Quilt Show – Page 5 – Artquiltmaker Blog

EBHQ Show

On Saturday (National Quilting Day!), I went to the Voices in Cloth Show, which is put on every 2 years by one of my guilds, the East Bay Heritage Quilters. Friend Julie of High Fiber Content, Mom of Mary’s Art Musings and TFQ of No Scrap too Small made up my carpool.

It was a great show! I would say that the overarching theme that I saw was color: GLORIOUS color and not just in the Kaffe Fassett way. The colors of the show were colors that I use and I realized that it must be the light in our area. The bright colors can stand up to the bright light we get.

The location was new and I was reluctant to go, but I couldn’t back out after promising to drive 3 other people I would drive them. I am glad I went. I wasn’t able to take the train, which was a big downside, but aside from the quilts being gorgeous, the space was wonderful! There were huge windows and lots of natural light that made for a pleasant viewing experience and showed off the quilts to their best advantage.

We had a respite from the rain, which poured down in buckets yesterday. I was glad, because although I could have taken our heavier car, I didn’t really want to. I don’t drive it much so am not as comfortable driving it in heavy traffic. I am glad I had the option.

The clouds were still dark and looking like they would let loose anytime. The clouds made for beautiful views out the windows. I could see at least two bridges and some of the islands.

One of the first things I did was drop the Food Quilt off to my quilter. She had a booth at the show and I was so glad to see her. She is down until at least April 18, so I have time to bring two more quilts over. I have FOTY 2011 and the Stepping Stones in the queue. Also, perhaps, with any luck, I can finish The Renewed Jelly Roll Race and bring that one to her, too. That is a lot of quilting in a month!

I am not sure if this quilt by Carolyn Brien is my favorite of the whole show, but it does epitomize the color and vibrancy of the show.

This is a great, classic pattern. Carolyn said that she was inspired by the cover of Kaffe Fassett’s book, Quilt Romance.

The food situation was a little dicey. For me, I always bring something, because I never know if there will be food I can eat. In this case there was a restaurant next door to the venue. They supplied the box lunches, but we went into the restaurant to sit down for awhile. It was over an hour from the time we walked in the door until the time we had food set in front of us. Some of my companions were about to start gnawing on their own limbs by the time the food arrived. I wasn’t really very hungry and there was very little on the menu I could eat, so I wasn’t terribly enthusiastic about the meal anyway. The restaurant near the venue is a great idea, but they just did not have enough tables and waitstaff to accommodate the crush of quiltmakers. I think next time they should arrange for the gourmet food trucks to come. That would be awesome!

One thing I was asked to do was a beading/embellishment demo.I am not sure why they pegged me for beading (perhaps someone saw Kissy Fish?), but it was fun. It lasted about half an hour. I showed them what I do, which is VERY basic, answered questions and then was done. I am embarrassed to say that I did very little preparation. I got out the Garden quilt and decided to use that as an example. I meant to quilt it, but just didn’t take the time, so I went ahead with the demo without the quilting. I did tell them to machine quilt it before beading is usually the best route. It was fun and I was glad to have recently completed Kissy Fish, so the process was fresh in my mind.

I also did a bit of fabric damage and bought some beads. I actually have some ideas for some of the pieces. I seem to be falling into the grey fad. I bought a large piece of a background grey on spec (lower left corner). TFQ bought some as well. She will test the pattern I am writing with it and some Bali Pops Tonga treats.

All in all it was a good day. I am glad I went.

Road to California 2012

I took myself off, with TFQ, to Road to California this past weekend, which is in Ontario, California. I have never been to this show before and it is touted as one of the largest quilt events on the West Coast. I am spoiled by having PIQF in my backyard.

Road to California is a nice comfy sort of show, but more like a large guild show than “one of the largest quilt events on the West Coast”. Also, there were a lot of vendors. I would say 2/3s of the space was for vendors.

Speaking of vendors, Eleanor Burns was there. I actually saw her doing her demonstrations! I chatted with her a little bit in the course of a humming bird demo she was doing. She is not the stereotypical haughty celebrity. She was very nice, smiled for everyone who wanted to take a photo and chatted amiably. She is obviously well schooled to being ‘on’, because I saw her continue to smile and demonstrate while listening to someone who whispered a question into her ear.

