Paducah 2017--NOT Losers

Paducah is one of those quilt shows where you are a winner just by being juried into the show. I tend to take pictures of quilts that didn't win awards at the show. I figure everyone will see all the winners numerous times in magazines and at other shows. There were LOTS of quilts that did not win awards that I thought were fabulous. If you have been to the show at Paducah, you will know that getting good pictures is VERY difficult because of the angle at which some of the quilts are hung. I apologize up for that up front. Also, if the tag is visible in the picture it includes the name of the quilt, the maker, and the city and state in which the maker lives. You can enlarge the pics to see any of those more closely. Generally, the full quilt is pictured on the left; the detail picture is on the right.

The machine quilting on this quilt is fabulous (as you can see). It makes this relatively simple quilt spectacular. The same is true of the next couple of quilts.

In this last picture, all the circles and flowers you see are quilted--the colored quilting makes the design in the background.

The circular quilting designs in this quilt definitely enhance the piecing.

The top left picture is of the full quilt. The other two sections are detail shots of the quilting. Although the quilting is spectacular, it really doesn't change the look of the quilt itself.

I really liked this quilt. I think the orange dots drew me in. (Orange is my favorite color you know.)

I'm a cat lover, so this quilt was definitely one of my favorites. The thread work on the cat made it look like you could pet it. The fur looked SO real; I could almost hear him/her purr.

I liked the unusual colors and geometric nature of this quilt.

I really liked the vibrant colors of this quilt.

I LOVE this saying, "Art does not have to match your sofa!" Many traditional quilters (and others) don't understand the concept that art doesn't HAVE to match ANYTHING. I have actually had more than one person say (about a piece of art I had made), "That doesn't go with the colors in your house. What are you going to do with it?" I think I replied with something like, "Well, I doubt if Picasso worried about whether his art matched his sofa!" (Insert smiley face here.)

 

   

Show & Tell--Paducah Spring 2017

One of the things I look forward to the most when my friends and I attend a quilt show is the "show & tell" after we get back to the hotel. We "show & tell" all our purchases with each other. It is always fun to see what different things we have found. I'm amazed by the things my friends purchased that I didn't even see. How did I miss them? Usually, we have to go back to the show the next day to pick up some of those things we missed. This year I didn't buy much. I really didn't buy anything I'm excited about. Part of the problem is that "I have it all." Well, not really; but if you'd look at my studio, you might think I do. I bought things I needed for my sit-down long-arm machine and a few other things.

I know, this is kind of sad for a "show & tell" isn't it. Let me tell you about what I bought. 

• Beginning from the left-hand side, you'll see a "buggy" fat quarter. I thought I might be able to use that for some interesting fussy-cut hexies. 
• Above that are some "silk cloud minis"--silk waste yarn--that I will use for my extreme embroidery pieces. 
• On top you can see a Quilt Pounce containing pounce powder that irons off. I'm planning on using it with stencils I have purchased to mark quilting designs on my quilts. It doesn't come off until it comes into contact with heat. 
• As I said, I bought a few things for my sit-down long-arm sewing machine--oil, a bottle with a really sharp applicator for oil, needles, and bobbins. 
• I got some REALLY cute tiny scissors. The little lime green pair you see at the top has an attached blade cover which is so nice. I already have a yellow pair just like this and LOVE them (and they are REALLY inexpensive). You can never have too many scissors! If you know me, you know I love orange. I couldn't resist the little orange-handled scissors you see. 
• Last, I bought some back issues of Simply Moderne magazine. I think that is my very favorite magazine. It is expensive, but I think it is worth it.

Wouldn't you know, as soon as I took the above picture, I emptied another bag and found yet another purchase.

This is a small rotating cutting mat recommended by Sue Daley. She has several hexie tutorials on line and uses this mat when she is rotary cutting the pieces for her blocks. I just purchased a new hexagon book and am going to give this mat a try. I did make a purchase I'm excited about from Massdrop. I ordered the entire set of acrylic templates and paper pieces for The New Hexagon book by Katja Marek. (It hasn't come in yet but is on its way; otherwise I would have shown you a pic.) I want to try my hand at fussy cutting the fabric for the blocks in the book. Now I'm thinking I want to order the "add-on" acrylic templates and paper pieces to do The New Hexagon Millefiore Quilt Along Katja is running on her site. If you might be interested in this too, go to the Massdrop link here. Once you get to the "Inactive Drop" page, click on the "Requested" button" to show your interest in a "drop" for those products. Clicking DOES NOT commit you to buying; it just shows that you are interested. If there is enough interest (i.e. enough requests), Massdrop will create a "drop" for the products and let you know when the "drop" for the requested products occur. Once you see the price, you can then decide if you are interested or not. The more people that are interested, the more likely they will have a "drop" for those products.  If you can't tell, I LOVE EPP (English Paper Piecing). What about you?