Fleurs & Blumen: 2018 Academy Classes

Do you have a passion for appliqué, or perhaps embroidery? Do you enjoy creating lovely pieces of handwork with fibers and fabric? Have you wished there were a place where you could sit and stitch with others who share your love of hand-stitching, forming a bond with "sisters" from around the world? (Indeed, there are a number of attendants each year from around the U.S., Canada, Ireland, even Australia!) And finally, when you get to the end of a long winter, don't you feel like you could really benefit from a bit of "me" time? Well, this is your opportunity! 

Kara and I (Teri) were delighted when Barbara Blanton, proprietress of the Academy of Appliqué in Williamsburg, Virginia, invited us to return in 2018 to teach. Our creative sides kicked in immediately to determine what we would be stitching in our classes. We both were inspired by vintage/antique pieces, and flowers are always part of the mix. Take a closer look and see what we will be creating. We'd love to meet you!

Oiseau et Panier (Bird and Basket)

Class: February 26-28, 2018

Some time ago, Kara purchased this panel from someone on eBay. She wasn't sure of the age of the block, but the seller indicated that she had sourced it from France, and it clearly had some age to it. We are hoping to dig up some more information about the history of the piece, but that will be a future blog post. Kara began to design a block pattern based on the birds and basket, and we searched for just the right materials. That is always one of the most enjoyable parts of the process for us. Kara always loves to put on bird on things, so you can see why she'd be drawn to this design; she opted for one bird, however, rather than two.

Let's explore some of the details.

L'Oiseau (The Bird)

The sweet bird has a rather coy look, don't you think?
The embroidered accents add much to the bird's body,...

...as well as some frilly tail feathers! 

Le Panier (The Basket)

The basket has a bit of woven dimension.

Lace and pearl blooms at the basket's base

Les Fleurs (The Flowers)

Hand-dyed silk creates this lovely bloom,...

...as well as this elegant rose.

Gathered velvet posies

A fussy-cut fabric flower

A wired-ribbon rose

Some dainty blossoms

Rosebuds

This class will be held from Monday through Wednesday, February 26–28, 2018. Registration opens on Labor Day.

What's the Story?

Yesterday, we looked at the design elements of this antique quilt and puzzled over its story: why would anyone cut a quilt that was so lovingly hand-stitched into two pieces? The answer will likely remain a mystery, but it does give us the opportunity to stretch our imaginations. I (Teri) hope that you pondered this after reading yesterday's post, Vintage Flower Baskets, and have some thoughts about what this quilt's story might be.

The stories that Kara and I imagined were quite different. Which seems more likely to you? Or do you have a story that is more plausible?

Kara's version is reminiscent of the wisdom of King Solomon, who judged a case of two women who fought over a child. Her story features two sisters who constantly argued over who would get the quilt their mother had made. Their bickering was endless, and while their mother was pleased that they both liked the quilt so much, she threatened that if their fighting did not cease, she would cut the quilt in half, so they would each have part of it. The quarreling continued, and their mother kept her word. 

My rendition is uncharacteristically schmaltzy. I also include two sisters in my cast of characters, but I envision a grandmother who promised her granddaughters that she would make them each a quilt. Before she could make the second, however, she became ill and died. The sisters, who had a close relationship, shared the quilt, and both were comforted by the memories of their grandmother that it provided. Time passed, and one of the sisters got married and found out that her husband's job was going to move them to a far away land. The sisters were saddened to be separated, but as a pledge to remember each other until they would meet again, they split the quilt in half and bound the rough edges. One half of the quilt  traveled to Germany, and the other stayed in the US.

As I write this, Kara is spending her last night in Maryland, before she and her husband leave for their stint in Germany. As you read this, they are getting acclimated to their new home away from homeland. The plan was to send one half of this quilt to Germany with Kara and keep the other half with me. Because we are also in the midst of a move, it got put in storage. By the time I searched and found it, we only had time to get a photo with it. After their week of packing and shipping, there was no way I was giving it to them for their luggage—that weight limit is stressful. I suppose I will have to ship it across the Atlantic, so that my story can come true. Obviously, the quilt pieces were reunited, as I bought them as a unit, so you can infer the endings of our stories.

Now it's your turn! 

Why do YOU think this quilt was cut in half? Why would someone do that?!  And how were the two halves reunited? We would love to hear your thoughts. Neither of us addressed the difference in the staining on one half, which could be an interesting element in your tale.

To share your story, leave a comment below. If you are reading this in email, click HERE to go to the blog and leave your story in the comments. 

