Blogger's Spring Festival

Having been out of touch for a while, I just discovered this festival in progress, so here's a quick post.

Unintended Consequences

37 x 35

Machine pieced, machine applique, machine quilted

This an oldie.  I made it in 2005 or 2006. When I heard that environmental activists in California had put bumper stickers with this slogan on SUV's, the design for the quilt popped into my head.  It was fun to make; creating the design and planning the fabrics and measurements to make it all fit together kept it interesting, and I was happy with it when it was finished.  I'd do things differently if I did it again, but that's not surprising.  The part that usually gets the most comment is the button wheels on the SUV's.  Ironically, I hated those wheels after I put them on, thinking they look kindergartenish, but left them on because I didn't have an alternative.  You never know.  The quilt won Honorable Mention at the IHQS, and was accepted for show at Road to California.  

Click on the button above to see the other quilts people have posted.

Fast Paducah Report

I'm back home, but I really was at Paducah.  To prove it, here's Best of Show, Paisley Peacock, with its maker, Pat Holly.  I like the rich oriental colors of this quilt, and her machine applique of the tiny, tiny, pieces is fabulous, of course.  It was also fun to talk to her about the machine (Bernina) and thread (silk) she uses.

And here is Sharon Schamber's piece, Mystique, with a closeup.  The black and white is made by machine quilting in black thread on a white background.  Amazing.

The show was held under difficult circumstances.  Flood gates at Paducah had to be closed because of record high water on the Ohio River, making the Convention Center unavailable.  Show venues were shifted around, with a Baptist church and the defunct Circuit City building being used.  In addition, some hotels in nearby towns were flooded, causing problems for visiting quilters.  I don't know how this affected the economic success of the show for vendors and for the city; it couldn't have been good.  I saw all the quilts, but skipped the Circuit City vendors and exhibits,  partly because I was making a flying trip.  I bet I'm not the only one who did that.

 I'm so glad I went.  It was a thrill to see my quilt, my host family (arranged through the Paducah Visitor's Bureau) was wonderfully hospitable, and the quilts were beautiful.  The winners should be posted on the AQS web site by now.  I'll be back in a day or so with a few that I thought were particularly interesting.

Right now I'm trying to make the house presentable to host my book group tonight, and planning for my younger son's move into an apartment in Chicago.  He just started a new job--better news than any quilt show!