Vertical Quilting Curve

This is the coolest craft fair you will ever go to. Some of the items you find here will not appear at the local church function around Christmas time but there are many hip versions of the very same things you will find at said church craft fair. I saw tons of bags that ranged from urban chic to vegan safe. There was an array of children’s clothing especially cute, cute onesies and adorable bibs. If you were looking for a one of a kind T-shirt for yourself or hard to find college student this was the place to be. You could also find independent printers of stationery, note cards and journals.

Here is a picture of just some of the many business cards I picked up. I went down with a friend and both she and I have the same affliction. It’s the “oh, I can make that” syndrome. I know I inherited it from my mother who took me to craft shows when I was a kid. We were definitely the kind of people that the crafters love/hate. They love it when we say how great their items are then discuss how it was made and then hate us when we turn around and don’t buy anything. We feel really bad that we don’t buy anything but I hope they know we are just like them and love to make stuff.

Luckily for us DIYers there were some booths that had the supplies for making stuff. I picked up 2 iron-on transfer packs from Sublime Stitching and some fat quarters from Quiltogy the urban quilters quilt store who had a booth. I got some great Amy Butler plus one other I can’t remember the designer of. See the photo. No, I don’t have a project in mind but I will…someday.

The Renegade Craft Fair only happens twice and year. Once in the summer in New York and once in Chicago. Check out the website for updates on next years dates. Also, if you live near Chicago or are coming to town they opened up a Renegade Handmade store selling many of the items by the artists who partake in the fair.

fabric, quilt shop, Chicago, Renegade Craft Fair, Quiltology, Amy Butler, Sublime Stitching, craft show

It was an excellent show. I was very impressed with the local efforts of the quilt guild. There were a great many tremendous quilts on display. I left a little overwhelmed but quite inspired. As you can see in the accompanying photos the show was not just on the floor but in the rafters so to speak. It was held in the Prairie Stone Fitness Center gymnasium and many of the quilts were hung from the upper railing of the walking tracked that is raised above the gym floor. I think this touch made it feel even bigger and better.

Besides the quilts themselves there were many activities going on. The guild members had two booths set up. One was books and magazines they donated for sale. Magazines were going for just 50 cents and yes I did adopt a few. Who wasn’t doing this at these prices? Some members were also selling handmade items from everything to full sized quilts to bookmarks. I picked up a bookmark. A few members were also demonstrating different techniques. I saw redwork embroidery, needle punch and machine piecing demos.

Other activities included merchants row, quilt appraising and a quilt turning. I wrote about quilt turning in this previous post but actually attending one was the best part of the show outside all of the beautiful quilts in the show. Seeing these antique quilts being turned down on an antique bed in person and having their stories told was very entertaining and informative. The oldest quilt was circa 1860. Amazing! I’ve posted a photo here of the start of the bed turning. There were two grandmothers flower garden quilts that I will have to write more on later. One of the more interesting quilts was one made from corset scraps brought home by a girl who worked in a corset factory in the late 1800’s and pieced into a quilt. It was actually quite lovely and looked as if made from fine dress scraps.

Overall the show was time well spent and has given me quite a few ideas for projects that I already have planned and those that have popped into my head because of the show. It has also given me some ideas to share with you.

quilting, quilts, quilt show, quilt turning

I just found out there is a quilt show just a few miles from me and I’m off to see some local creations.

If your are in the Hoffman Estates, IL area (suburb of Chicago) maybe you can check it out today, too. It is the Northwestern Suburban Quilters Guild’s show. They only hold it every 2 years. Also, I’ve been wanting to find out about membership in the guild so I am looking forward to meeting some of the members to check it out. You can check out the guild at their website.

quilting, quilts, quilt show

The Carnegie Center for Art and History in New Albany, Indiana is accepting submissions for its quilt art show. Deadline is October 20, 2007. The accepted entries will be shown January 12 through March 8. There will be $1000 for best in show as well as other awards. The prospectus is available in PDF format.

This would be an excellent challenge for yourself. The great thing is that there is not a minimum size for entry so it would be a nice opportunity to use some of your quilting or multimedia talents in an art quilt. If you create something, let me know and I will link to your blog entry or if you don’t have a blog send me a photo and I will post it.

Good luck to everyone who will enter and have fun!

quilting, quilt art, quilt contest, quilt show, Carnegie Center for Art and History, New Albany IN

If you live in Georgia or plan to visit check this calendar for a quilt challenge tour presented by the Georgia Quilt Council. Members were challenged to come up with a modern crazy quilt to tour the state as a collection with the title “Crazy Is As Crazy Does:Crazy Quilts for Crazy Times“.

If you can’t make it to one of the stops on the tour, you can sit back with a cup of tea in front of your computer for your very own personal online tour.

