Quilt Show!

I went to the MN Quilter's show in Duluth today. It was a long drive up and back, but it was worth it. I go to this show every year, it is so inspiring. I come home with my head so stuffed with new ideas that there is no room for anything else.

This was a small (wall hanging) quilt. All those little lines are quilting. This much tiny quilting in swirly lines is called "McTavishing" after a Duluth quilter. There are also lots of beads on this one. Very fancy!



Here are 2 nice quilts with good use of color, especially turquoise. I like to use strong colors in my quilts. (Turquoise is always good!) Other people make beautiful quilts with pastels and lots of browns, but I couldn't stand to spend that much time on something that did not have colors I love in it.







Paul likes this picture. As an engineer, he is attracted to straight lines (really attracted. Really straight lines.) This quilt is done in reproduction 30's and 40's fabrics.










This is a detail of the previous quilt. For some reason it reminds me of my friend Gretchen, who makes beautiful cards. I find myself wishing that some paper would be available as fabric, and that some fabric would be available as paper! I like to scrapbook, and most of that equipment and supplies can be used for cards. Problem is, my brain just doesn't work that way. I was talking with a friend who sews clothes the other day. Same supplies and equipment as quilting, but she just couldn't fathom why you'd want to cut the fabric up into tiny pieces and then sew it all back together again. (Likewise, I HATE to sew clothes, it's too HARD!)








There was more than one President Obama Quilt. People really put their hearts into their quilts. The most meaningful quilts (to me) at this show were about Alzheimer's disease. Photos were not allowed or I would have taken a picture of every one. They were about loss, loss of loved ones, loss of one's self, loss of lives lived with joy. These quilts, although not technically as perfect as the art quilts were the best thing about this show.











This quilt was eye-popping in person. Purple and green are secondary colors and look good together (I think). Look how sharp all those points are, I think they were paper pieced.
















Look at this bear! It was all made with tiny pieces of fabric. I don't know how many pieces, but a similar one of a wolf had over 13,000 pieces!

















Close up of the bear quilt, with my fingers to show size. I am not touching the quilt, however, that is strictly forbidden.
















This quilt is based on a photograph. The trees are made by "Thread Painting", using the sewing machine to apply color like paint.
















I took this picture for Paul, who is a big Monty Python fan. The title is, "Every Sperm is Sacred" after a song in "The Meaning of Life". I love quilts that make people gasp. I did not have a quilt in this show, but I entered one last year. It was my skull quilt. I admit I hung around my quilt listening to comments people made. Apparently, I am "one sick puppy"! All I have to say is, wait until they see what I'm making for next year!

I love to see what is new in the quilting universe. This year, Kaffe Fassett fabric was all the rage at the vender's booths. I don't like it (it looks like what a hippie throws up), so I passed that by. Quilts are still being jeweled and beaded, but this year Angelina fibers and sheets were all over.
Everybody was selling totebag and handbag patterns, too.
I was able to hold myself back from buying too much fabric, I only bought 5 fat quarters (all batiks, of course), and 1 new pattern.

Good thing I got my janome (sewing machine) tuned up, I'm ready to quilt!