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!

Paducah vendors....

There are four reasons I travel to shows: to see the quilts, meet friends, take classes, and vendors.  That last on is important!  We quilters do love to shop.  I try and support the LQS but they do not carry a lot of the fabrics that I love.  Perhaps I'm out of step?  Could be but I know "my" fabrics are still out there so I am not alone...I just have to travel far to find quilters of like-minds.

There were a lot of the "regulars" at the show.  Laura Wasilowski pf Artfabrik was there with her patterns and beautifully dyed perle cottons.  My friend Paula bought a dozen...  Auntie Ju was there with her woolens.  And Lisa B. of Primitive Gatherings was at her booth in the Finkle Building (shown above with her husband...who also works hard in the booth.)  I'm always amazed at how many new designs she adds to her booth...and how organized! If you go to Paducah be sure to check out the buildings downtown...some great vendors like Lisa are there.

Also found a new favorite....Button Tree Farm from Waterfod Ireland.  They really need to get an natural light lamp at their booth.  When I was buying the wool I really liked the textures however when I got outside in natural light I fell in love with the colors!  I am in the process of converting my batik cabinet to a wool cabinet...guess I am hooked!

Mac update:  he is doing so much better this morning!  The stomach swelling is down.  He was able to go up and down the stairs by himself and even played with the cats for awhile.  He also seems much more comfortable sleeping which I'm sure makes him happy.  Today the carpet cleaners come which will make me happy...nuff said!

Paducah...the mini-series!

Hope you aren't tired of seeing quilts from Paducah yet?  (Obviously Dobby my cat thinks I've spent too much time with my fabric today....)  At the show I took a lot of photos of quilts that didn't win ribbons but that I loved.  (You can see the winners in the magazine and on the AQS website.)  I have a difficult time selecting a favorite.  The one below has stuck with me though....I like the variety of techniques and just a touch of whimsy/wonkiness in the flying geese gives it so much motion.

(And of course the photos don't always do the quilts justice...my apologies to the makers!  For instance this quilt lays flat but due to the alternating light and dark side of the logcabin blocks in the border the photo looks a bit wavey)

A effective set for embroidered blocks.  Nice gradation of colors.  Perfects circles appliqued in the border!

In addition to the show there are several exhibits.  Within the show is the Pilgrim and Roy Challenge that I mentioned in my last post.  This quilt by Diane Gudinsky (spelling?)  was part of this year's exhibit.

There was also an exhibit from a guild showing western themed quilts.  They were really nice.  Loved this one with the vintage cowgirl photos.

And this one from the same exhibit....

If you are in Paducah you must check out the National Quilt Museum.  In addition to their standing collection there was an exhibit on baskets that showed both antique quilts and newly made ones inspired by the antiques. I was inspired!

At the rotary club there was and exhibit of antique quilts from the Christ collection.  A beautiful collection of Pennsylvania quilts.  The Christ's will also be at the show this summer in Hershey...I am hoping to go to the show with Tonya...keeping fingers crossed!  I bought a couple of the Christ's (pronounced with a soft i) past catalogs for the "library/collection."  At the back of the rotary hall there was also some of the Hoffman Challenge Wallhangings.

These are all quilts in addition to the quilts in the show...and this doesn't even include all the quilts in the vendor booths.  To say there is a lot to take in is an understatement!

A quick Macbeth update...he had his sonogram this morning.  Of course when we walked into the animal hospital he was prancing like he was entering a show ring.  He tired out quickly though...even took a nap and snored loudly for the tech.  He seems to be doing better today.  We'll get results tomorrow from our regular vet.

Home from Paducah...

Well after a long ride and many stops along the way I am home. Macbeth and the cats are very happy...we went for a long walk and they all got their treats. I have unpacked about half the car and will do the remainder in the AM.

I was a bit shocked at the amount of damage we saw in many parts of Kentucky, Tennasee and Georgia. I didn't stop for photos...you've all seen them. My heart breaks for these people.

Ocean Wave Quilt...look at the depth the pink creates

Back to Paducah day two...

First thing in the morning I went to the "Woman's work is never done" lecture by Gerald Roy. He presented several of his quilt tops and discussed why he collected them. It was a fun collection...

This red wheel quilttop is so graphic that even several rows back I was impressed. It reminds me of the single girl's ring quilt that some of the quilters in blog-land are making.

Paducah Post 2

I'm being good tonight and staying in to rest up for tomorrow's appraiser examination part two...sounds like a cross between B horror movie or an Army addmitance physical. As strange as it may seem I am a bit excited about it (in a good way.) Maybe it is just that I have been waiting a year to take it or maybe it is just I get an hour to talk about 4 quilts...quilts and talking are maybe my favorite things (if I could have a cup of coffee with me they would have a problem getting me out of the room!)

Hexegon Flowers from the Susan Reich exhibit at the Paducah Rotary Club

As Mary Kerr, one of the Certified Appraisers, told us "you are either ready or you're not." Guess that means cramming tonight is out of the question! So instead of cracking the books I am going to relax with my big cup of herbal tea and post some more photos of here in Paducah.

First Congratulations to Sandra Starley, another appraiser, and her Virginia is for Lovers. It was part of the Alliance for American Quilts Challenge and came in third! Here is a photo of the top quilts in this challenge. There were a lot of really nice quilts (of course I was partial to Sandra's)!

The Alliance Challenge exhibit was out at the old Circuit City-alternate site. There were a lot of vendors there as well. Paula and I got to meet Lori Smith. I have a dozen of her patterns at home so it was nice to put a person to the work! (and yes, I picked up a couple of patterns.)

(Me, Lori, and Paula)

There were a lot of wool vendors at this show. This is something we don't see a lot of down in Augusta Georgia so I picked up a bit. I am tempted to try Lori's "A celebration in appplique" in wool....could be fun!

More tomorrow....

Paducah

Sorry I haven't posted as promised but as you may have heard things are a bit different here at the AQS Show in Paducah this year. It started out easy enough. The first 7 hours of our 9 hour drive was smooth all the way. Then we hit Nashville. I watched a tractor trailer demolish 2-3 cars only feet away from us.

A quilt angel...my only question, "do you clean quilt rooms?"

Thought we had dodged a bullet...then an hour or so up the road the sky turned dark. We turned on the radio for local news and all we could hear was the loud beeping sound of the National Weather Alert System. They preceeded to name countied in Tennesee and Kentucky that were under a tornato warning. This is really helpful if you know what county you are in...which we didn't.



About 20 minutes into listening to a buch of local weather and news guys toss around towns and streets and counties finally one of them decided to let us know what exits the tournado (which had now been spotted) had decided to touch down in....luckily we had just passed that exit. We may rename this the "dumb luck" tour!

Great Vendors...

All that aside the folks from AQS are doing a great job of keeping the show going. I am sort of exhausted so not too many photos now...promise lots later...