Monday, August 1, 2011

Long Beach Quilt Show (VERY heavy in photos)


The most beautiful view is the one I share with you. 
~Author Unknown

What a busy and fun weekend I had.  Saturday morning we were on the road headed south bright and early.  We arrived in Long Beach just as the doors opened to the 2011 International Quilt Festival.  We spent the morning admiring and drooling over the gorgeous creations that were entered in this year's Festival.  Oh, by we I mean me and my sweet DH.  And, yes, he really does enjoy looking at all of the quilts.  He is just as in awe as I am at the craftmanship in the quilts.  After a very mediocre lunch we hit the vendors.  I was a little intimidated with all of the people and trying to maneuver around in my power wheelchair but we managed.  Believe it or not, I didn't find any material that I couldn't live without.  I saw many long arm machines that I would love to have but settled for a few patterns and some darling buttons which I will share below.  We arrived home in time for dinner where DH took me to dinner at Hungry Hunter for some excellent steak.  Sunday morning we awoke to sprinkles - well, you could have walked between the drops, but it was still a welcome surprise - until the sun came out making the humidity horrid.  We celebrated the day by going to the theater to watch the final episode of Harry Potter - still as good as each previous one.  Now I'm ready to start the week.  Plans are in the work for some serious sewing along with maybe a surprise at the end of the week and I'm eager to start.  Here we go.........

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PHOTO FACT OF THE DAY

Catfish

August is National Catfish Month.  Can you believe that we celebrate such an odd looking creature for a full month?  Just so you can be informed for the month of August, here are a few interested little facts I managed to find:
* Catfish are found nearly everywhere in the United States and in much of Mexico and Canada.
* Catfish live on the bottom of lakes, rivers and ponds – often in areas with hard sand bottoms
* One catfish can lay up to 4,000 eggs a year per pound of body weight
* Named for the barbels near its mouth that resemble cat's whiskers, catfish are immediately recognizable by this feature and their scaleless skin.
* Catfish have highly complex bone structures that form an extremely sensitive hearing apparatus, much like their cousins the minnow and sucker.
* When catfish reach 4 inches long they are called "fingerlings" (the size of an index finger).
* About 95% of the nation's farm-raised catfish is raised in Mississippi, Arkansas, Alabama, and Louisiana.
* The catfish has over 27,000 taste buds, that makes the catfish rank #1 for animal having the most taste buds.

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THANK YOU!

I want to thank you all for voting for my little quilt, June Bugs, in this week Quilting Gallery's Summer Fun quilt contest.  Thanks to all of you I WON!!!  This is the first time anything I've quilted as won anything!!!!!  You don't know how happy that makes me.  And, maybe, just maybe, at the end of the week, I will share some happiness with all of you!
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2011 INTERNATIONAL QUILT FESTIVAL

There were so many beautiful and unusual quilts at the Festival this year - I'm sorry that I can only share a few of them with you.  We were both very disappointed that we couldn't take pictures of the gorgeous Baltimore Album quilts - there were some truly stunning quilts on display.  Anyway, grab your favorite beverage and enjoy the photos along with me.....

Flower Songs by Eileen R Campbell

Close-up showing the details.  The quilting was done in a gold metallic thread.

Montana Tigers by Karlyn Bue Lohrenz
(the plastic shiny strip toward the bottom of the photo is the ribbon boundary to keep us back from the quilts)
The detail quilting and stitching on this was truly amazing. 

I'm Watching You! by Barbara McKie

Royal Amethyst by Rachelle Denneny
The back was a painted recreation of the front!

Basket of Tulips by Andi J Perejda, Joan Bruce, Barbara Collins, and Rene Jennings.
This was needle turned applique and was all hand quilted.

Good Morning Sunshine by Manon B Gagliardi
This is for all of you yo-yo lovers out there.  These were all hand pieced and not attached to a backing.

Dogwood Shuffle by Lynn D Buske
This shows how Ms Buske carried the dogwood into the quilting.

