Thursday, March 17, 2011

AQS in Lancaster, Day 1

My feet are aching! I didn't want to sit down today.  That is always an indication of a good quilt show experience.  I had a class with Diane Hire this morning.  It was her free-form curve block.  I really love the look of her work and this was a chance to learn some of her techniques and hear about her color ideas. Her approach seems particularly well-suited to hand dyes and I have quite a stack at home that I don't really know what to do with.  And I'd love to make more!


I nearly finished one block in class, but of course, my vision is more ambitious.  I brought my machine with me because I remember wanting to have it last year so I was able to come back and finish that block and make two more and start the cutting and piecing for two additional.
I think I'd like to make 6 blocks altogether and add two borders.

Quilts at the Show
Here are some favorites:
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There is actually a sunflower quilt exhibition at the show and sunflowers are even more of a theme than usual.
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This is applique constructed and embellished with what I believe is a combination of free motion satin stitch and great use of all of the fancy, patterned stitches that come on machines these days.

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The fiber embellishments are abundant and add great texture. This was created by Karen Linduska and is titled Mexican Sunflowers.

 Japan
An unrelated and underlying topic of the show for me is the ongoing crises in Japan.  I, and many other quilters and lovers of fiber arts, have much admiration for Japanese quilts and fabric.  Several Japanese artists  have send quilts to the show and there are several vendors here who are Japanese or who travel back and forth regularly.  All of my hopes for the best possible outcomes for everyone affected by all of the things that are happening there now.

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Run! Run! Run! by Hiroko Miyama of Chofu City, Japan.

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Detail

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Quilt Show Escape

I am ensconced!  At the Convention Center in Lancaster, tucked up in a huge fluffy white bed, with my laptop, a cartoon on the TV, room service a phone call away and a fun quilting class tomorrow morning -- and another one the next day!  It isn't heaven but for a Wednesday in March in Pennsylvania it is as close as I can reasonably expect to get.

I haven't felt like blogging recently but I have done lots of things since I made friends with the Hummer (my 830) and got my sewing mojo back.  Maybe this will re-inspire me to live the examined creative life...