As an incentive to share your story, we are offering a chance to win four (4) cards of beautiful Sampler Threads by The Gentle Art to everyone who leaves a comment with a story about why someone might cut a quilt in half. Use your imagination and have fun! We can't wait to hear your versions!

All comments must be received by midnight on Sunday, June 11, 2017, to be entered into the drawing for the threads. The winner will be chosen randomly and announced next week. Good luck! 

Bon voyage, Kara! Can't wait to hear your tales of the quilt's adventures in Deutschland.
I miss you already!!

AQS QuiltWeek Lancaster: The Rest of the Story

In the last post, "A Peek Into the Quilter" at AQS QuiltWeek Lancaster, we spent the morning on the first floor of the quilt exhibit. I (Teri) had noted that I was impressed by the variety of styles of quilts, but then almost every quilt I'd photographed from that floor was an appliquéd quilt. Well, I'm about to prove my statement true: on the next two floors, there indeed were many techniques demonstrated—and I even have pictures!

Best Wall Quilt Award
STICK WITH ME KID, Jan Berg-Rezmer; Gladwin, MI

Best Original Design Award
MOONFLOWER, Molly Y. Hamilton-McNally; Tehachapi, CA

Detail of Moonflower, by Molly Y. Hamilton-McNally

I love how the quilting mimics the flowers in the quilt!

Best Use of Color Award
GARDEN PARTY #2, Caryl Bryer Fallert-Gentry; Port Townsend, WA

First Place: Wall Quilts – Stationary Machine Quilted
THE VENETIAN, Jan Soules; Elk Grove, CA 

Annabelle's Wedding Feast, Kathleen Roundtree; Castro Valley, CA

I am in awe of this exquisite machine quilting!

Fever Dream, Amy Pabst; Le Roy, WV

Detail of Fever Dream, by Amy Pabst

From a distance, I just saw three large white circles on a red background, but there is so much skill involved in these tiny log cabin blocks. The fabric choices give such richness to the overall quilt. 

I can't imagine the patience it required!

First Place: Wall Quilts – Movable Machine Quilted
IT’S NOT EASY BEING GREEN 5, Simone de Haan, Beverwijk, Noord-Holland, Netherlands

More circles! 

Celtic Fox, Kathy McNeil; Tulalip, WA

Detail of Celtic Fox, by Kathy McNeil

I had to take a close-up of this owl for Kara. Doesn't it almost look real?

I...Reflection of Life, Olga Gonzalez-Angulo; Sant Feliu de Guixols, Spain

My mind raced with stories about this one, wondering what that young man was pondering as he looked at his reflection.

An Early Spring Day, Noriko Endo; Tokyo, Japan

Details of An Early Spring Day, Noriko Endo

At first glance, we thought perhaps this effect was achieved by fabric painting (the bird was), but upon closer scrutiny, we could see that she had used tiny scraps of fabric secured under a piece of tulle that was then machine quilted. What an interesting technique!

Otaru Winter, Cynthia L. Vogt; Kennewick, WA

Details of Otaru Winter, by Cynthia L. Vogt

As was the case with Fever Dream, this one had little appeal for me at first. It was interesting, but it wasn't sparking any stories in my mind—until I saw it close-up. And then, I was intrigued. I could almost feel the cold of the bleak winter; and yet, I could see the depth and richness of the snow's beauty in the silk log cabin blocks. The workmanship of this piece of fabric art was amazing.

Second Place: Wall Quilts – Movable Machine Quilted
Tuscany Village, Claudia Scheja; Werne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

Detail of Tuscany Village, by Claudia Scheja

What incredible quilting!

The next quilt had to be shot from three different angles. Magical Toys, made by Flora Joy of Johnson City, TN, won third place in the category Wall Quilts – Stationary Machine Quilted. The artist uses a fascinating technique of pleating her pictorial fabric so that a different image is seen from different angles. In each corner of the frame, there is an embroidered challenge. One read: "Un-Zip this challenge: If all three of these critters lived in your house, tell what a day in your life might be like." Oh, so many stories are stitched into this quilt!

 Magical Toys, Flora Joy; from the left 

Magical Toys, Flora Joy; from the center

Magical Toys, Flora Joy; from the right

Cabin Fever, Patti Sandage; Middleton, TN

My friend, Barb, told me this one reminded her of my quilt Turning to Him. Mine was not nearly this elaborate, but we did both use twisted log cabin blocks. (To see my quilt, click here.)

