Monday, April 06, 2015

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






28 comments:

  1. The bunnies are so cute. I love quilts, but they require so much more floor space (to make) than I can spare. I've been thinking of making some "quilts" that are really duvet covers. All the look of a quilt but slips over our duvets (easier to wash too). I really love that Sunbonnet Sue one. I've saved pieces of every dress I've made Ella and want to make a 'Sue" quilt.

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  2. The quilts are stunning! I really like the eclipse one too.

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  3. Love those sweet knitted bunnies, Wendy! And your favorite quilt of the show is also my favorite, with the Eclipse one being a close second, though I would have liked it better in blues or reds, I think. How fun to attend the quilt show. They are all really stunning.

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  4. Hi Wendy. Never in my life have I seen so many gorgeous quilts in one spot! That's some real "eye candy"!! So glad your daughter can spend the summer with you. Wish mine could do that. But alas, she and her husband and two little girls live in Alaska. Sigh....

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  5. WOW! The quilts are an art form aren't they? WOW again!
    Jane x

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  6. Oh the work that must have gone into those stunning quilts! Must have been an amazing show to visit. I particularly love the appliqued one. Your knitted rabbits are so cute-no the children are never too old to have Easter bunnies and eggs!
    Best wishes
    Alison xx

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  7. Glorious quilts! What a lot of work has gone in to those. I love your easter bunnies :o)

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  8. What beautiful selection of quilts, I love the applique ones specially. And, your bunny treats are adorable !

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  9. Hi Wendy,
    I really like the knitted bunnies you made! The quilt show looks like it was fun and so many beautiful creations! Hope you have a nice week.
    Julie xo

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  10. I thought I had found a favorite...I LOVE courthouse steps! But then I got to Sunbonnet Sue and fell in love with this one! What imagination and nice bold colors. Love your sweet little bunnies too! You are so talented my friend. Enjoy your week and thanks for visiting me today too! Sweet hugs, Diane

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  11. Your Easter table is so cute!!! I love the bunnies - knitted and chocolate! The quilts from the show are fantastic aren't they!!! So amazing. The nine patch - the one above the one with the flowers - is my favourite, just hearing nine patch always makes me thing of Little House on the Prairie! Glad you had a good time, and thank you for taking us along! xx

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  12. Wow, so many beautiful quilts.. It is hard to pick a favorite, I loved them all. And your Easter treats turned out wonderfully.. They are so cute. . Have a happy week ahead!

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  13. What adorable Easter treats with those handmade bunnies starring! And the quilts! Thanks for sharing these wonderful pieces of art! Lots of quilters among my forebears. I would like to take up quilting, but I'm always starved for time. We'll see! Have a good one!

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  14. Some very interesting quilts there!

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  15. These quilts are amazing, I can't even pick a favorite, so I'm going with your sweet Easter treats :-)
    Amalia
    xo

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  16. Thank you for this lovely meander through the quilt gallery, all in the comfort of my chair together with a cup of tea! They are all so different and in their own unique way, lovely. My, the applique quilt is a beauty and the Sunbonnet Sue is so much fun. Oh I agree....one is never too old to receive an chocolate treat or two in a lovely hand knitted bunny! A lovely, 'feast for the eyes' post, Wendy

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  17. Hi Wendy, I love seeing all the beautiful quilts! My favorites are the applique quilts and the Grandmother's garden quilt. I just love the styles and fabrics of the 30's. I have never made a full sized quilt, although I have made some mini-quilts for pillows. I am going to try my hand at making a simple patchwork one for my upcoming grandchild out of 'Grandfather's shirts'. Wish me luck! Love the hand knitted Easter bunnies.There's nothing like hand-made love from Mom! xo Karen

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  18. Oh WOW! There are some absolutely amazing quilts there! Not too many photos, thank-you for sharing all of this special work with us :-)

    Hope you had a lovely Easter,
    Sarah x

    PS those bunnies are too cute!

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  19. Wow, those quilts are amazing. It's been a long time since I had the chance to go to a quilt show, so I appreciate seeing your photos. I think it's wonderful that you speak so highly of your daughter and talk about missing her when she's away; some parents of older kids seem happy to see them go and it's nice to read your kinder words. :) I hope you're having a good week.

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  20. Fantastic quilts Wendy I love going to a quilt show I'm always fascinated by things I can't do and in awe of anyone who can. I love sunbonnet Sue, I embroidered a picture in long and short stitch of her for my daughter when she was small it's still on the wall of our abandoned flat in Syria. :) xx

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  21. There are some talented quilters around and it was nice of your to share these from the show. Your little knitted bunnies are cute. I did the same as you - roast beef in the crock pot for our Sunday Easter dinner, very easy and tasty.

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  22. such beautiful quilts! they are all amazing

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    Replies
    1. I wanted to mention Sunbonnet Sue and Sam quilt and the leaves were my most favorites

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    2. The quilts you've shown us are fantastic. Thank you for taking us on a virtual tour. I quilt and always enjoy a quilt show even if it?s online !

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  23. Such beautiful quilts. Thank you so much for taking the photos and sharing them here. The bunny treats are adorable, Wendy! It's very wonderful of you to make them for your kids. I can already tell that you and your daughter are going to have a fantastic summer together :)

    -Soma

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  24. OH! In seeing displays like his I am reminded how much learning I still have on my journey to becoming a real "Quilter." I am still at the "squares and "Triangles" phase of creating quilt tops, but maybe if I keep practising, I'll be able to create some beauties like these! Thanks for sharing!

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  25. Hi Wendy, My late mom and I always loved quilts/quilt shows. Thanks for sharing all these masterpieces. The sweetest quilt I've seen belongs to a 92 yr old lady who lives in a nursing home - she was our neighbor when I was a kid. Her mom used scraps from her childhood dresses to make a Sunbonnet Sue quilt!

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  26. Wow! Such amazing quilts. I haven't done any quilting in years, but I can still appreciate the work and artistry that went into some of these lovely quilts.

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Thanks so much for leaving a comment, it's nice to know when you've stopped by! :)

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