Oh, my!  These were nothing short of amazing!  I cannot believe the quality and creativity embodied by these masterpieces.  There were others, of course, and I couldn’t photograph them all, so I hope you enjoy the selection below.

Greg’s Song by Cheri Meineke-Johnson and Linda V. Taylor, Corinth TX

Hadassah, by Audra Rasnake. Meadowview VA

Hadassah Detail

Not only was Hadassah intensely quilted, it was quilted by hand.  Amazing!

Fire and Ice, by Kimberly Einmo, Manassas VA

Isabelle, by Kathi Carter, Vineyard, UT

Magnolia, by Claudia Clark Myers, Duluth, MN, and Marilyn Badger, St. George, UT

Big Bertha, by Margaret Solomon Gunn,Gorham, ME

Blue Rhapsody, by Carolyn Rider, Portsmouth, OH

A Splendid Display, by Cindy Seitz-Krug, Overgaard, AZ

A Splendid Display detail

One of the most noticeable commonalities in all the prize-winning large quilts was the amount of quilting in them, both those quilted by machine and those quilted by hand.  To me, it seems that one of the biggest changes in quilts of today is the quilting!  Touche to everyone whose quilt was accepted into this prestigious show.

Stay tuned!

I had heard about the remarkable work of the Tentmakers of Cairo, men who ply the needle so expertly and with such great speed that they create a huge body of hand appliqued quilts unique to their region.  Sadly, their work is not highly appreciated in their own country, but thanks to Jenny Bowker, Bonnie Browning and the American Quilters Society (AQS), word about their art is spreading.  AQS also has committed to establishing a long-term market for these quilts in the United States. It was my first stop at the show.

Stitch Like an Egyptian

I began photographing the wide variety of quilts, all various designs in hand applique.

This large quilt caught my eye immediately and it also was positioned in the front of the exhibit.  I also saw the empty bench in the middle of the display where Tarek Abdelhay was plying his needle.  But, he was on his lunch break, which is precisely the only time that I could visit.  So, I  continued photographing.

Some of the quilts were whimsical, like this one, and sizes ranged from quite small to bed size.  Prices ranged from $100 – $2,000 for the quilts, a bargain in my opinion.

Among my favorites were the incredible Arabic calligraphy quilts.

Some were so detailed it boggled my mind!  Each was more beautiful than the last.  But, my lunch hour was coming to a close, and I had to return to class.  Darn!  I planned to be back as soon as class ended.  So . . .

Tarek Abdelhay

A little after 4 pm, there he was!  Tarek Abdelhay, one of the many appllique artists from Cairo, was there and I have never in my life seen anyone stitch so fast and so accurately.  It was just as amazing as promised.  And, he didn’t even use a thimble.  I watched for a long time, gaining an even greater appreciation for the work in the display.  I viewed the exhibit again, this time with awe.

The next few quilts follow without my commentary – as no words can adequately portray the beauty of  each.

Such beauty!  I bought the book about their work (it is available online from the American Quilters Society.  One of the quilts came home with me too.  Can you guess which one?

What a terrific state Maine is!  It’s so very different than my home in New Mexico and chock full of adventures waiting to happen.  It just so happens that I am here to teach at Maine Quilts, the annual statewide show, hosted by the Pine Tree Quilters Guild, and held in Augusta each year.  Augusta is the capital of Maine. The city’s population was 19,136 at the 2010 census, making it the third-smallest state capital and the eighth-largest city in Maine. The show takes place in the August Convention Center.

It is a welcoming group, friendly and helpful!  We got a sneak preview of the quilt show last night before classes began today.  I was full of anticipation to see the quilts of the far northeastern United States.  I was not disappointed. Here is a small selection.