The majority of the floor space was given over to vendors and the vendor representation was very good. Not only were there vendors I hadn’t seen before, but the vendors were cheerful. I find the vendors at PIQF to be quite surly, so this was a nice change. I was pleased to see Quiltin’ Cousins from Pismo Beach. Shawn, the owner, was really nice and friendly and we went back to her booth a few times to look at everything. We met her at Long Beach in 2010.

I saw a 1930s book that included a pattern called Cowboy Stars (on that table with the pastel quilt on it), but I didn’t buy it. I hope to find it at the library or find the pattern in one of the Kansas City Star books or in EQ7. It has some nasty diamonds and triangles, so I don’t plan on starting it anytime soon.

TFQ bought a pattern she called “not a pineapple” that was really called Licorice Allsorts (the black background quilt on the left). It does look like a baby Pineapple and I am eager to see how it is constructed.

The quilts were good. Different types and styles than I normally see. TFQ pointed out to me, quite rightly, that the fabrics being snapped up from the vendors – yards of Kaffe Fassett and Philip Jacobs blooms, Moda charm packs and Jelly Rolls, lines of 1930s fabrics – were not represented in 90% of the quilts we saw. We walked back through the show and found the quilts made from solids, tone-on-tones, and batiks predominantly. See if you agree from the photos I took. Yes, there were a few quilts with prints, but very few. What are you doing with those lines of fabric you buy? Do you buy fabrics to collect? What are you using for your current quilt?

There was virtually no representation of Modern Quiltmakers at the show. I have to say that I have used a couple of ‘modern’ lines lately and those quilts will probably never see a show. I am, frankly, too lazy to do the paperwork to enter quilts into shows. I used to do it all the time, but the things they ask seem to pointless and a recent entry found the sponsoring organization to be so disorganized I had to essentially send my materials in twice. Still, I am not seeing the quilts like I make, so perhaps I should carve out some time to enter shows?

I bought a few little trinkets. I don’t buy many patterns, so that cut out a whole shopping niche. There were books in which I was really interested, but want to check out from the Library first to see if I REALLY need to add them to my collection. The fabric was a free gift from Quilt in a Day and I think the ruler will be good for making scrap blocks. TFQ bought me a bottle of buttons to replace those I have been using to embellish card holders and Christmas stockings. She said it was part of my birthday gift.

Now for the sentimental drivel. You can stop reading now if you are only interested in quilting. The show was great. Getting away was great, but I was very pleased to come to my dear DH, who picked us up from the train, had dinner ready and made a birthday cake (yes, my birthday was Friday, in case you missed it). I have been sick on and off for a month and am still hacking up a lung. If the trip hadn’t involved reservations and flights, I probably would have cancelled and stayed home. I enjoyed myself, loved the quilts, enjoyed the vendors but was very pleased to come home to my house and my family.

PIQF 2011

Last week, I spent Wednesday night and Thursday all day at the Pacific International Quilt Festival in Santa Clara. This is the first time in several years I have not rented a hotel room and stayed down there with TFQ. I stayed over Wednesday night with a friend who lives nearby so I wouldn’t have to drive back and forth, but I came straight home after the show closed on Thursday. As you read this I am presenting at a conference, so I had a lot to do on Friday and Saturday to get ready for the conference.

The Zig Zaggy quilt was part of the New Quilts for Northern California and I was pleased to see how well it was hung. It really hangs straight, too, which is always a thrill.

I didn’t hang around my quilt for hours, but the few times I passed by, I saw people studying it and taking photos, which is also always a thrill. I was with my mom and Julie part of the time. When we visited my quilt they gave me lots of kudos and told everyone within hearing distance that it was my quilt. I was embarrassed, but also a bit happy.

Angela’s Kona Challenge quilt, Kona Color Waves, was hung nearby, also as part of the challenge. It was so great to see it well hung. The color choices she made really work well. I hope she hangs it up in her house so she can admire it. I also hope other people are inspired by it.

