How do you describe the "grandmother"
of all quilt shows?
Fabulous, Amazing, Incredible, Extraordinary....
I'm not sure you really can.
Each of the 50,000+ attendees would say something else
to describe their experience.
I went to be inspired.
Daisy and Basket by Helm Hulsman
I went to learn some new things.
Redbird Quilt Co and Aurifil Thread
I went to do some shopping.
Each day as the doors opened
it was an organized frenzy of quilters
all seeking out their favorite venders to
discover what enticing products they had brought.
First stop for me
Dutch Heritage and
saying hi to Petra Prins and Judith Ebbelaar.
Judith and Me
I had my map labeled 1,2,3,...
There's never been so many
beautiful temptations.
There is something for every style of quilter,
every skill level, and every credit card limit.
Equally important is seeing and meeting friends.
I finally had the privilege to meet
Janet Olmstead from Calgary, Alberta Canada.
You might know her as Mrs Sew n' sew
Her applique work is exquisite and she
is so delightful to hangout with.
We had a great time shopping and
viewing the quilts.
It was exciting to see her Bird of Paradise quilt
in person!
It was also exciting to say hi
to Rachael Daisy from Australia.
Her quilts are an explosion of color, pattern
and innovated techniques. That's her
Whiz Bang, prize winning quilt in the background.
The show couldn't happen or run
so smoothly without the incredible crew of
volunteers that work behind the scenes.
I caught up with Lori DeJarnatt
from Humble Quilts
as she was getting things set up for the next
open studio demos.
My dear Virginia and Netherlands travelers
were all there
with an outstanding exhibit
Esther's Quilt, 1858
Many quilters followed along and
created their own masterpieces.
Doreen Johnson's Quilt
made with French General fabrics.
You might know Doreen at
Patti Snyder's quilt
with extraordinary quilting
who you know as the Log Cabin Quilter
with her wonderful chocolate background
Wendy Reed's quilt
Don't you love the cheddar background!
Harolyn Klawan's,
"Playtime in the Valley", with her
lovely small embroidered interpretation.
Susie Martin Corrao's
lovely quilt with sashing.
Laurie Sanders took a different approach.
Laurie visualized the flowers that Esther might have
seen from her kitchen window.
There were so many quilts to enjoy and study,
about 1600. Each one a work of art.
Just a couple more.
How about:
Barb Vedder's quilt
from Fun with Barb.
It was fabulous to see in person.
The pink background is awesome with
the blue saw tooth border.
She has a creative whimsical style.
There were so many hand quilted quilts this year
with the exhibit of Antique Quilts of the British Isles
Hexagon Quilt, 1810
and the French collection
Quilts de Legende
Marie-Henriette
by Martine Crabe'-Lanux.
I know I didn't see everything in my two days,
but I gave it a good try.
Until Next Time-
Kyle