Springtime in the Geisha’s Garden by Margaret Solomon Gunn

Springtime in the Geisha’s Garden, by Margaret Solomon Gunn won Best of Show.  It is an amazing quilt set apart from the others by the fine use of color, the detail, and the quilting.  “The fabrics and original design are reminiscent of an Asian Garden.  The quilt has accents of silk fabric and silk embroidery.  The quilting designs are free-handed and the quilt includes hand applique, hand and machine piecing, hand embroidery, embellishment, and is machine quilted.

Geisha’s Garden – Back View

Here’s a look at the back of this magnificent quilt.  Except for this quilt, the others in this post are all bed-sized quilts and winners in the juried show.

Lotsa Lemoynes by Daniel Perkins, Rangeley, ME

Lotsa Lemoynes was created by piecing the center section, placing it on point and then filling in the corners.  Daniel Perkins says that the quilt was created using Studio 180 design’s Rapid Fire Lemoyne Star tool and techniques.  It is an original design, machine pieced and quilted by Daniel and Carol Perkins.

Lotsa Lemoynes – detail

The quality and intensity of quilting in all of the award winners was simply astounding.

LZ8 by Sharleen Fields, Buxton, ME and quilted by Margaret Solomon Gunn,

Sadly, the aisles in the show were not wide enough to capture the entirety of the large quilts, so these are cropped.  LZ8, by Sharleen Fields, was named for the landing zones used in Vietnam to ‘dust off’ the troops.  Sharleen writes, This looks like 8 birds (i.e. helicopters) heading in to land.  My husband, a Vietnam veteran, helped me pick out some of the colors.  The source is “Amazon Star” workshop taught by a certified Judy Niemeyer instructor.  It is paper pieced, hand appliqued, and  . . .

LZ8 detail

professionally machine quilted by Margaret Solomon Gunn.  Lovely!

Nantuckety Day by Wendy Coffin, Rye, NH

Wendy Coffin writes this about her quilt, Nantuckety Day.  “Blue and white are quintessential Nantucket colors and, in my quilt, remind me of a perfect summer island day with gorgeous blue skies and water, blooming hydrangeas and blueberries, white caps and clouds.”  The source is Weekend: Quilts and Projects by Barb Adams and Alm Allen, “Lazy Morning”, Blackbird Designs.  It is machine pieced and

Nantuckety Day Detail

professionally machine quilted by Margaret Solomon Gunn.

What struck me most about these first quilts was the way the quilting complemented the designs, enhancing the the piecework and applique.  As I was processing these images and looking them up in the show catalogue, I noticed that three of the four were all quilted by Margaret Solomon Gunn – she is one heckuva great quilter!

Stay Tuned . .  .

Last week, I made a quick trip to visit the Twin Rivers Quilter’s Guild in New Bern, North Carolina.  I had hoped to stay a few extra days to tour some of the amazing countryside of the southernmost outer banks, an area which I had never previously visited.  My hostess was Chris Gillespie, who has a lovely home right on the banks of the Neuse River, with birds galore, and sunset views to die for!  Sadly, it was windy most afternoons when I finished teaching so outdoor photography was minimal at best.

One of the highlights of the trip was a visit to the North Carolina History Center, with 60,000 square feet of exhibits showcasing the 300 year history of the area.  One of the wings featured an exhibit of quilts, old and new, curated by the Twin Rivers Quilter’s Guild.

Twin Rivers Quilters Guild

The guild’s logo quilt welcomed visitors and was the first thing I saw when I turned into that wing of the museum.

Collecting and Recollecting the Past

The exhibit honored Nancy Packer (1962-2013), who had been the Assistant Curator or the History Museum.  The welcome sign stated, “by collecting quilts, you are collecting the colors and designs of America” through the wide variety of quilts, old and new, exhibited here.  “To recollect the history of a quilt is to share a great American craft and a treasure of our past as well as the designs of our future.”

Exhibit Overview

It was refreshing to see all the beautiful quilts hanging in a museum quality exhibit hall.  The depth and breadth the the exhibit was unusual in that such a wide array of styles and techniques were included.

