Quilt Show

I hope everyone had a lovely Easter with family or however you celebrate. My family didn't get together this year, although my daughter did come home and we had a tasty roast beef crock pot meal on Saturday. Yesterday we drove her back to university town where she will stay to write her final exams in the next two weeks and then she's back home all summer. I'm really missing her more and more this year, so it'll be nice to have her home for a good long stretch in just a short time.

About a week ago, my sister and I attended a quilt show in Mississauga put on by the Etobicoke Quilters Guild. This is a really nice show, and a great place for inspiration. There was everything from old-fashioned 'granny' type quilts, to modern geometric dazzlers. I didn't take photos of all of the quilts, only the quilts that really caught my eye (but even then there were quite a few!!).

I really liked the subdued colours in this quilt with pops of red. Sampler quilts always make for a great display. The square in the bottom right was my favourite.

This next geometric quilt was one of my favourites. It reminded of an eclipse. The pattern was so effective even with the use of so much brown. I couldn't get back far enough to get the entire quilt in the shot (which happened a lot ... space was tight).

This next quilt had an old-fashioned pattern, but the colouring and placement made it look quite modern.

There were a few quilts that used batiks, and the effects were all stunning. I liked the slightly wonky skinny strips laid on top of the batik squares. It gave the whole quilt a softened hand-pieced effect.

There were some amazing appliqued quilts, and my hat goes off to the quilters' skill to achieve such delicate floral shapes.

Another appliqued quilt below. The fine details in this wall-sized quilt were amazing. There is so much work in the piecing.

Loved this quilted piece, which I think was a table runner. Just a stunning pattern and the colour choices made the pattern stand out perfectly.

You just can't go wrong with a nine-patch quilt! A great quilt that is simple, but colourful and cozy.

Another nine-patch with the same colourful appeal.

This next quilt was too high up on the wall to see the piecing clearly. The card for it said that the quilter used hand-painted fabrics. It looks just like a painting! I just wish it had been closer to see it better.

There were quite a few quilts that used black and white fabrics. Most of them I didn't like. One was in pink and black which just never looks good to me. This next one had a nice olive green for contrast, and I liked the way the green pieces seemed to float over top of a black and white background.

Another example using the black and white fabrics with contrasting red. 

Some of these photos don't do the quilts justice. Lighting was difficult as it came in through huge windows making a glare on some of the quilts. The next quilts had a nice layout, and when we looked closely, we could see just how much work went into it.

The next quilt is a bit of an optical illusion. The quilt was made with straight strips of fabric. The quilting stitches were stitched in a wavy pattern, and this makes the strips look wavy. A nice straightforward design with that interesting detail giving it a twist.

I really liked this next quilt, and stood admiring it for quite some time. The more I looked at it, the more I could see shadows of the triangles shifting and moving. It's a simple overall pattern, but the placement of the colours create the movement. I don't know if the triangles were placed randomly or in a definite pattern, but it looked great. The quilter said she made it after visiting the Rocky Mountains in the summer and knew she wanted to get the effect of the mountains and the pine trees into a quilt. I think she accomplished her goal :)

I liked the wonky squares in the next quilt ... and also the fact that it has feet!

There were cards beside all of the quilts giving a little insight into the making of the quilt. A lot of them were machine quilted, but some were quilted by hand. I once made a queen-sized quilt for my brother and his wife when they got married. It took me a long time to make it, but I had a few "quilting bees" and invited my family to help me quilt it by hand. There were lots of hands making that quilt. My mother, two sisters, my husband's mother and grandmother (who taught me a few tricks about quilting) and me. I had the quilt rolled onto an antique quilting frame that I found in my great-aunt's house. The quilt was a "bear paw" pattern since my brother had moved out to BC where there are grizzly bears. 

This next quilt has part of the same bear paw pattern in it, and a few more triangles then make up the maple leaf. I really liked how all the leaves are placed different ways, making them dance across the quilt!

The next quilt had a lot of movement and colour which I really liked.

 The quilting pattern was really detailed too.

Another quilt where the star squares seem to be floating on the background. Loved the bright, cheery colours in this one.

This was a very pink quilt, but the pink just didn't show up as well in the photo. I think there were retro fabrics used in this one if I recall correctly.

I didn't get a picture of this full quilt, but I did love the retro fabrics used in it. The pattern is "courthouse steps", and one that I've often thought of making. I spent many years as a legal litigation secretary in Toronto and many hours spent at the courthouses for my boss!

A lovely granny quilt. I think this pattern is "grandmother's garden"? A lot of work with the tiny hexagons.

Although this next photo was rather fuzzy, the quilt gave such an impact with the bright yellows and blues. Another beautiful sampler quilt.

The next two quilts were a couple of my favourites (together with the "eclipse" quilt at the beginning of this loooooong post). Loved the colours in this next quilt, and the simple, but effective pattern. I wish I had taken a close-up of the stitching.

And my favourite quilt of the whole show! I just love this pattern, and the brilliant colours make it stunning!

This last quilt was a lot of fun to look at. It's the pattern of "Sunbonnet Sue", but the quilter has used great imagination in Sunbonnet Sue's activities! My sister and I especially liked her scuba diving with her bonnet still in place ;)

Scuba diver in lower shot on right edge of quilt.

I hope you enjoyed the quilt show as much as I did! Maybe a few too many photos? Ah well, I couldn't stop at just one or two ;)

And here are a few photos of the Easter treats for my two kids ... I don't think you're ever too old to receive a few chocolate treats and a little bunny (click here for the pattern) handmade by your mom, do you?

Thanks for stopping by today!

Wendy