AQS Charlotte show

American Quilters Society shows are always fun to attend.  This time there was a bit of "pressure" as I was doing hanging appraisals for the first time at an AQS show.  It wasn't doing the appraisal that made me nervous it was just the process...didn't know how many I had to do in what amount of time.  The curse of the Type A was raising it's head again!

It all worked out fine.  I got to the show early enough to scope out the quilt I was going to work on that night.  The security folks were really accommodating and let us stay a few minutes over the 1 hour limit so I was able to finish and not have to come back early the next morning.

The quilts on display were very nice...unfortunately they don't want us posting photos (however I will slip in one made by a fellow guildmember, Patty!)  Also on display were many of the Egyptian tentmakers appliques.  There were also two tentmakers demonstrating their art.  Really beautiful work.  I have a couple that were given to me by a friend who lived in Egypt and one I bought at an auction (listed as a Scandinavian textile!)

Paula with our friend Patty's scrappy wedding ring quilt!

Even though I was busy at the show I did some retail therapy...most of it at Primitive Gatherings.  Really like Lisa's new fabric line with Moda...great cheddars and greens!  (and some pre-cuts...they are like candy!)

Across the street from the convention center was the nicest little park!  It had a literary theme...

this a bronze book page draped on the wall...

and they had these fun "road" signs in the flower beds...think it would be fun to make one for our yard with all the places we've lived since we've been married!

Certified....

Sugarloaf, circa 1900, from my collection seen at appraiser's class in Paducah this year.

I interrupt this regularly scheduled blog post about quilt studio reorganization for some great news....I passed the AQS Quilt Appraiser Certification Test!!!!

I got my letter yesterday...very excited!  This past year I studied a lot...did many appraisals...worked with a certified appraiser...did lots of market research on non-traditional quilts and quilt-makers and retook the two day class the week of the test so the definitions were fresh in my mind.  I also rested more the day prior to testing...large show with so many vendors and so much to see, rest does not come easy!

Thanks to all of you for the kind words of support the past year.  Now off to the printer so I can get new business cards made up...I was down to my last dozen after Paducah and I didn't want to print more just in case!

scrappy bits...

Rain, rain, rain...got to love it! We have had a really dry end of summer so the past few days have filled the water barrels and cleared the air. All good.
It also gave me time to work on my crab tree quilt (Leaders and Enders, by Bonnie Hunter.)
Once the stack of 9-patches was made the trees went together pretty quickly...as quickly as 1-1/2 inch squares can that is! I used a variety of yellow to orange cornerstones, 25 different greens for the trees, 24 browns for the trunks, three different beige fabrics for the setting triangles, maroon for the sashing, double pink for the inner-border, and pink and maroon plaid for the outer-border. I think I am safe in calling this a scrap quilt....Needless to say we are finding 9-patches under every chair and in every corner or the house...Brownie even seems to think she can pull them out of the quilt-top - yikes! I better get those last two borders on soon so I can quilt it and keep those blocks safe....

A quick thank-you to the American Quilters Society for naming my blog the quilting blog of the week! My first reaction was "wow, they really like me!" Then I remembered it was a random drawing and it became "wow, I'm really lucky!" What-ever...it is all good!

Speaking of drawings...I am closing in on a couple of milestones (number of posts and number of followers and number of clean square feet in my sewing room) so watch for a drawing soon....

Back from the Knoxville Show....

