Quilting Friends

Another part of the large Iowa show was by the local quilt guild.  The guild is so large (over 400) that they also have a lot of small groups that gather together to quilt.  Sue & I loved this display!!  Loved it!  (I left the photo large so if you click on it, you can see them up a bit closer.)

First I noticed the cute quilts.  Then I read the story.  There are 8 quilting friends.  They each made 8 identical cloth dolls to represent themselves and then the dolls were exchanged so everyone had 1 of each friend.   Everyone made their own quilt but all were in a circle, all had spools of thread, and then a bit of variety with additional notions and of course fabric choices.

Stinking cute!!  🙂

So we of course were excited to tell this to Elaine, our friend that was working and not strolling through the show.  So with Sue, and me, and Elaine, and our quilting buddy at home, Lori, we had a group of 4.   I lamented that we could each invite a friend but then really we’d have a quilt with 7 other quilters and maybe you’d only know 3 of them! LOL!!  So this isn’t an immediate goal or plan but sure seems fun!

And on cloudy, rainy, cool days… one just needs a fun idea and easy blog post.   🙂  And I suppose I need more quilting friends!  🙂

 

Hmm…. I just found the pattern.  🙂   I do have 8 friends… could just make one for myself I suppose.

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Special Times

I have a dear friend, Elaine, that works with the quilt show mother-ship so was in IA for the show last week.   I felt so blessed that we got more time with Elaine than I ever expected.  She was our wonderful hostess with the mostest in KY in April.  I love that my friend, Sue that went with me to IA, enjoys Elaine too!   🙂

We were able to share a meal together, much chat & hilarity, and just enjoy each other.

She worked at one of the lecture rooms most of the time.  We were there while she was guarding the door a clear hour before the lecture started, when Libby Lehman arrive to present.  Of course, she was let in but we chatted a bit first.  As Sue & I walked away, I thought I should have asked for a photo of me & Libby.  (I’m so good at hindsight….!)

Later while eating together, Elaine asked how I know Libby!  Well, silly… I don’t “know” her one bit.  I’ve seen videos with her, seen her books, seen her advertisements but that was the first I ever saw her in person.  Both of them were shocked… here she was giving us dining suggestions and vague directions and we just chatted away.  It was sooo very funny that Sue & Elaine thought I knew her.   🙂

I wish we could have snagged a photo of the 3 of us.  I’m not very good at putting 2 photos together to look normal.  LOL!

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Wanna See Some Quilts?

I like panel quilts like this; either sewn together or hanging as separate pieces.

Here are some quilts I like, some I love, some just because maybe you’ll like them, or some to show you what might hold a ribbon…..  Some comments too.

I love wonky houses but I’ve not been to Miami.

I don’t have an Auntie Jean and neither were playing cards allowed in our house growing up, but something like this WILL be made in my lifetime. We’ll even make-believe there is a Tiffany lamp above the breakfast nook.

Quilts like this hold even 2nd place ribbons. And some readers here like celestial themed quilts.

Just wonderful tiny blocks…

Lighthouses & the sailboat in the background. Fascinating!

A quilt for Kansas…

and isn’t the ear of corn cute?

This quilt is made from 196 four-inch blocks that are done by reverse applique’. Stunning! And no ribbon.

close-up

The whole quilt & a close-up…. squares that are shaded with paintsticks or fabric paints???

More another day….

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Honored

Last weekend was the American Quilter’s Society’s international quilt show in Des Moines, Iowa.  I was HONORED to be juried into the show.  That is a huge honor!!  I assume it is tough competition though maybe they take them all.  ??? I don’t think so and will continue to believe they chose mine over others.

The show was Wednesday – Saturday and on Tuesday, I was listed as one of 168 semi-finalists!!  YAHOOOOO!!  (So even if they did jury all the entries in, at least I moved up at some point.  🙂  )  Never did I expect anything.  Just being accepted was a huge honor.  This was thrilling to be a semi-finalist. I didn’t win a ribbon, only 25 were given and I’m totally OK with that!!  Seriously, I’m not at ribbon level.

My dear friend, Sue, took me there & back (her new car gets amazing MPG!!) and we had a great time together.  She was a great photographer too.  🙂

Not exactly “my name in lights” but you know what I mean!!

Its real name is “A View Outside My Window” but I was a dork (and in a hurry to meet the deadline) when I entered it and named it “Farm Quilt” because that is what we all call it.  Whatever!  🙂

Me & my cool nametag & special ribbon!  This gave me free admission every day and several people asked about my quilt when they saw the “Contestant” ribbon.  That was so fun!

• The shop owners from nearby… but I doubt they went to see it since they had a booth there.
• Some people that saw us take the photos asked about it.
• A volunteer in the Des Moines guild show in another room asked me about it.
• And a book author from AQS asked me which was my quilt.  I started to say it is the aerial view of our family farm and she remembered it!  She compiles the yearly calenders so would have walked the show many times looking for new quilts for her books.  I heard her speak at one of my guilds this summer and also have 10 – 15  yrs of her weekly calenders that I keep as sewing journals.  She is an older lady and grew up in Wisconsin so has some farming background.  🙂

Once inside the show, we noticed that the skywalk (how we walked to the show!!) was overlooking the whole show floor.  DUH!!  We were so busy chatting and finding our way, we never looked out the windows there.  Mostly we walked passed the back of buildings & loading docks so had given up on the view, I suppose.

So that evening on our way back through the skywalk, we stopped for photos.  Plus Heather wanted to see “the whole show” so this is also special for her!  But I was excited  my quilt was placed on the correct side to be viewed.  So really for free, one could view from the windows and see a nugget of the quilts.  (but you’d miss the shoppppping – snicker, snicker!)

There were more quilts on the totally other end and the side.  The center are the vendors… did I mention the shopping?  🙂

I’ve been quoting the advertisements of “over 1000 quilts” on display.  Well, that is after you do the math.     Forgive me, I didn’t me to overstate the numbers.  There were just over 500 quilts juried into the AQS show of which I was apart. 🙂 🙂     Then in another room was the Des Moines Area Quilt Guild and they had over 500 entries there.  However, I can’t find the final number because they are not listed in numerical order.  #quizzicalface#  Who thought of that???

There were also special exhibits by various AQS authors and a special exhibit of Egyptian quilts which didn’t interest us at all.  (sorry)

More quilt photos to come and some results of visiting the vendors.  I’m trying to keep up with my husband’s schedule.  He still wants to eat!!

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