To the right is a crazy quilt block I’ve started which will probably end up in a purse.

quilting, crazy quilting, quilts, Georgia Quilt Council

I was surfing through the Internet last night and I happened upon an article about a quilt show in Maine. I was thinking what a nice place Maine would be to attend a nice little quilt show put on by the statewide guild. Then I read the guild, Pine Tree Quilters Guild Inc, has over 2000 members. Yes, that is 3 zeros behind that 2. And, not only that but they have chapters (72 of them) throughout the state. Wow!

I’m guessing that if you’re a quilter and you live in Maine you probably belong to this group. I’ve been a member of statewide guilds before but the numbers were never that large. I’m really impressed and a little jealous. Some may say it’s because Maine has such long winters and they get more quilting done than those of us out enjoying the long, hot summer days by the pool with the kids.

I’ve never been to Maine but it’s on my list to go see and now I think I may have to move it a little closer to the top. They just had their 30th annual quilt show with workshops. I’m going to put that on my calendar for next year but just for fun. If I don’t get my daughter to Disney World I may never see another quilt shop again.

Question of the day: Hey, does anyone know if Stephen King is a member? I bet he would make some interesting quilts!

quilt show, quilting, quilt guild

The cool thing about going to small, local quilt shows are the wonderful quilts that seemingly ordinary people can make. You know, the ones that don’t either make it to the big shows or don’t want to make the big quilt shows. These are people who love what they do and what a special thing it is when they share it with the rest of the world and let us have a peek. It is also a great way to get inspired.

A couple of the quilts that stood out to me were quite different. One was a millenium quilt that Laurie K. made with 2000 different fabrics she collected from the Internet. One of the neat things she did was take the letters that came with some of the fabric, photo copied them and printed them on fabric which ended up pieced to make the back of the quilt. See the photos of the traditional front and creative back.

The other quilt caught my eye for the design and color selections as well as the technique. It is maded using the frayed edge applique method. Once I read the story
of the quilt I was even more impressed. Rebecca H. was only 10 years old when she created this awesome gem.

There was a vendor marketplace. One of the vendors was a local quilt store which gave out discount coupons to use at their store. Of course, I had to stop by the store on the way home. I will give you more info on them tomorrow.

I also got to see the Ground Zero quilt up close. It was eerie to see the faces of those who lost their live on that tragic September 11 day. One thing is for sure, quilters can make powerful statements with their art. All in all it was a very good day. The Windmill City festival was also going on in town so we rode a few rides, ate a funnel cake and drank a fresh lemonade. Definitely a great family weekend.

quilting, quilt show, quilts

Oh, how I wished I lived near Sisters, Oregon. They are famous for their annual quilt show which is like no other. In its 32nd year it is held entirely outdoors. The quilts are hung on the sides and porches of the town’s buildings, clothes lines, and even draped over sculptures. Even if you can’t go you can take a peek at past shows on their gallery page. But, if you’re in the area or are able to up and take a trip it would be a most wonderful adventure.

Me, on the other hand, will hopefully make it to at least one quilt show this weekend. The first one is the Batavia Quilt and Textile Show in Batavia, IL held July 13-15. This year Lois Jarvis’ Ground Zero quilt will be on display which has pictures of about 700 of those who died in the September 11 attacks. That will probably be very emotional to view. View information about the show in an article from the Repbulican, Batavia’s newspaper.

Another show, about an hour away from me, is the 20th Annual ByronFest Quilt Show at the Byron Museum of History also held July 13-15. As you might guess it is part of the ByronFest, an annual family festival. Sounds like a great road trip depending on what we can fit in this weekend. After last weeks vacation I’m not sure we will be up for a lot of action but then again after a full week of work we might want to get away.

Question of the Day: Do you know of any quilt shows near you and are you going to attend?

quilting, quilt show, Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show

OK, I received Houston’s catalogue in the mail this weekend and I have been drooling over it and trying not to be jealous of everyone who will get to go. I have never been to the Houston show, although it is on the top of my wish list for quilt shows. The few people I know who have went had nothing but high praise for it and were happy to let me know I have to go at least once in my lifetime.

One upside is that I have attended the spring show in Chicago since I live in the suburbs which has me allowed me to view some of the things that will be in Houston. I have seen the Make It University (here is the link to Chicago’s event) which is more than just exhibits. There are also workshops, demos and vendors that work in various mediums that complement quilting. I have also seen the Journal Quilt project and the Bernina Fashion Showcase although it may not be the newer one they will be showing in Houston. One exhibit they will be having that wasn’t in the IQA Chicago show but was shown at another quilt show near Chicago last fall is the Alzheimer’s Quilts curated by Ami Simms who has a personal mission she is trying to accomplish with the exhibit and of which I wrote about earlier here.

Another upside is that I won’t have to decide on which classes to take. There are so many choices and I love to take classes and try new things. An aspect of the catalogue I noticed that is useful is an index showing classes by category so you will be able to search on what area you are interested in.

Although I won’t be able to go, I hope many of you will and please make sure that you share your experience. Those of us who can’t go still want to know what goes on.

Question of the day: Will you be attending the show in Houston?

quilting, International Quilt show, quilt show, quilts, Houston, quilt workshop, quilt class