I am busy working on another scrap quilt. I am calling this one, Yin and Yang after the Chinese symbol by the same name. 
I boldly entered this quilt in our upcoming guild’s quilt show on October 17 and 18 even though it isn’t finished yet.
This quilt will be 8 blocks wide by 13 blocks long. So far, I have 8 columns put together so technically I am more than half way done. 🙂
On Saturday, I attended the Countryside Quilters first quilt show. Despite the small number of members–only 27–this group put on a huge show–over 400 quilts!!!
I have seen pictures of quilts displayed in the sanctuary of churches before but I had never attended a quilt show in person where the quilts were displayed in this way.
The golden glow created by the lighting in the church combined with the colours of the quilts made the display breathtaking. I was glad I was there first thing in the morning though as the aisles quickly became crowded.
I really liked this scrap quilt. I am going to have to try this layout for some of my string blocks in the future.
I have a maverick star quilt on my list of quilts to make. I really like the effect of the red background on this star quilt. Red is not always a colour that you see as a background, but it really works on this quilt.
The group also hosted old fashioned bed turnings at different times during the day. I was there for the 10:30 bed turning. One of the group members told me that the quilts displayed during the bed turning were not necessarily the fanciest quilts, but they were the ones with the best stories. She was right–many of those stories were enough to bring you to tears.
For a slideshow of more pictures of the show, click here.
This quilt show proves that you don’t have to have a huge membership to put on a great display of quilts!
Update: I found another slide show on YouTube that someone else had posted for this show. It is always interesting to look at someone else’s pictures for the same event that you attended to see things from their eyes. Click here to enjoy!
Yesterday, a friend and I attended the Lions Gate Quilters Guild show.
As we entered the show, we were presented with these gifts: A box top mug rug kit and a letter opener.
The quilts were fabulous! The following pictures are my favorites. Enjoy!
The following write up explains the story behind this three-panel quilt. You may have to click on the image to make it appear big enough to read.
After viewing the quilts, we headed to see what the vendors had to offer. These fabrics “followed” me home. 🙂
This is a fabric by Michael Miller called, Hooked.
I only purchased a fat quarter of this one. I thought it would be perfect for the outside of a zippy pouch.
These four fabrics are, left to right: 1) Acacia by Tula Pink, Butterfly Wings, 2) Acacia by Tula Pink, Hummingbird, 3) Soho chic by Sandy Gervais for Moda, 4) From Outside In by Malka Dubrowsky for Moda
I love Sea Turtles so I couldn’t leave this green Honu print behind.
This weekend, the Abbotsford Quilters’ Guild is hold their show, Quilts in the Valley. I headed to the show yesterday. The following are some of the quilts that caught my attention.
This quilt is Hanging Garden by Cozy Quilt Design. I have seen this quilt done before but never in a scrappy version. Of course the quilting on this one was fabulous too!
This was an original design. This one caught my eye–likely because of the recent triangle workshop I attended.
This quilt is from the pattern Mesmerize by Natalia Bonner.
This quilt was from Glorious Patchwork by Kaffe Fassett.
I could make this one today as I recognized many of the floral fabrics in this one as being in my stash as well! I think someone has been collecting floral fabrics for as long as I have!
This quilt made me smile. It depicts so many typical fall, winter, and spring days here on the coast. I love the brightly coloured umbrellas that brighten the otherwise grey day. The quilting on this one was perfect. You really get the feeling that it is raining.
This quilt was in the Quilts of Valor booth. The bluework blocks were definitely Canadian and really caught my eye. 
These quilts were completed as part of the guild’s Scrappy Stars Mystery. The pattern source is Save The Scraps by Gayle Bong.
This quilt was getting a lot of attention. The maker raw edge appliqued the circles. But before she did that, she pinked the edges. The quilting on this one definitely made the quilt. The pattern source was Quilts and More, Bubble Up by Sachiko Aldous.
Scrappy quilts always get my attention. The source given for this quilt was just Quilters Newsletter Magazine. Too bad the designer was not credited as this was a fabulous quilt.
While at the show, I sat through a demonstration on the Split Nine Patch quilt. This block is so effective in lights and darks. The gal demonstrating said that she was inspired by a picture of a similar quilt on Pinterest. Who of us has not been inspired by Pinterest! 🙂
My favorite quilt of the whole show was actually this one. The quilt maker worked together with her father who upholstered furniture for a living. The two of them worked together on this quilt…even as her father was diagnosed with cancer and went through treatments. The chair was finished and one week later her father passed away with cancer. What a fabulous memory of her father!
There were a lot of vendors at this show and I found a couple of things to purchase. I can’t show any photos of my purchases as they are part of the two challenges I am working on. There were a lot of other things that tempted me, but all I had to do was think about the many projects on the go at home already and I was able to walk away without buying anything new.
While I was at the Tucson Quilters Guild Quilt Show in January, I listened to a presentation from the art quilter, Joe Cunningham. Prior to this presentation I had never heard of Joe Cunningham. Although I am not likely to make a Joe Cunningham-style quilt in the near future, Joe’s words and Joe’s style of quilting has struck a cord in me. And, I will never look at bias tape the same again! Joe’s presentation was titled, “Men and the Art of Quiltmaking.” Joe stated that, while quilting has been practiced almost exclusively by women, a few men have crept into the realm from time to time. Joe told his own story and showed his own quilts while providing some historical insight into men and quilting. My only regret was not taking in Joe’s second presentation later that day, “My Life in Quilts.” In Joe’s second presentation, he was not only going to discuss how and why he got started making quilts and why he is still making them today, but he was going to be bringing his guitar and playing some quilt-related songs. I am sure that the second presentation would have been much like this YouTube clip.
Other YouTube clips:
Five Questions With Joe Cunningham
These are some of the quilts that Joe shared during his presentation.
The following has been taken from the quilt show brochure.
Joe Cunningham began making quilts professionally in 1979, after a ten-year career as a musician in Michigan. His early mentors were steeped in the history and traditions of quilts, leading Cunningham to a life of study in quilt history and a love of traditional technique. Over the years his quilts have evolved into a unique, personal style. His quilts are in the permanent collections of museums, as well as in numerous private collections. Cunningham’s 12 books on quilts include the first biography of a living quiltmaker, the first book on men in quilts and essays for museum shows. His column for the national magazine The Quilt Life is called “Biased and Edgy.” He has been seen on the HGTV series Simply Quilts with Alex Anderson, the PBS series Sewing with Nancy and on The Quilt Show with Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims. He lectures on quilts nationwide and teaches regularly at conferences across the country.
If you ever hear that Joe Cunningham is going to be delivering a presentation near where you live, don’t miss out on it!