BAMQG was well represented at the show as Kathleen’s sunflower quilt was hung there also.

I really enjoyed the World Quilt Exhibition this year. There was lots of good imagery, many, many Israeli quilts and great designs.

CQFAers were represented as well. Caroline had her landscape quilt in the show, prominently displayed at the end of an aisle. Marie had two, yes TWO quilts in the show. One was a Pineapple made from Hawaiian fabrics and the other used hand dyed fabrics. We helped Marie at her first meeting figure out how to proceed with the hand dyed quilt.

Some trends I noticed were: surface design appropriate to the quilt, lots of amazing quilting and stitching, again appropriate to the design and not over the top. I also lots and lots of portrait quilts. It was interesting to compare the different face techniques. There were also a lot of landscape quilts. I got the impression that people are no longer exploring their machines, but know what they can do and are doing those techniques well.

For a long time, I didn’t get to see my friend Faye, but I would get to see her quilts in the World Quilt Exhibition. Then, as her husband became more ill, she wasn’t able to enter quilts in the show either. Her husband, sadly, died a few years ago after a long illness and I have gotten to see her as she spends about 2 months near me every year now. I was also pleased to see her quilt, Stars, Curves and a Touch of Yellow, in this show.

The Quilt Show has a video up of various quilts. If my link doesn’t work check the Quilt Show’s Daily Blog for October 14, 2011.

My purchase downfall was Tsukineko inks and Perl Cotton. There was a booth at the show selling inks with tons of colors and I couldn’t resist adding to my collection.

Red and White Quilts

If you haven’t seen the Red & White quilts at the NYC Park Armory and you are within commuting distance, go see them! Admission is free!!!! A couple of friends have gone to see them and have said that the exhibit is amazing. It is only there for a few more days. Make the time!

3/31/2011 Update: Here are some (there are many, many articles on this exhibit) news stories about this exhibit:

Financial Times: Infinite Variety: Three Centuries of Red and White Quilts, Park Avenue Armory, New York. By Simon Schama
NYCtheblog: Amazing Display of 651 Red and White Quilts by Paolo Mastrangelo
New York Times: Finally, Mrs. Rose (and the Public) Can See All Her Quilts by James Barron

Manteca Quilt Show

I keep referring to not having enough time to sew recently. I could go into a whole dissertation about what is enough, but the short answer is: I haven’t found what enough is.

I have been doing quilt stuff, just not sewing. I talked about the BAMQG meeting, the Primal Green viewing and the SFQG show. My last other quilt event from earlier this month was the Manteca Quilt Show. Manteca is a small town about 1.5 or 2 hours from where I live. My mom lives out there and I want to encourage her to join up with other quiltmakers in her area. It is a small show, but they had great quilts and a nice vendor mall. You can see all the quilts in my Flickr set.

All over the hall were different little displays of embroidery. We would never see this in a larger quilt show. It made the show seem very homey. I especially liked this pattern. I am a sucker for baskets.

There were probably about 100 quilts. Many of them were Sampler quilts. I have a soft spot in my heart for Sampler quilts. I think that Sampler quilts are a great way to learn to make quilts in a class setting. I know that method is not in favor at this time. This guild makes Sampler quilts. There were a number of star samplers and Christmas Samplers. I think they had different block exchanges, but I don’t know for sure.

Above is one of the best sampler quilts I have ever seen. I love the use of the Provence fabrics. This style really shows off the fabrics well. The maker has really shown the power of blocks by her use of fabric.

The block above is similar to the block I used in the Frosted Star quilt. I really like the corners, too.

I also like this star, which looks complex because of the angles and also because of the use of fabric, but upon further examination is really doable.

One of my favorite quilts was the quilt above because of the great secondary pattern created by the combination of two blocks. I also like the colors. using yellow as the neutral is awesome!

You can see that one block is a 16 patch and the one next to it is an hour glass pattern. It is a great use of these two blocks together. Also, the joyful use of color is wonderful.