Feathers by Robyn Fahy
This is one of the few traditional patchwork type quilts that there was at the show.  The quilting was amazing.

1 Divided by Three by Jane Lloyd

Boston's Back Bay by Mary Lou Schwin, Janet Dye, Joan Randall, Janet Duncan Dignan, Patricia Smith and Graciela Piccolo.

Brown Bird's Lullaby by Sally Magee
This quilt took Ms Magee three years to make.  The detailing was fantastic.
Just one of the little birds on the quilt.
Some more of the exquisite details.

Summer Solstice by Lynne Buske
The back was an entirely different quilt and was just as beautiful.

Good Golly Miss Molly by Deborah Mackay and quilted by Michalee Sloan

Orphan Blossoms by Timna Tarr
This is the catalog cover quilt.

There you have it!  A very quick sampling of what we were able to feast our eyes on.  I hope you enjoyed the parade of quilts.

Here are my purchases minus another pattern I'm expecting in the mail later this week.  On the left is a book, "Growing Hearts" by Kay Mackenzie.  Center is a pattern, #109 Wildflowers from Farmhouse Threads that combines cotton with wool applique.  The adorable buttons on the right are from Incomparable Buttons.  They are the wonderful group that give employment to women in South Africa.

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FMQ - Day 14

Friday's FMQ practice gave me some difficulties....

Cartoon Tree and I just didn't get along.  About the time I would add some curve to the design I would be almost to the end of the row and would have to start again - very aggravating.  I'm looking forward to another of practice - I think.

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HAPPY SQUISHIES



I won this gorgeous fabric and great pattern from Barbara of Cat Patches.  I know I will be using the darling pink fabric on the right for a backing of a Loving Hands quilt but I'm still deciding what I will use the other two pieces for.  Barbara also included a beautiful handmade card from one of the many wonderful photos she takes around her place.  Thank you so very much, Barbara!!

I won these wonderful squares from Debi's giveaway over at Quilting With Debi.  There are 100 blocks and that is just a sampling of some of the wonderful prints included.  Thank you so very much Debi!!  I can hardly wait to use them.

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TODAY'S GOAL

Today I plan on finally starting to piece together the backing for Colors Thru the Window.


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GIVEAWAYS
(With my being gone so much this weekend, I didn't have time to scout out many giveaways - sorry!)

The Flying Needle is having a giveaway to celebrate her birthday.  You could win a $50 gift certificate to 123Stitch.  This giveaway ends Sunday, August 7.

Heirlooms by Ashton is having a giveaway.  You could win a GO! Baby Cutter and your choice of 3 dies.  This giveaway ends Saturday, August 6, at midnight CST.

Growing Stitches is having a Super dee Duper Blog Giveaway.  You could win a gift subscription to American Patchwork and Quilting and a charm pack of Ruby by Bonnie and Camille.  This giveaway ends Tuesday, August 9.

Incomparable Buttons is having a giveaway.  You could win some fabric and adorable matching buttons.  This giveaway ends Friday, August 5, at midday South African time.

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FINAL THOUGHT

Thank you for sticking with me through all of those quilt photos.  I so enjoyed the show and wanted to share some of the beauty with you.  Of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and you may have selected different ones to share if you were there.  I don't know about you, but I always stop and linger on blogs that share quilt shows.  I love to admire their beauty and craftsmanship.  I also use them for inspiration and to build on my dreams.  I first started attending quilt shows for the vendors, but I now find that is the secondary reason for going.  I'm just as happy to do most of my shopping online but you can only get so much out of a photo.  Seeing these works of art in person is so much better - you can see the true colors, the tiny details, and the so much more.  I hope you had a great weekend and are ready to start out a brand new week and a brand new month!!!

The world is round and the place which may seem like the end may also be only the beginning. 
~Ivy Baker Priest


43 comments:

Vroomans' Quilts said...

I loved 'Flower SOngs' - the 1st quilt. How wonderful you had such an adventure and a DH who loves to do that.

We had a little rain, too - which also created awful humidity.

