NQA - Columbus

Last Saturday I tagged along with Kay, Pat and Sherrie to the quilt show in Columbus. We got an early start and were there in line waiting for the doors to open at 9am. A benefit of going on the last day of a show is that there are no lines; and when you are first in line, the convocation hall seems like its all yours! I was able to speak to many vendors who weren't all tied up with crowds and inventory control.

I learned that they have a huge problem with theft at these shows. Can you imagine?? Quilters? I was mortified to learn that there would be such an element amongst us! Rather disheartening, actually.

Well, I will show you the pics of some of my favorite quilts in the show. I have to warn you that a couple of these pictures are quite blurry, but I am using them anyway because I liked the quilts that much.


"Once Upon A Time" by Sharon Schamber. This won lots of ribbons, including best of show.
It is hand-appliqued and embroidered. The note says it was begun 12 years prior to the finish
 - a fancy way of saying she had a UFO, if you ask me!

"Baskets of Blessings" by Gail H. Smith. This, too, won several ribbons.
Don't these colors just look so calming and inviting? Love it.

"Northern Lights" by Ricky Tims. Back in 2007, a group of us went to Tennessee for a seminar that Ricky did with Alex Anderson and Libby Lehman. It was fantastic! I met Ricky and Alex - fun, and fun-loving people. It was wonderful to read his entry card. He says he doesn't often make quilts with traditional blocks, but he really enjoyed this process on this quilt.

"Wheels and Gears" by Linda McGibbon. I was drawn to this because it reminds me of a mosaic
 floor design that you would see in an ancient Italian church. Upon reading the notecard,
 I find that the quilter was interested in using a circular "square-in-a-square"
 - which wouldn't be square anymore, now would it?

"Perseverance" by Linda Neal. She says in her notes that there are 10,509 half-inch hexagons
in this quilt, of which over 5000 are white! This is entirely hand-pieced, which results in her
very appropriate name - perseverance!

"Desert Flower" by Shirley A. Jenkins. The quilter inherited what she calls yo-yos (I'd call them circles), added in more of her own, and made this with a combination of hand-applique and embroidery. It drew my attention because of the blue background - it reminds me of the dozens of blue quilts that my grandmother has made over the years.

"Labor of Love" by Susan Skolnick. This is entirely hand-appliqued.
I am drawn to the more contemporary fabrics.
 

"Love Letters," by Marianne Weiss. This was a block of the month project
at her local quilt shop. I liked both the colors and the interesting borders. I have
never done a block of the month, but this sure makes it look like fun.



"Moody Blues," by Jean Near. She has used just 2 blocks in predominantly 2 colors.
There is enough variation in both the blues and the neutrals, however, that the quilt has a lot of interest.

"Twinkling Stars," by Emmy Moore. The many triangles used to make
these stars appealed to me. In reading her note, she points out that the
background is a variety of white-on-whites. Interesting.

My friend Monica Walter made this quilt, called "King's Puzzle."
She says on her card that this 2-color quilt was chain pieced and consists of 16 blocks.
 

Another friend (more of an acquaintance, since I've only sewn with her
once at Mary's Barn) made this sampler quilt. Colleen Lim is the quilter,
and she calls this "Civil War 150th Commemorative Quilt." It consists of 54
blocks, each depicting an actual historic event of the Civil War.
 

 Well, that wraps up the highlights of the quilt show as far as pictures are concerned. I feel compelled to mention that there was a rather cool sub-category of quilts in this show called "Power Suits." Quilters were encouraged to make a small quilt depicting their interpretation of that theme. There were so many diverse quilts, from the man's business suit to Wonder Woman's costume to the nun's habit. It was really fun to see how each individual interpreted that theme. One even depicted a hand of bridge - with the power suit in clubs and hearts! Another used the electric company man's suit - get it?

 

Happy Quilting, Friends!