Robbing Peter to Pay Paul  owned by Rolayn Schwendy

This quilt was made by Rolayne’s great, great aunt, Bertha Hill in 1885 or 1886. That young quiltmaker died of diphtheria soon after her sixteenth birthday.  This may have been the first and only quilt she ever made in her short lifetime.

Basket Stack by Paula Paganucci

Basket Stack, by Paula Paganucci maintains the feel of an antique quilt with 1800 reproduction fabric.  It was made ins 2006 and is hand quilted.

Sashiko Flowers by Penny Finney

A small wall quilt, this embodies the feel of the Orient with sashiko style quilting.

Color Our Town by Pat Boni

This whimsical piece by Pat Boni falls into the art quilt category with shapes that transform into figurative birds flying into the sky.

Modern Morris by Sue Marra

Sue Marra’s quilt was created from a pattern by William Morris. The applique and stitchery on this piece is exquisite.

Beach Memories by Dorothy Najarian

Although this quilt was hung with a vertical aspect, I rotated the image to save space in this blog post.  Dorothy machine pieced and appliqued this Cathedral Window design as a bed runner.

Bow Tie by Ruth Powers and Lilly Lucier

Bow Tie was machine pieced and quilted using Civil War Reproduction Fabric.  It is one of the larger quilts in the exhibit.

America The Beautiful by Frances Conner

Frances says this of her quilt, “It is based on the song ‘Oh beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain, for purple mountain majesties . . . ‘

Twin Rivers Quilt Raffle 2014

But, the Twin Rivers Raffle Quilt for 2014 is surely the centerpiece of the entire exhibit!! It is one of the finest raffle quilts I have ever seen, hand appliqued and quilted with extraordinary needle work!  I had to leave a bunch of dollars with them in the hopes of it coming to live at my New Mexico home!  However; winning for me is unlikely.  Despite the hundreds or thousands of raffle tickets I have purchased, not one winning ticket has ever been owned by me.

Chris Gillespie’s Giraffe Quilt

Lastly, my hostess-with-the-mostest, Chris Gillespie’s Giraffe Quilt was hanging right outside the exhibit hall!  It’s a beautiful piece, as is her T-shirt featuring Red-winged Blackbirds!!! Oh, my!  What fun they have in North Carolina!!! I wish I could have stayed longer.

The American Quilter’s Society, QuiltWeek® Show will take place in Albuquerque in January 2015!  I am so excited that I, and Donna Barnitz will be curating an exhibit of Southwestern Quilts, “Shades of the Southwest”, for the show!  The dates of the Show are January 14-17, 2015!  Watch for more details on the AQS website and in magazines and other media.

Storyteller, by Gail Garber 1984. Design by Fran Soika, Novelty, OH

Part of the reason I am so excited is because some of my earliest published quilts were southwestern applique designs.  I learned the needle turn method of hand applique back in 1984 from Fran Soika, when she was the guest speaker and workshop teacher at my quilt guild, the New Mexico Quilter’s Association.  In addition to needle-turn, Fran taught us to use one strand of embroidery floss and an outline stitch to outline all the detail in a design, a technique that I use to this day.  Learning this method opened a whole new world of design possibilities for me, and I ran with it.  It was this quilt that lead me into the quilting world of teaching and was the technique that I primarily taught up until about 1990.

We seek a wide variety of quilts that interpret this theme.  There are no size, style, or age requirements for this exhibit which will include 30 quilts to be displayed at this show.  Additionally, there is no entry fee.

Emily, by Gail Garber,
© 1990

Do you have a quilt that interprets this theme?   If not, do you have an idea you’ve just been itching to create?  Entries are due no later than November 1, 2014.  No more than two entries will be accepted from one individual. Quilters, whose quilts are accepted for the exhibit will be notified by November 10, 2014.

For complete entry information and entry form, please click the link below.

Shades of the Southwest Exhibit Announcement and Entry Form