I was really impressed with the piecing of this group. There were some simple quilts and beginner quilts, but a lot of the piecing in a large majority of the quilts had some element of creativity or complexity. The picture above shows a quilt that had one large piece of fabric in the middle and then this lovely star border. If you look closely, the star border can be dissected to show that it is easily recreatable.

Primal Green Viewing

Last Saturday I went with all of my CQFA colleagues to view the Primal Green Show. I forgot my camera, so the photos are from others or from the day I went to check on how the hanging was going. That day was a gorgeous day in The City, which meant a lot of glare inside the fabulous Main Library!

I really enjoy this group and the picture above shows what a great group we are. The photo also includes the librarian with whom we worked to get this show mounted. Maureen’s husband was kind enough to take the photo for us.

The photo above shows the 5th floor Government Information Center. The left case has Virginia’s quilt. Behind the lighted kiosk are three quilts, Terri’s, Maureen’s and Soyoung’s. I found out at lunch last week that Soyoung does most of her work by hand and that small quilt took about 100 hours!

The curators at the library are wonderful. They came up with this great signage. The quilts are spread out all over the 5th floor, so the sign on the bottom very nicely shows where all the quilts are hanging.

My quilt, Change of Seasons, is the tree in the middle of this case.

The librarian was able to secure the use of this case as well, even though it wasn’t in the original plan. This extra case allowed the quilts above to be included in the show as well.

My Red Journal and Bron’s Bird Nest, both 3 dimensional, were placed in this table case along with two smaller quilts. This case is slightly to the right off the elevator.

This is the quilt with the arrangement of the signage.

The standing case shows a number of quilts and indicates the entrance to the Stegner Center. Again, the glare was a problem with the photography.

The Wallace Stegner Environmental Librarian is the sponsor of this show. The Stegner Center is a gorgeous space with a view overlooking City Hall. The two quilts in this case looked gorgeous with City Hall behind them. Unfortunately the glare did not make them easy to photograph.

The roses (left) quilt is the first quilt and the sun quilt is all made from recycled tie fabric acquired from a tie factory. The use of color is excellent as well.

The Library is a very public space so all of the quilts are in locked cases. This is a different kind of look for a show. The arrangement really gives the show the feeling of the art show that it is.

The quilts are in the window alcove on the right and straight ahead and to the left.

Over a hundred ATCs were made for the show. We thought they could be used to decorate the bottom of cases, but the curators chose to frame them in groups. I have never seen ATCs framed before and I like the effect very much.

In the same hallway, the educational material was also on the wall.

Since the Library is an educational institution, we asked a group of members to create some educational materials showing some part of the art quilt making process.

The educational materials were designed to go in a table display. The curators decided to put them on the wall, presumably to include the 3D objects in the exhibit as well.

The above educational frame shows the making of applique pieces using freezer paper.

After viewing of the quilts, many of the members went to lunch across the way. We were treated very well and were allowed to sit for a long time. We were given place cards and I was pleased to participate in a wonderful conversation with my colleagues.

The Gang of Three (Nancy, Maureen, me) also decided to award a grand prize to one of the people who contributed to our collection of ATCs for the show. For that drawing, C&T Publishing, via CQFA member and C&T Education/Communications Manager Lisa Fulmer, donated the majority of the prize: Inktense pencils, a book and a few other things. I added in some embellishments and beads. I also made a journal cover to include. Caroline was the winner. I hope she enjoys her prize. We really appreciate everyone’s participation in making this show a success.

Visting the SFQG Show

Yesterday, after spending the morning with the Young Man at an appointment , I met my mom and we visited to the biannual San Francisco Quilters’ Guild Show. The show is held South of Market in a funky, old building. There is parking and the space is large so the show never feels crowded. The light has been a problem in the past, but this year the quilts were well lit. The last of their shows I visited was in 2007. I think I was too lazy to go in 2009. Sewing calls, you know.

It was great to spend the day with my mom. We always get into discussions about color at quilt shows and I think we see color very differently. My mom is a teacher of the Munsell color system. I have never studied that system of color theory and have decided I will have to read up on it. I always find myself at a disadvantage when talking with her about this topic. I should at least understand, on an intellectual level, what she is talking about. I told her to write some Munsell color theory posts on her blog.

