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!

"A Peek into the Quilter" at AQS QuiltWeek Lancaster 2017

The day began before dawn—a lovely sight for our drive.

It had been several years since I (Teri) had attended AQS QuiltWeek in Lancaster, PA. This year, I was able to make it, though only for a day—and I can assure you, it was a day jam-packed with beauty and inspiration!

I had been remiss in renewing my AQS membership, so that was my first stop. While I was filling out my card, I was chatting with the lady behind the counter, explaining that I write a blog and would be including photos of the show and wanted to be sure I was staying within the guidelines that I had read about on their website. She responded with a lovely surprise: I was given a Press Pass, as well as a personal tour through the entire exhibit with the Marketing Director, Katherine Rupp. I felt so official! As Katherine walked me through the exhibit—which spanned three floors—and pointed out various ribbon-winning quilts, I was struck by how difficult it must be to chose "winners" from amongst such a vast pool of talent. In my mind, they were all winners! She noted that the AQS was the largest membership quilting organization in the world, and the exhibit itself represented quilt work from countries across the globe. (In fact, among the ribbon-winning quilts, I counted nine winners from six foreign countries, as well as 13 American states.) While transitioning from one floor to the next, Katherine stated that at such a quilt exhibit, "there's a peek into the quilter of every quilt, and you can't help but be inspired." Wow, that really struck a chord with me! If you have read many of our blog posts, I'm sure you can guess why. I was so grateful for the time Katherine spent walking me through the show.

After the tour, I returned to the first floor to study the quilts at a slower pace. I found myself looking for that "peek into the quilter," wondering what she was thinking when she made her quilt. Was the quilt her story, or was the story of the quilt in the actual stitches she lovingly placed in the quilt? I pondered whether what I was seeing was her intended message, or one that the quilt placed in my own mind, making the quilt special, and in some way, unique to me. In a sense, I suppose that each quilt has the opportunity to "speak" individual stories to whoever sees it, as we all bring our own thoughts and experiences to the quilt before us. 

Enough of the philosophical mind-wanderings. We have quilts to see!

Best Hand Workmanship Award
  MY SWEET HOUSE WITH KIRARA, Ayako Kawakami; Funabashi, Chiba, Japan

Detail shots of  My Sweet House With Kirara, by Ayako Kawakami

I love everything about this masterpiece: the color, the skill, the town, the garden stitched in the blocks, and the combination of patchwork, appliqué, and embroidery. 

Best of Show Award
    AZTEC SUNSET, Linda Roy, Knoxville, TN

Detail of Aztec Sunset by Linda Roy

Stunning use of color, movement, and quilting!

Best Stationary Machine Workmanship Award
    COUNTRY ROADS, Joanne Baeth, Bonanza, OR

Detail of Country Roads by Joanne Baeth

Talk about a quilt with a story! 

Best Movable Machine Workmanship Award
    INTO THE WESTWARD SUN, Bethanne Nemesh, Allentown, PA

Kara and I saw Into the Westward Sun at the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival; it was no less impressive here! The quilting itself is full of stories. As I studied more of the exhibit, I was impressed by the variety of quilt styles on display, and quite pleased to see so much appliqué and embroidery! Here were a few of my favorites. (It really is just a sampling, though it seems like a lot; it's so hard to narrow it down!) 

Decadent Victorian Darlings, Hattie Williams; Boswell, PA

Detail of Decadent Victorian Darlings, Hattie Williams

The lovely lady above reminds me of the Colonial Ladies in the quilt my mother-in-law gave me—you can read about it by clicking here. And of course, the quilting lady, below, is a favorite! The fabulous quilting adds so much to this quilt.

