2014 Qult Show - Day 1

I am a card-carrying member of the Lincoln Quilters' Guild.  Every two years the guild hosts a big quilt show -- and today was the first day of this year's three-day event.  The theme for the show is Colors of the Prairie. 

There are over 600 quilts on display -- 10 from the log cabin quilt collection at the International Quilt Study Center and Museum, a gallery full of quilts of all sizes, styles and colors made by members of the guild, a room lined with mostly small quilts (and a couple of antique sewing machines) to be auctioned off on Saturday afternoon, and a growing pile of full-sized quilts to be donated to survivors of the Pilger, NE tornadoes.

There are also activities for children, programs, a very tempting vendor's mall, and "attic treasures" -- fabric, lace, thread, notions, books, and scraps donated by members of the guild and sold at bargain prices.  (One quilter's trash is another quilter's treasure.  I scored two great deals there.)

One of this afternoon's programs was "Men Who Quilt" -- and my hubby, Jerry, was one of the panelists.  Here he is, nervously waiting in the wings:

And here are the other distinguished panelists:

 

 

One of the panelists, Ken Green (far left in the photo above), offered this Top 10 list:

 

 

TOP 10 REASONS FOR MEN TO CONSIDER QUILTING (rather than woodworking)

by Ken Green:

 

10.  You won't hit your hand with a hammer.

  9.  You can't stretch wood to make a joint fit.

  8.  No sawdust allergy problems.

  7.  If your project turns out bad, it's easier to hide.

  6.  You don't have to paint your project when it's finished.

  5.  You need less storage space for your supplies.

  4.  You don't need a truck to bring supplies home.

  3.  Low expectations.  If your quilt turns out okay, everyone thinks it's really good -- for a man!

  2.  At big Quilt Shows, no lines for the Men's Restroom.

  1.  Your grandkids can take your project to bed with them!

 

Here are the guys after the program, posing with some of their quilts and fiber art in the gallery.  (Jerry's batik quilt is not in the photo, but I'll try to post a photo in a later post along with the two small quilts I have in the show.)

It would be impossible to show you all 677 quilts -- but here is a small sampling. 

The "modern" quilt aesthetic was apparent in many of the quilts this year.  Modern quilts tend to use simple shapes, solids or near-solid fabrics, and lots of negative space (background). 

The quilt shown above is by Sheryl Fandrich, and it is called Blowing in the Wind.  It was based on a pattern by Modern Quilts Illustrated.

This modern bed-sized quilt features whimsical strata of brightly-colored fabrics.

This modern quilt by Mary Sedlak also features brightly-colored fabric strata on a black on white polka dot background.

This modern wall hanging by Sheila Green is called Match Sticks.  It is one of my faves.

There were also a number of beautiful traditional quilts.  Here is one block (of 100 or so) from a beautifully-crafted pieced, appliqued and hand-embroidered quilt by award-winning quilter, Bonnie Kucera.  It was started as a 25th anniversary quilt -- but ended up being finished in time for their 35th anniversary.  (I don't feel quite so bad about being a year late with Erin's graduation quilt!)  Bonnie's workmanship is always impeccable.

There were also some stunning art quilts.  These TALL tree quilts were initially made as part of a Nebraska State Quilt Guild challenge -- and were on display this Summer at the International Quilt Study Center and Museum. 

This gorgeous larger than life floral art quilt by Chris Taylor is a veritable show stopper:  Here is a close-up showing some of the intricate bead embellishments that make this quilt sparkle.

And here is a larger view of this amazing abstract floral quilt.

With a guild full of grandmas (and a few grandpas), of course there were some adorable baby quilts.  One of my favorite is this quilt by Loralee Novak called Puppy Love.  It was based on a pattern from Quilt Almanac 2012.

I'll be heading back to the show again tomorrow, and volunteering in the children's area at the show on Saturday morning.  I'll be back Saturday afternoon to help take down those 677 quilts and get them returned to their owners.  Thankfully, I got caught up on Etsy orders tonight.

It's going to be a busy weekend, so I'd better sign off and get some sleep!

TTFN
LeAnn