Sunshine over Aquamarine by Laureen Neily

We did agree that Sunshine over Aquamarine was our favorite quilt. I even filled out the Viewer’s Choice slip for this quilt! First, the pattern is simple. The fabrics are scrappy, but work really well together. The maker paid careful attention to the colors and her work paid off. The ratio of yellow to aquamarine is perfect. Also, the quilting fits the quilt very well. The photo above does not do the quilt justice.

Sunshine over Aquamarine by Laureen Neily -color — Sunshine over Aquamarine by Laureen Neily-color

The above photo is very close to the color of the quilt. The center looked more yellow than beige. I liked that none of the wide variety of fabrics really stuck out. When viewed from far away, they all worked in harmony. I also liked the squares and rectangles combination.

Sunshine over Aquamarine by Laureen Neily -quilting detail

The photo above is a bit dark (no flash), but I wanted to get a clear photo of the quilting. I think this type of quilting would work very well in the Zig Zaggy quilt. There were a number of quilts where I thought the quilting overshadowed the piecing. I am a piecing girl, though, and I am sure that the makers of those quilts had good reasons for the quilting added to their pieces. The quilting in the quilt, above, is perfect for the piecing. The quilt has a strong, if subtle, horizontal line and the quilting accents that without overpowering it.

I really enjoyed this quilt as well. It appeared to be a group project, though members seemed to offer more support than blocks to each other (they all made their own quilts). Each person made an 18″ block (comprised of smaller pieces) every month for a year until enough blocks were accumulated to make a quilt.

Again, I liked the ratio of green and yellow to black. Also, the greens and yellows, mostly, seemed clear rather than greyed out.

Linda's Potpourri by Linda Gavin - detail

There isn’t too much black in this piece, which means that the other colors aren’t overwhelmed.

Linda's Potpourri by Linda Gavin - detail 2

This star is similar to the stars I used in the Frosted Stars quilt.

The guild was having a special on memberships – one year membership for$10 during the show only. I bought one. The lady at the membership table was very enthusiastic and very friendly. I said I had belonged before and, when pressed, mentioned that I felt the guild was too clique-ish last time I was a member. They acknowledged that as a problem and said they wanted to have a meeting for new members to get to know each other. They also want to form some new small groups. I am interested in a small group, but will wait and see how it goes. If I go to two meetings, like I did last year, then it will be worth it. I have to get back on the list for their meetings as I have not received an email about their topics or speakers in a few months.

We also visited with Colleen of Sew Little Time Quilting, who was vending at the show. She has just come out with a new book, Circle Quilts. She was giving a demo just after we saw her, so we headed over there to watch. All of the patterns are for paper piecing. From my glance through the pages, the directions are very clear and there are full sized patterns in the book. I like the Liberty Star. Mom bought the book.

Many of the quilts in Colleen’s book are round. Round quilts are a pain to hang. Colleen has solved that problem with Quilt Shaper.

This is a piece of stainless steel that you insert into the quilt to help it keep its shape. There are full directions inside. One of the reasons I have never made a round quilt is because hanging is less than stellar. Why make something that will look terrible hung on the wall? This product makes me actually consider making a round quilt!

[NB: I did not get discounts or anything free to write about the above book and product.]

We also saw a demo of the Accuquilt Go. I think this machine would be great for my mom, but they are pricey. The woman demoing works at a quilt shop 12 miles from where my mom lives and invited her to come to their bee. I was pretty happy about that, because mom has been missing her friends since she moved.

We had a good food experience with the deli as well. We were contemplating the choices for a gluten free meal. When the chef heard us talking, he came up and offered to make something special for us. We both had salads with meat, cheese, tomatoes, avocado, cucumber, etc. I would have been a cranky and irritable mess if I hadn’t eaten and really appreciate the chef reaching out to us.

All in all, it was a good day. Fun to hang with mom, nice to see some quilts. I’ll put the quilts up in a Flickr set, but it will take me a few days.