A new month - wow - need to check my monthly BOM's, swaps and other 'to-dos' - want to get them done early as I have a show to get ready for at the end of the month.

Enjoy your day.

Cheryl said...

Orphan Blossoms is my favorite! You are lucky you DH goes with you.
That FMQ just keeps improving!

Annie said...

Thank you for posting those lovely quilts from the show, just spectacular and congrats on winning with your adorable little quilt!

: )

Lynette said...

I sure do *wish* I could go to the Long Beach show. Thank you very much for sharing. I'm enchanted by so many of the quilts! Lovin' the "Boston Back Bay" ensemble.

Maria said...

WOW!!! What absolutly gorgeous quilts. thanks for sharing.
Congrates on your great wins too.

Kathryn said...

Congratulations on your win. It may not have been at a big show like Long Beach, but it shows your quilt had great eye appeal on the web. Thanks for the shots from the quilt show. I had hoped to get to the Hershey, PA, show last week, but it wasn't to be. There's another in Philly next month, so I don't have too long to wait for a quilt show fix. Have a good week, Kathie L in Allentown

Impera Magna said...

Congratulations on your WIN! So exciting! Your entry was THE BEST by far!!!!

Thanks for sharing all the photos with us.... love seeing all the quilts!

Jessica said...

Congrats on the contest! :) I love the quilt with the Boston Bay and the owls, too - thank you for sharing. Inspiration and pretty pictures are always welcome :)

Barbara said...

AWESOME quilts! Aren't you just amazed sometimes when you see things like this?! I often think that it's not even possible, but there it is! Also, more FMQ, I'm loving those! I think it might be fun combining all of them into one quilt. :)

Needled Mom said...

Those quilts are absolutely amazing!!! I just love walking around the shows and looking at such masterpieces and your photos captured it perfectly.

It looks and sounds like you and DH had a great time. I'm glad he enjoys it too.

We had a pretty good shower here Sunday morning too, but we did not get the heat to go with it. I can imagine that the humidity was yucky, but weren't the sky and sunset pretty?

Looking forward to a quiet week and a new month here!

Sara said...

Love the Orphan Blossoms,saw it in a magazine too:) You won some beauties!!!

Your Cartoon doodles are wonderful,I think that would be a more difficult one.

Thanks for mentioning my giveaway too!!

Seams to Sew and Quilt said...

Congrats on winning Linda, that's wonderful.
As always I enjoyed reading your blog today. Have a great day.

Anonymous said...

Congratulations on your win! And on your winnings! Looking forward to seeing what you create with those.
The quilt pictures were lovely - thanks for sharing with all of us. I (and perhaps others) live in an area where there are few events like that, and it is fun to "travel" with you!
Jacque in SC
quiltnsrep(at)yahoo(dot)com

Riel Nason said...

Thanks for all the pics. I have only been to small local shows and have never seen such complex fancy quilts in person. Just stunning! I honestly thought the dog was a picture of a real dog rather than a quilt at first. Wow.

Dana Gaffney said...

I always enjoy looking at photos from quilt shows, these were beautiful. Thank you.

Barbara Sindlinger said...

Thanks for sharing the Long Beach show pictures - nice for those of us who were unable to attend. Enjoy your week.

Amy said...

I was at the long beach quilt festival too. It was my first, and the beauty and excitement of the room completely overwhelmed me. Sadly, I didn't even think to bring a camera........

Thank you for sharing your pictures :)

Apple Avenue Quilts said...

Thanks so much for sharing! I love looking at quilt show pictures. Your blog is such a joy!

Catskill Quilter said...

Linda, so glad that you had an enjoyable weekend! The quilt show must have been fabulous, and I appreciate the photos you took so that we could see it too! I was so happy to vote for your summer quilt, because it really was my favorite!

Heirlooms by Ashton House said...

Congratulations on winning the contest! What an honor. And wow! What an amazing mix of quilts at the show. They were all beautiful but my favorite might just be those owls. What a stunning piece! Thanks for blogging about my giveaway.

sunny said...

