added much texture, as did the detailed quilting.

Come back tomorrow and we will look at more of these quilts.

You DON’T want to miss the 1st-place quilt… it is OUTSTANDING!!!

Writing this post has made me hungry, so I am off to eat Indian food that my husband made for me!!

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You can sign up HERE……

SAQA: Abstraction: Textural Elements

The last exhibit from the Atlanta Sewing and Quilt Expo was a SAQA exhibit called “Abstraction: Textural Elements.

Here are a few favorites…..

“Stepping Stones #3: Rockslide” by Jan Soules

I appreciate the improvisational piecing….especially since it is something I CAN NOT do!!

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“Structures III” b y Judy Langille

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“Blue/Orange Angles” by Jane Quimby

I love this quilt!! It appears to be fractured with the yellows seeping thru the fractures.

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“Color Play” Mayte Collard

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“Iridescence” by Julie Lisa Reuben

It it so fun to see how the fabric colors change based on the color of the thread overlaid…..

I MUST try this sometime!!

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“Just Because” by Lucy Engels

I particularly appreciate how the direction of the quilting lines in the triangles adds so much to the piece.

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“Seeking Simplicity: Threads 4” by Lynn Seaman

Similar to “Iridescence” (above), much of this design is due to changes in thread color…

Well, that finishes up the Atlanta Sewing & Quilting Expo, but don’t worry……

…..there are hundreds of photos from Paducah to show!!

Stay tuned….

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

One of my favorite things about quilting is motivating others and helping them in their quilting journey. As part of this endeavor, I LOVE to present programs and workshops to groups and guilds around the world. All of my programs work well with Zoom meetings, and I would love to speak to your group.

You can find out more at this link…..