At least, the best I’ve been to.

First, the big national ones are worth at least an occasional visit, for inspiration if not for imitation of the quilts.

The American Quilter’s Society, AQS, has various large shows around the country. If you’re a dedicated quilter it’s worth going to The Big One in Paducah, KY, at least once. The other AQS shows are equally good (though smaller) and are moved to various cities, making them more accessible.

Most of the quilts at AQS shows are traditional, and many have such heavy quilting that they probably would stand by themselves if they weren’t hung, but of course I took pictures of the more modern ones that appeal to me.

Quilt by Gina Abayan, part of a display of beautiful quilts from the Philippines at AQS a number of years ago

AQS shows have very high quality quilts from all over the world, though you don’t have to be an expert to be juried in. They took one of my quilts many years ago and it was obvious when I saw it hanging that it wasn’t up to the standard of most of the others!

I designed “Spring Sun” using piecing papers from a Judy Niemeyer pattern. It didn’t hang straight, but was accepted at an AQS show anyway.

Of note, AQS also rejected one of my more recent quilts, probably because the subject was birth control! AQS has an unfortunate history of censorship of any quilt that even remotely references reproductive functions, but I’m not going to review that here. It’s worth going to see the quilts. You can find their shows on the AQS website.

This quilt was rejected by AQS, likely because it encourages condom use.

A for-profit company, Mancuso Show Management, also sponsors several large national shows, which they call Quiltfest. There’s one near Philadelphia that I attended every year when we lived in that area, and there are others around the country. Quiltfest shows have various types of quilts and, like AQS, have classes with national instructors as part of the show. There are many inspiring quilts, including some that are more approachable than most I’ve seen at AQS shows. I enjoy their shows and will go again.

Sliced by Amy Kerkemeyer was displayed at the Mancuso Quiltfest in Hampton, VA, in 2024

My quilt, Full Circle, was accepted for the Mancuso shows in Philadelphia (PA) and Hampton, VA this year

In recent years the Modern Quilt Guild has sponsored QuiltCon, a huge national show that now occurs annually. The judges are somewhat predictable in what will be accepted and what will win prizes, but their choices are very different from the other national shows, making QuiltCon worth a visit. The members and contestants at QuiltCon are younger, on the whole, than those involved with AQS, and the atmosphere of the shows is much different. And unlike AQS, the MQG doesn’t avoid controversy!

Bowls and Balls #2, by Rachel Kerley, exhibited at one of the early QuiltCon shows

There were many dynamic and interesting quilts at the Quiltcon shows I’ve attended. The only criticism I’ve heard is that the judges emphasize what they consider socially relevant quilts rather than the quality of design and execution of the quilts. It’s probably good that the QuiltCon judges have different standards than AQS judges, and the QuiltCon shows are well worth seeing whether or not you agree with the judges’ choices.

Eeek! Here I am riding a sewing machine at QuiltCon in Austin, 2015.

There are other big (even huge) shows around the country, but so far I’ve been unable to attend the International Quilt Festival in Houston, Road to California, or the outdoor quilt show in Sisters, Oregon. And I certainly haven’t been to the big shows in Europe, as some of my friends have.

However, in accordance with my plan to submit more quilts this year I did submit one to IQF in Houston, where it wasn’t accepted. And I contributed a quilted postcard for sale to support the Sisters, Oregon show. I just haven’t gotten to either of them in person yet. Bucket list items, maybe?

House Card, 4″ x 6″, donated to support the annual outdoor quilt show in Sisters, Oregon.

Despite all these big, prestigious shows, local shows often are the most inspiring because the quilts are closer to what most of us will actually make. There’s usually good variety and often excellent quality. Besides, we get to see our friends and their quilts at these shows. Here are a few quilts from local shows sponsored by some of the guilds I belong to.

Periodic Table of Quilting & Embroidery by Lori Peterson included applique, piecing, and machine embroidery. This picture shows only part of it so you can see some detail. It was very impressive.