First Place: Wall Quilts – Landscape
SUMMER SOLSTICE, Leah Gravells, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada 

Details of Summer Solstice, made by Leah Gravells

A masterful use of fabric and color; what tiny, skinny strips of batiks stitched together to create this longest day of the year. And it's a quilt about my birthday! 😃

Drawing Nigh, Betty Jo Tatum; Ashburn, VA

Details of Drawing Nigh, Betty Jo Tatum.

No shortage of stories stirred in my imagination by this quilt!

First Place: Wall Quilts – 1st Entry in an AQS Lancaster Quilt Contest
MY LITTLE ENCHANTED COMPASS, Cristina Arcenegui Bono, Alcalá de Guadaíra, Sevilla, Spain

I can conjure images of many an adventure in this enchanted forest!

Magic Carpet Ride, Cathy Bingham; Knoxville, TN

More adventures!

Detail of Magic Carpet Ride, by Cathy Bingham

Rain Forest Fantasy, by Rina Galant

Kara missed a lot of birds in Lancaster!

Love My Flowers, Sandra Mellinger; Prairieville, LA

~Special Exhibits~

 

Cherrywood Challenge 2016: The Lion King

First Place: The Rising Son, Jill Cranford; Ottowa, IL

Second Place: Who Rules, Pat Hilderbrand; Columbia, MO

Third Place: Zazu's Report,  Sheila Riess; Ellicott City, MD

Shadowlands, Karen McGregor; Brunswick, Australia

Detail: Shadowlands, by Karen McGregor

The storytelling in this quilt is chilling. This one was my pick for Viewer's Choice in this exhibit.

   

Left: Mufasa, Devon Pfeif; Marietta, GA

Right: Rafiki – The Great Mystic, Deb Berkebile; Conneaut, OH

Left: Fifteen Warthogs, Marilyn Smith; Columbia, MO

Right: Detail of embroidered warthogs

The Journey of Life, Anita Whichello; Baxter, MN

Focus and Fiber: Quilts by Melissa Sobotka

             

Venetian Menagerie, Melissa Sobotka, 2011; Detail above

La Rocca, Melissa Sobotka, 2009

SAQA: Made in Europe

Castelliccio—The Ghost Town, D. Arnoldi & M. Sarzi-Sartori; Italy

Detail of Castelliccio—The Ghost Town, by D. Arnoldi & M. Sarzi-Sartori

Black Sun, Karin Østergaard, Denmark

AQS Authors Showcase

Frame of Mind, featured in Trispective: The 3-n-1 Quilt, Flora Joy

Jane Sassaman's FreeSpirit Designs

We had just enough time to visit the remaining vendors. I purchased Karen Kay Buckley's Perfect Adjustable Square™ and some Rustic Wool Moire thread, and then we searched for some reproduction fabric. Barb was looking for border fabric to go with a Seven Sisters top that she hand-pieced (in honor of the seven sisters in her family.) She bought the pattern and fabric in 2010, on our first trip together to Quilt Festival in Houston; she said it was only fitting that I help her find the border fabric. Unfortunately, we only had this photo from a text she'd sent me as she was assembling the quilt top. 

Yoko M. of Lancaster Traditional, above, was a great help to us, as we dug through her piles of beautifully assembled packages of coordinating reproduction fabrics. I wanted to get some of everything, but realized that purchasing large quantities of fabric that I would have to go home and pack for our move might not make sense. I did, however, find a print that I think might work to stitch a flower in a block we are creating based on one we saw in a Baltimore Album Quilt that we viewed at Lovely Lane. And we found a stunning border for Barb's quilt. I convinced her to buy it (I love spending other people's money!) and promised that if it didn't work, I'd buy it from her. Well, it looks like I won't get to take it off her hands; she loved the border and is making plans to do some broderie perse and appliqué some of the flowers from the extra border into the quilt top. Yay, Barb!

We closed the show, with two sewing machine purchases amongst the seven of us. One of the sisters had to buy a sewing/embroidery machine when she found out that her niece would be able to get a free machine. What a great aunt! (I hear that her niece has been busy sewing all week!)

We had seven women, including a teenager, in two adjoining rooms, and we spent the evening celebrating a birthday. The "birthday girl," bedecked in a plastic tiara, led a rousing game of none other than Pin the Tail on the Donkey, which none of us (except the teen) had played in about 40 or 50 years. We laughed until we cried. What a gift it is to have been adopted as a "sister" into such a loving family of sisters! 

    

The next day, we hit the outlets for a short shopping trip before heading home. Quilts, laughing, games, shopping, sisters—all in all, a PERFECT weekend!