Where to start - roadtrip with a quilting buddy through the Carolina Countryside, the contemporary solids class with Gwen Marston, the quilts in the show, quilting designs with Alex Anderson, the vendors....all so good it is hard to pick!
Since there are so many liberated quilting fans out there I will start with the Gwen's class. As expected it was wonderful. It was a small group and we had all day to pick Gwen's brain and to get up close to all the wonderful quilts she brought for the trunk show.Permission to play was the phrase I heard most often from the other students in class.Most of the morning we went through the trunk show and got some "theory" then Gwen did several demos on some of the techniques she used. After lunch we were free to try out the techniques ourselves with Gwen wandering the room to help out as needed. (We stitched on the new Janome provided by the local dealer...they are really nice. The bright light and the thread cutter make them really tempting....) My only complaint is the day went too fast and it was 4:00 long before I was ready to pack up my stuff and leave. I came away with lots of inspiration and confidence to try to get out of my comfort zone more.The photo above is me with Alex Anderson, Eleanor Burns, and my friend Paula. One of the great things about going to the larger shows is getting to meet quilt instructors from all over the country. Isnt' it great when you meet an author or "celebrity and they are even nicer than you expected! That was the case with Alex, Eleanor and Gwen. (I just reread that and realize I sound a bit like a quilt groupie...ah, well....)

Unfortunately I cannot post photos of the quilts in the show but a few of my own personal observations (above and beyond there were lots of wonderful quilts...)

1. It is amazing how far machine quilting has come in the past few years. Ten years ago when I tried machine quilting the thread recommended was so heavy when I was finished it looked like a crayon had been dragged across the top of the quilt. I quickly gave up and went back to hand-stitching or "quilt by checkbook." As much as my machine may intimidate me looking at the amazing workmanship on some of the quilts in the show gives me the kick to sit back down with some of the new wonderfully thin and strong threads I bought at the show and give it another try....

2. Bling-bling...as anyone who has watched and episode of "Jersey Girls" or "What not to Wear" knows there is a time and place for accessories and bling. There sure was a lot of it at the show and I'm talking on the quilts not the quilters! Now don't misunderstand me - I like sparkly stuff as much as the next gal but.....I don't wear everything in my jewelery box with every outfit or at the same time. (I think that is a rule most of us can live by....) There were some quilts that the glittery stuff really added to the quilt (for example one that used crystals to make the windows of the buildings glitter like a night scene) but there were others that the shiny stuff made me think of old-time used car salesman's hair gel.

3. Kudos to the city of Knoxville and the convention center folks. What a great venue for a show! Beautiful building, friendly people, great transportation around town....it isn't often I spend so much time looking at the public art as I did at the convention center.
This photo shows an artpiece in the hallway near the eating area...the "quilts" are made from metal or found objects. Below is a close-up. The artist is David Arms from Tenneseee. They are building a new convention center here in Augusta and I hope they go to Knoxville and check this one out.
More on the show later...Macbeth (my scottie dog) is demanding attention. Tomorrow I will write about Alex's class and the vendors!

ps. The grey cat we have adopted (or adopted us?) is still here and now is named Greybeard. He was the first to great me at the door when I got home...

Almost recovered from Paducah...

This year I finally made it up to the AQS show in Paducah. It was great. The quilts were inspirational...the class on quit appraisals was educational...and the folks in that town were so gracious and welcoming. All and all just a really good week. Photos of the winning quilts are on the AQS website...
I got a chuckle at the sign outside of Hancocks...men's restrooms were in the parking lot!

Can't see the sign too well in this photo...it reads "Welcome Quilters Karaoke"...humm what would quilter sing after all those margaritas?

On the down side I got to see parts of town that thankfully few quilters go...like the emergency room! Nothing like a kidney stone to put a quick-stop on a good time! All I can say is the notes I took on my last day of class are well, just a bit strange! A little bit of pain-killer goes a long way.
I took both the Insurance Appraisal and the Fair Market Appraisal Classes with Bobbie Aug and Gerald Roy. Learned a lot...including what I don't know which is very important! So on the long drive home (with a worried and unhappy DH at the wheel) a made a plan of what I need to do in the next year to get ready to test next April. (yes, I know I have heard all the type A jokes...)
Can you believe I came back from Paducah with only a couple yards of fabric, some books and one little quilt! You know I wasn't feeling well if that is all I got...not even like I had the "it has to fit in the suitcase" constraint! I'll do better next show (Knoxville in July!)
On another topic...humblequilts.blogspot is doing another doll quilt quilt-along. This time is uses a block like this vintage one I had in my collection! She is making hers in browns, indigo and shirting but I think I may go with the pink and black like my blocks!