Shopping at PIQF

I am still overwhelmed with the amount of quilt shopping I did in July, so I went to PIQF with a list and with cash. I came away with everything on my list and pretty much stayed within my budget.

I was very pleased to find the rulers I think I will need to finish the edges and corners for FOTY 2010.

I have an idea in mind for a certain kind of “review writing bookmark”, which requires that heavy duty wash away stabilizer (interfacing?). Stay tuned for more on that project.

I did try out the Grab Bag pattern and will write a review of the pattern soon.

I have to admit that fabric wasn’t on my list, but I found a few pieces that will fill in holes (the blacks and whites) and a couple of dots that I couldn’t resist (bottom row). The dots were very expensive so I got little pieces and will need to use the judiciously. They were over $11/yard and that is just too much to spend.

The Floral Burst fabric by Philip Jacobs will be some kind of bag. It was on sale at Always Quilting and I couldn’t resist the pink and yellow combination.The red dots came from TFQ. Thanks!

I also, finally, found the Bella Bag Pattern. I bought another bag with a bow, so I probably didn’t need this one, but Joanna Figueroa was so nice, and she had these fabulous chartreuse handles, that I felt like supporting her. Perhaps I will use the Philip Jacobs print to make this bag. A hot pink with white dots bow might be fabulous!

PIQF Thoughts

Rice Freeman-Zachery’s book Creative Time and Space (look for a review soon!) says “I think artists need to see the work of other artists, writers-see movies, go to museums, go to a play on occasion. Nothing makes a person feel more alive than experiencing something excellently done. ” (pg.97)

So, I went down to PIQF in Santa Clara and had a look at some quilts and booths and vendors.

I am worried that PIQF is becoming an old person’s show. I didn’t see many, if any, Fresh Modern quilts.

People seem to be still working in a lot of brown, but the quilts didn’t feel as grim as in previous years. When I say brown, I don’t mean rich chocolate brown. I mean the kind of browns used for Civil War type quilts.

In this show I saw a lot of realism again, much less geometry. The geometric and blocks quilts I did see had a lot of really nice grid quilting.

The judges seemed to be looking for quilts with “more is more” and rewarding those quilts/makers with prizes. I wasn’t completely enamored with the judge’s choices, but I am sure they had their reasons.

There seemed to be a lot more quilts this year in general. I was glad to see the compention quilts, which was missing from the Long Beach show.

My best vendor experience was at the Fig Tree & Co. booth. Her staff is really friendly. Ms. Figueroa was there and nice and engaged with customers. I asked whether her bag handles (red dots!) would be on her website. She explained that they had bought out the distributor and were unsure of whether they could get anymore.They wanted a steady supply line before offering them. Good business sense! I also liked her honesty. I won’t be disappointed if I don’t see them there. The booth had a nice feel to it, a lot of energy. I hope she does well at this show. I found the Bella bag pattern there!

Elsewhere, in the vendor area, I was very sorry to see Custom Woodworks by Jeff going out of business for health reasons. I have long admired his cutting tables and sewing cabinets. I have never had the money to buy one, but it has always been on my list. I wish Jeff and his family well.

I noticed a lot of new styles of rulers and especially some extolling the virtues of no math. I am not sure how I would know where I was when putting together a block if I used one of these rulers, but I am sure they will be a big help to some people.

While a number of vendors were sitting morosely in their booths, there seemed to be a lot of demos going on. Sew Little Time Quilting had Nick Cowan there demonstrating a tool that takes the color out of fabric in a certain place so you can put other color back in. It is called deColourant from Harbor Sales.

I also thought the aisles were wider this year and Colleen at Sew Little Time Quilting confirmed that the booths were a bit narrower this year.

I noticed a lot of people buying yardage and the booths with kits only were vacant.

TFQ went back today for a couple of hours while I went to take care of some personal business. She said that the show was a lot more crowded and that a couple of the vendors were saying that they hadn’t brought enough stock. Apparently, at shows the last few years people haven’t been attending or buying and they are at this show. Glad to hear that the vendors are doing well!

You can take a look at some of the quilts by looking at my Flickr stream.

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