Although, I'm not a quilter, I rarely miss the Quilters Anonymous Quilt Show at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds in Monroe WA. I love the homespun atmosphere of the fairground display areas and thoroughly enjoy the warm hospitality of the QA members who work so hard to out on such an outstanding show. It's all very inspiring, whether you quilt or not, and this year was no exception. I brought a few of the quilts back with me in picture form to share with you. I have a few notes, but they will speak for themselves quite well!
Split Personality: Suan Mayer's love of black and white led her to design and make this fun quilt. The circles were pieced and hand appliqued to the squares before they were added to the quilt. Susan has taught classes at our Northgate Pacific Fabrics & Crafts store and it was nice to see her striking quilt design at the show.
Birthday Siggie Quilt: 96 signature blocks were sent to Kerry Fondren as part of an online exchange a couple of years ago. Each member received birthday "siggie" blocks during the month of their birth. This is the marveous result of the blocks Kerry received! I love the way she set the blocks in a simple design that makes the siggies the focal point.
Some Like Them Hot: I've worked with Donna DeShazo several times as we have helped out with projects for different guilds she belongs to and it was fun to see a couple of her quilts in the show. She's a very nice lady with a great personality that I can see peeking through her quilts. A friend gifted Donna with yellow and black swirl fabric and challenged her to use it in a quilt. Seems the friend felt that Donna didn't use enough yellow in her quilts. Looks to me like she has the hang of it now!
Double Star Sampler: Roxanne Carter, a local quilt designer who teaches classes at several of our Pacific Fabrics & Crafts stores, designed and made this quilt as a "Block of the Month" a few years ago. The center of each star is a different 6" block. I love the clear colors and simplicity of this quilt. Roxanne is well known for her "stars" all across the country, as you'll see in the following quilt.
Roxanne's Stars: Unfortunately, there was no name credited with the making of this gorgeous quilt made while the quilter lived in Connecticut. She had no idea that she would one day belong to the same guild as Roxanne Carter when she made this starry delight, but was inspired by a number of Roxanne's star quilts that she had quilted for friends. As she said in her notes - "What a small world!"
Tropical Tees: Leanne Clare made this very personalized quilt as a graduation present for her nephew who grew up in Hawaii. What wonderful memories she showcased for him in this heart warming treasure!
Fruitful Work: Another one of Donna DeShazo's quilts caught my eye! Donna chose these beautiful botanical fruits for her "first ever" hand applique quilt. She says she really enjoyed the challenge of picking out fabrics as well as the applique. Well done!
In Flanders Field: A love for the poppies that grow on Whidbey Island led Joyce Hornecker to create this stunning quilt from an O Carol Design called "Poppy". She did a beautiful job! We have this pattern on our web site, so you can have your own poppy to enjoy, too.
My Garden: Marian Floyd made this amazing quilted garden as part of a "mystery" quilt challenge. She says this is her kind of gardening as her husband does all the outdoor gardening. Click on the picture to see a larger image and don't miss her clever use of yo-yos for the top butterflies body.
Flowers of Provence: If I had a favorite (it's so hard to decide!), this would be it. Inspired by the painting of an unknown artist, Linda Simmons hand pieced, hand appliqued, hand embroidered and hand quilted this absolutely fabulous quilt. That's a lot of hand! Although, I've never tried it, her mastery of needle turn applique is quite obvious. It took my breath away!
Thanks for coming on my tour! If you're looking for new quilting friends and inspiration and would like to know more about the Quilters Anonymous Guild and their activities, visit their web site at www.quiltersanonymous.org.
- Annette
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