Scenes from the IQS...

I spent Friday at the International Quilt Show at the Rosemont Convention Center out by O'Hare Airport. It's no secret I've been looking forward to this show for months -- mostly because it was going to be the end of Kate's Fabric Embargo (which, technically, it wasn't, but oh well), but also because it's the one time all year I can remind myself that I'm not the only goofy quilt-crazy person out there. The place was packed as soon as it opened at 10am, and didn't thin out until well after 4pm.

Hundreds of booths, thousands of quilters, millions of fat quarters...eight hours later I emerged, a little poorer (I'll get to my purchases later), somewhat overwhelmed, and totally inspired.

Quilts from Heritage Designs (Amana, IA)

Quilt from Embellishment Village

Quilts from Superior Threads (St. George, UT)

Quilts from Superior Threads (St. George, UT)

There was more fabric...

And thread...

And buttons...

And books than you'd ever be able to use in a lifetime.

I assured this woman she wasn't in the shot. Whoops!

The juried exhibits are, in a word, spectacular. There were hundreds of quilts in the competition, it was hard to choose which ones to show here.

And in compliance with the show rules, I've posted the following pictures with full credits.

There were traditional quilts...

"Triple Four Patch" by Susie Andersen (Cos Cob, CT)

"Paisley Peacock" by Faith Wescom (Lebanon, MS)

Contemporary quilts...

"Overcrowded World" by Irene MacWilliam (Dunmurry Belfast, Northern Ireland)

And everything in between. The craftsmanship on all of them was extraordinary.

"Forest Floor" by Janet Bednarczyk (North Vancouver, BC)

"Leaf Motif" by Laura Wasilowski (Elgin, IL)

"Twist & Shout" by Diane Simancek (Bellaire, MI)

"Construction: Concrete and Stone" by Deborah Boschert (Lewisville, TX)

"Postcard from Ketchican" by Linda Beach (Chugiak, AK)

"A Year Under the Aspens" by David Taylor (Steamboat Springs, CO)

"A Year Under the Aspens" detail (leaves were loose, stitched down under tulle)

"Zodiac" by Martha Brown (Pickering, ON)

"Zodiac" detail

This was one of my favorites. Kathy York knocked my socks off with "Little Cities" a couple of years ago, and didn't disappoint with this one. It's overdyed and very closely quilted. Satin stitching separates the color fields.

"Winter to Spring" by Kathy York (Austin, TX)

"Winter to Spring" detail

And as inspirational as all these pieces were, they were also a very humbling. As one woman said after walking through the exhibit, "I'm such a failure! This just makes me want to go home and throw all my quilting supplies away! There's no way I could do anything like these!"

I couldn't agree with her. I just kept thinking maybe, just maybe.

Someday.

ADDED 4/23: The Quilt Show blog has a link to a little IQS slideshow. Check it out!

Easter observations...

1. Six days without Internet access can make you crazy. So can six days of living with elderly parents who don't hear very well:

Me: "Are you ready?"
Mom: "You want spaghetti? Now? We just ate!"

2. Easter finery was not meant to be worn with a winter coat.

3. It seems to me that if one were invited to sing at the Detroit Tigers' Opening Day that one would know a) how the song goes and b) how to sing. Kid Rock did neither. I understand the need to represent your roots, but dude, come on! How can you not know "Take Me Out To The Ball Game"????

4. Fabric abstinence only goes so far when confronted with little bundles of extreme happiness.

3.5" of Easter-y cheer! Adorable 4.5" basket handmade by Mom.

I don't even remember when I stopped buying fabric. November, maybe? Anyway, I lasted a week short of my goal (the IQS this weekend) and would have held out, but these little fat eighths wouldn't let me leave the store without them. They were way too cute to resist!

Happy Spring!

Weather be damned -- inside, it feels like spring!


Happy holidays, all!

Eating crow...

Well, that's what I get for letting my Michigan Sports Bravado get the best of me. I should know better!

That game that was so painful to watch that more than once I paused it, flipped over to watch "Medium," then came back and fast-forwarded through the carnage to catch up. There were so many turnovers it smelled like someone was baking in my kitchen!

Thanks to all who jumped on the Big Green Bus with me. There's always next year -- or, better yet, maybe next year the bus will be Maize and Blue?

I can dream, can't I?

Send me your address, John, and I'll put your fat quarters in the mail. Congratulations!

Quilting smackdown...

QuiltDad's most recent post engendered an oddly defensive reaction in me today.

I'm not a diehard college basketball fan, but I love the buzz the NCAA Tournament creates. And while my blood runs forever Maize and Blue, my Wolverines have been experiencing somewhat of a drought in the athletic arena as of late (I know I know, that's an understatement) -- so I feel compelled to rise to the defense of that other home state powerhouse.

As a result, there are four fat quarters riding on Monday night's game. The gauntlet has been thrown.

Spartans, don't let me down!

I really don't need another hobby...

Before I got laid off, I used to work late hours that (mercifully) prevented me from shopping all the cute little boutiques in my neighborhood. By the time I got home they'd all be closed, and I'd pick up my takeout from the sushi bar at the corner that knows my voice and my order and has it ready when I walk in the door (gotta love that, it's like "Cheers" with fish), and make my way home to collapse on the sofa with my TiVo.

But now that I'm home during the day I've taken to exploring the neighborhood, and discovered a bead store just around the corner where the fortune teller used to be. And all I can say is "oh, crap."

Yes, they're hanging from my Christmas reindeer. Still hasn't
made it to the basement, but came in handy for this shot!

The place sucked me in like a star into a black hole (I might have red-shifted a bit) -- I was powerless. In my defense, I already had the tools (wire, pliers, etc.) from a project I did ten years ago for Christmas gifts. So picking up some head pins and a few little stones and charms was only logical, right? Right?

Goose bumps...

I have a love/hate relationship with paper piecing, freezer paper or otherwise. Give me strip sets and a rotary cutter or an improv project and I'm sewing and slashing away, cranking out blocks at an astonishing rate (for me, anyway).

This is the same reason I've always liked biking over running: you get to your destination faster.

Paper piecing just requires more time. And patience. And sewing in straight lines, which my Singer seems to be having a problem doing. Or maybe it's me.

Another gratuitous cat photo, in which Archie displays a love of fabrics that make him look even whiter.

At any rate, after much sewing and picking and resewing and ironing, the first six blocks are done. They are testing my patience, but they're so adorable they're worth it. They feel like Easter to me, all those pinks and oranges and purples and yellows. Maybe I'm trying to rush Spring? It seems like it could use a little help!

On to the next two blocks -- only 37 to go!

And only 6-11 working days until I get my Bernina back! Can you tell I miss it?