Detail of Decadent Victorian Darlings, Hattie Williams

Flower Boxes, Christine Wickert; Penfield, NY

Detail of Flower Boxes by Christine Wickert

Red December, Gail H. Smith and Angela McCorkle; North Barrington, IL

Phebe, Christine Sudberry; Tampa, FL

Detail: center medallion of Phebe, by Christine Sudberry

Detail: Center medallion border of Phebe, by Christine Sudberry

Old Glory Under His Wings, Julee Prose; Ottumwa, IA

 Details of Old Glory Under His Wings, by Julee Prose

First Place: Hand Quilted Quilts
Baby Blues, Antonia Hering; Hoorn, Noord-Holland, Netherlands

Civil War Bride, Nechama Cox; Baltimore, MD

Detail of Civil War Bride, by Nechama Cox

Second Place: Hand Quilted Quilts
Crazy Birds, Donna Douglass; Apollo Beach, FL

Bouquets for a New Day, Karen Boe and Barb Simons; Langdon, ND

Hugs & Kisses, Kathryn Brigham; Colleyville, TX

Royal Garden, Eliane Bailey; Dallas, TX

Detail of Royal Garden, by Eliane Bailey

Ewe Are My Sunshine, Janet Stone; Overland Park, KS

Detail of Ewe Are My Sunshine, by Janet Stone

Iznik Garden, Tamsin Harvey and Angela Perry; Bowral, New South Wales, Australia

Detail of Iznik Garden, by Tamsin Harvey and Angela Perry

Victory, Colette Dumont; Saint-Romain, Quebec, Canada

Family Tree, Peggy Garwood; Crossville, TN

Blessings of God, Elaine Merritt; Highland, NY

This is but a taste of the inspiring quilts I saw on the first floor alone. It's probably not too difficult to make the observation that I am drawn to appliqué, and particularly, album-style quilts. To be honest, I didn't even realize that most of the photos I took were this genre, until I had them all posted and thought, "Well, I am consistent!" I guess we like what we like. 😀  There really WAS a great variety!

And I must have been missing Kara—I noticed that at least seven of the quilts I included here had "put a bird on it!" Did I miss any birds? (I'm quite certain there were many in the show I didn't photograph.)

One special exhibit on the first floor, The Gala of the Unexpected from The National Quilt Museum, included creative works of quilted art made of such unusual materials as duct tape or sugar packets. Not joking! Alas, photography was not permitted, so you'll have to reeeallllly use your imagination for those!

I wandered through about half of the vendors' booths before my stomach began screaming for food. I got my ring cleaned by Something New Jewelry Cleaner, bought some legs for my portable Cheryl Ann's Design Wall, and some Auriful 80wt cotton thread from Follow That Thread for my appliqué. 

There was so much left to see! I met "the sisters," and we had lunch—we needed to fortify ourselves for the afternoon: two more floors of quilts and the rest of the vendors. But enough for now. You'll have to wait to see what beauty lies upstairs! (Not to mention the laughter and fun I shared with my adopted sisters!) 

Stay tuned . . .

Our birthday bash winner is . . .

Many thanks to those who took the time to comment on our birthday blog. It meant a lot to us to hear from you about the posts you liked, and we were excited to read that some new readers found us. We're always thrilled when you share your thoughts with us.

Without further ado, the winner of the Marcia's Flowers pattern and kit is . . .

Eileen

Eileen's response: 

I've loved Colonial Williamsburg since my children were young. So much so that they probably will never go back!! Your first posts in 2015 about Christmas there and all the wreaths, crafts and people are my favorites. I have to admit, I only recently discovered your blog, but have gone back and read every post. You are both very talented writers. :)

Thank you, Eileen, for you kind words and encouragement! Here are links to the posts she mentioned:

A Colonial Christmas

Colonial Stitching in Williamsburg

Eileen, please contact us (click here to email us) before Saturday, April 8, to let us know which palette you prefer for you kit—warm or bright—and we will get your pattern and wool kit in the mail.

Hope you'll join us on Thursday, our regularly scheduled blog day, when we will visit QuiltWeek Lancaster. So many lovely quilts to see!! 'Til then . . . happy stitching!