There were just too many amazing quilts at the show in Hershey to share them all in the last blog. So, here are some more of my favorite quilts.
This first quilt for this blog is called “Natural Wonders” and was made by Kathy McNeil from Washington. Doesn’t it feel like you could walk through this stone arch? Kathy made excellent selections on her fabric to obtain the depth perspective. After being close to the area where Kathy lives recently I can understand why she would make landscape quilts…there is so much beauty along the coast. You can find more about Kathy at http://www.kathymcneilquilts.com/ Kathy’s quilt won Best Pictorial quilt.
This next quilt was hand appliqued and quilted on a longarm machine. It received an honorable mention. The quilt was made by Barbara Burnham and Marty Vint. The name of the quilt is M.E.C. Remembered.
Anyone of you who has made a Baltimore Album style quilt knows how much work it took to applique all these blocks. And even if you have never made a Baltimore Album quilt you can appreciate all the time and love that went into this quilt.
One of the categories that I am so happy to see at this show is one strictly for “youth”. You have to be between 12 and 17 years of age to enter this category. The winner of this category this year was Michaela Murphy from Mifflinburg, PA. The name of her quilt is “Joseph’s Coat of Many Colors” and Michaela started this piece in a class last year with Marilyn Doheny. Good job Michaela. I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of her quilts.
I come to find out that another of my favorite quilts was made by a friend of mine, Nancy Simmons. Nancy took a class with Betty Neff on this compass pattern and then made “My Muncy Compass”. I love the antique feel of this quilt.
This next quilt is called “Star Berries” and it won Best Longarm quilt. It was made by Gail Stephanek and Ronda K. Beyer. I love the colors, the different borders, the different background fabrics and the workmanship. It all adds up to one great quilt.
“The Loading Dock” is simply amazing. It won Best Quilting on a Domestic Machine. This quilt is 87″ x 86″ and to think that it was so well quilted on a home sewing machine is impressive. The quilt design is impressive as well. The maker is Mary S. Buria from Indiana.
Here is a close-up. This quilt just brings me joy and the more you look at it the more you find all kinds of things hidden in the quilt…Noel in the window….names of the reindeer…the background is the world map (where Santa travels).
“Star Struck” was a first place winner. It was made by Cheryl L. See of Ashburn, VA. This quilt was all sewn by hand and has over 12,000 hexagons. Really.
Holy Cow! Cheryl has an impressive collection of fabric to make the colors on this quilt shade so well.
Making a monochromatic quilt is not something I find to be easy but when I see them I always love them. Monochromatic quilts have a softness about them. “Clouds in My Latte” was made by Karen Manchetti of Port St. Lucie, Fl. Karen won 2nd place.
Her quilting is stunning. You can find out more about Karen at http://creativelongarmquilting.blogspot.com/
And no great quilt show would be complete without vendors. And Quilt Odyssey offers lots of great vendors.
In case you wonder why the isles look empty it is because I could not get into the show to take photos until the last day right before the vendors were ready to close. I was too busy teaching the other days. Based on the comments from the vendors I talked with they had lots and lots of customers. And based on the comments from my students they did their fare share of supporting the economy!
It bears repeating…if you have never attended this show you need to mark it on your calendar. Great vendors…great quilts…and great teachers (I’m a little biased on the last one.)
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I recently finished reading Abyss by David Hagberg. This is a new author for me. When I was downloading books to my Sony Reader I read the write-up on this book and decided to give it a try. I am glad I did. It is an action thriller with cutting edge technology. Ex- CIA chief Kirk McGarvey is the main character. He has come to the aid of NOAA scientist Dr. Eve Larson who is working to stop global warming and to stop deadly storms across the planet. Her project involves harnessing ocean currents to alter the planet’s weather for the better.
Contract killer Brian DeCamp walks into Huctchinson Nuclear Power Plant with a group of students taking a tour. DeCamp’s mission is to cause a meltdown so catastrophic it will make Chernobyl look like small potatoes. DeCamp is than hired to cause some difficulty for Dr. Larson.
This book held my interest and was well written with believable characters. I understand the author has written previous books with this main character, Kirk McGarvey. I would definitely go back and read some of his previous books after reading this one.
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During the course of the past year I have picked up and then subscribed to some very wonderful magazines published by Stampington & Company. The magazines are a little pricey but I think they are worth every penny. The first one I stumbled across on a newsstand in a bookstore was “Where Women Create”. I read every single page and went back and poured over the pages for inspiration. The subtitle of the magazine is “Inspiring Work Spaces of Extraordinary Women” and it really does explain the magazine in a nutshell. The photography and page layouts are simply beautiful.
This past year they introduced a new magazine called “Where Women Cook” and since I like to dabble in the kitchen I thought I would check it out. This is just as beautiful and packed full of information as “Where Women Create”. Again, I feel compelled to read each of the women’s stories and read over their recipes. If I read correctly each of these magazines are published 4 times a year.
And finally, I found an issue of “Art Quilting Studio” which I think comes out only once a year. It is just as the title suggests….more geared towards art quilters. I love getting a glimpse into other quilters studios.
You can find out more about this company and their awesome magazines at www.stampington.com
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The next blog will be an update on my finished studio. I’m waiting for a chair for my light/drafting table, some pendant lights and a few other small items. Even though there are a few things still needed to finish I’ve been working in there this past week and carrying a few last items from the 3rd floor…outside…and up another flight. You’d think I would have lost some weight doing all this moving!