Unfortunately my close friend Christine also happened to sleep in - AND, being a sound sleeper, could not be sprung from her sound slumber, by a mad vibrating/beeping/blinking Blackberry, the house phone ringing off the hook, or death threats uttered through the prairie winds in her direction. However, the mail carrier brought her a package and happened to ring the doorbell FINALLY waking her, so I didn't have to send in the hounds!
After dropping the dog off, hitting Starbucks (and actually sitting down to enjoy my purchase), I couldn't wait any longer, and made my way downtown to find a parking spot that wasn't going to cost a second mortgage. Thankfully, the parking faeries were with me this morning and I quickly made my way to a world of quilter's bliss. And blissful it was! The juried quilt show was sensational, the Trend-Tex (HUGE name in quilting) Contest was wonderfully inspiring, the general entries were imaginitive, creative, and out of this world, and the market place oh-so-terribley dangerous!
I took over 100 photos and thus have way to many post here. But I can't resist putting up some of my favourites. Unfortunately, the juried entries were not allowed to be photographed (dang rule makers!), so these are all from the other quilts displayed throughout the show. Thankfully, there were many, many wonderous entries to behold.
My three favourites all included applique, and amazingly all the applique was done by hand. The difference in machine quilting and hand quilting is quite obviously a great divide, but at the skill level of these entries makes each it's own masterpiece.
This first quilt is hand applique in beautiful, bright, simple colours with hand quilting in the white background areas. The flying geese were machine quilted in the ditch. I absolutely LOVE this quilt and hope that some day I will be able to applique at this level.
The movement in the sky drew me right into this mountain scene. It's one big juxtiposition. Parallel lines running the length of green fields, slightly more adventurous lines lead up to the sky through foothills and snowy mountain peaks. And then, the finishing touch, a glorious flurry of swirling lines that take the eye right up into the heavens. This quilt is one of the entries in the Trend-Tex challenge is actually for sale in the silent auction. I would love to have bid, but restrained myself.
Last but certainly not least... The grandest masterpiece ever. This quilt was not permitted as an entry in the juried show because it had already won at another prominent show. Yes, and not just won... Cleaned up! It won $100,000 for craftsmanship! The whole quilt is done by hand. Every edge of every applique is perfectly turned under and held in place like it was put there like a print on the fabric. Every stitch of each little line of quilting is perfectly even, front and back, and even inbetween stitches! It is truely a work of art!
After drooling over all the wonderful entries, I made my way through the marketplace, bumped into several other quilting friends doing the same and FINALLY got a call from Christine that she was really alive and on her way.
We spent the rest of the afternoon together, and I got to do the whole thing ALL OVER AGAIN! A day spent in heaven, or at least a few hours and some wonderul memories made.
I wonder what next year's Trend-Tex challenge will be?
3 comments:
The applique and quilting on these quilts is outstanding!
Who made quilt #3?
You know Carol, I went back to check the details, I didn't record who made it!! ACK! Now I will have to do some research to find that out. I went with a friend, she might know.
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