Congrats on your win! And thanks for sharing all the beautiful quilts. THey are just so awesome to look at, and wonder where someone got the inspiration, and how long it took to make them.

Sallie said...

Congratulations, Linda, on winning the Quilting Gallery's Summer Fun quilt contest! Thanks for sharing the photos of the quilts.

Teresa said...

First congrats on your win. It was too cute not to have won. All the quilts are just beautiful even the little dog face picture stuck in the middle.
Teresa's Heartfelt Stitches
PS- That was a strange morning yesterday with the sprinkles but we paid the price in the afternoon with muggy.

corina said...

Congratulations on a well deserved win (the little button caterpillar is too cute for words). I don't get out to many quilt shows so I really appreciate seeing the pictures. I can't believe you didn't buy any fabric - you might want to check your temperature, you could have come down with fabricosis. It is a serious malady that thankfully very few quilters ever experience. The first symptom is refraining from buying fabric, followed by using up the precious stash and finally leads to GULP! NO UFO's!)

Christine M said...

Congratulations on your win Linda. Your June Bugs quilt is just lovely.

Shannon said...

It is nice to have a good weekend. Sounds like you have some good fun. Those quilts are so beautiful. It is amazing to see what others can do with fabric. The one of the dog looks like a photo and not a quilt.

Jeanette said...

Congratulations on your win. Thanks for sharing those beautiful quilts. Happy Stitching,

Browndirtcottage said...

WOW! What fabulous quilts!!! How could you even stand it!!!???!!!

Barbara said...

Thanks for sharing your pictures. Wish I could have attended this show.

Nancy said...

Linda,

Congratulations and they couldn't be more well-deserved. I'm happy for you.
And thanks so much for the quilt pictures. Always a vicarious pleasure.

Gene Black said...

Congratulations on your summer fun June Bugs quilt!

I have to say, I admire you continuing practice on the FMQ.

Wendy said...

Nice parade of quilts from the show. I like the Orphan Blossoms best.

Miss Hillbilly said...

I dont' make it to shows so thank you for the tour!

Quiltjane said...

Wow, those quilts are so beautiful. Congratulations on your win.

quiltercaroline said...

So glad you won the competition - it is a lovely happy quilt. I am enjoying seeing your FMQ practice - it is something that I want to do but I keep putting it off. Must get past the fact that I want it to be perfect and get to playing with it and enjoying the process. Your photos are a good reminder for me.

Connie Kresin Campbell said...

Congrats on winning the Quilting Gallery's contest, love your little quilt! Sounds like you had a great weekend and enjoyed a wonderful Quilt Festival.

You have some great wins and I think your FMQ looks great, interesting design. As usual thanks for the great giveaway links.

Jackie said...

I am so happy you won!

I loved the pics you took, thank you!!!

Christina said...

Thank you for sharing the pictures! Made my morning!! :-)

Robin (RsIslandCrafts) said...

Congratulations on your win!

Melissa said...

congratulations!!! I am so happy for you about your win! You really deserved it, the quilt is gorgeous!

Kris said...

Linda - What a fabulous post!!! The quilts are gorgeous and I LOVE your blog!! Here comes a new follower!!! Kris

quiltzyx said...

Thanks for taking us along to the IQF with you! You picked a lovely collection of quilts to show us. I am always amazed at those multi-part, multi-maker quilts. One of these days I'm going to get some of my Q-pals involved in one of those!
Congrats on your winnings too!
I with you on that horrible Monsoon humidity. Us SoCal desert folks are NOT used to that stuff. I felt a bit like a wet rag on Sunday. (Not helped by a planned power outage that night in my neighborhood) But after looking at your pictures, I'm much better now!

Anne said...

Congratulations! I love June Bugs. Your work is perfection, Linda, so you certainly earned that award!

Glad you enjoyed the quilt show. I enjoyed seeing the photos. Amazing quilts. I was inspired, so I finally posted photos of the Hot Springs Quilt Guild's show on my blog. Link: http://anne-writehere.blogspot.com/2011/08/gone-to-pieces.html

Have a fabulous day!

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