“Curved Plaids” by Heidi Haynes

Grassy Delight by Betsy Bopp

What quilt shows do you enjoy attending? Which ones should I add to my bucket list?

It probably seems like I haven’t made a quilt in a while, but it’s just that I haven’t FINISHED anything in a while! So finally, here is a floral quilt for Ronald McDonald house. It’s been hanging around needing binding for months–you know how that is!

The green isn’t nearly this yellow, but I was unable to adjust it despite multiple attempts. Whatever!

Quilt Stats

Name: Florals for Ronald McDonald

Finished size: 43″ x 57″

Pattern: Favorite Things, from Make It Christmas With 3-Yard Quilts

This now starts the stack of things to be donated next spring. It’s a “stack” of one now, but more are coming!

I’ve seen some fun quilts lately, all made by other people, so I’m sharing a few of them.

First, my friend Michele made these 3 tulips to hang in her exercise room.

This quilt has been in several shows in my area and I love it:

The Glass Ceiling Is Broken But The Ladders Aren’t Fixed, by Robin Thomas

This quilt has been displayed at the Grove Park Inn for years, but it used to be under glass. There is no attribution with the display.

I’m hoping they have (or will hire) a conservator and will hang it with protection again.

Charles Cameron has shown this quilt in his lectures and elsewhere, and I was pleased to see it in person:

And finally, my friend Kathleen made this version of Tim Holtz’s Curious By  Nature pattern.

Seen any fun quilts lately?

Here are some of the things we worked on at our recent retreat. Some are future donation quilts; some are for friends, family, or even ourselves!

One woman’s husband is manager of the local private airfield, so she is making several airplane quilts for various family members as well as for wall hangings at the airport:

And another spent the entire retreat working on Elizabeth Hartman’s Halloween quilt, which she will donate. Here is just one of the blocks, which took a full day to make.

One friend is recovering from a broken wrist, so she has been able to make slabs for several weeks but unable to do much else. Her wrist is recovering now, so she and another group member made quilt tops from some of her slabs.

In addition, many scrap quilts were made. Here are just a few:

And of course, a fine time was had by all!

I just had a get-together with one of my friend groups, the one that makes so MANY donation quilts. Here are a few for you to enjoy. They will go to either Ronald McDonald House or Flying Horse Farms, both organizations for children with serious medical problems.

There are a number of missing quilts because the woman who coordinates the donations didn’t bring hers to the gathering. Unfortunately, I don’t have pictures of hers because the photos she sends out are taken by her iPhone, and that format doesn’t translate well to photo editors. So just know that there are even more quilts.

Next week: some pictures of what we actually worked on at retreat!

A while back I found this pattern by Triangle Frenzy (Bunnie Cleland) and it was just too good to pass up. I made the first quilt from an ombre floral. I don’t have a beauty shot of it yet, but here it is hanging at Studio Stitch to sell the pattern.

Then I found this abstract ombre print called “Playgrounds” and liked it even better. It’s a Moda fabric. So I made another Treble quilt, and here it is.

Studio Stitch has just gotten in some additional ombre prints (some of them wild!) that would work well with this pattern, so if you’re local, come on down. (You can also order both the pattern and the new fabrics from StudioStitchOnline.com)

Do be advised that this is not a beginner pattern because of all the bias edges! However, if you’re careful, it goes together pretty quickly. It’s also necessary to be able to read and follow directions; for most of us that required some experience.

I like this pattern and recommend it if you want a spectacular quilt. The instructions are well written and well illustrated. My only problem will be to avoid making a third one!

When the weather turns cold, I frequently want more cover at night than does my husband, and my usual solution is a “half width” quilt that fits on just my side of the bed. I’ve had this one for years

but I decided to make a new one after seeing Tara Faughnan’s Traverse quilt. Of course I didn’t do it her way–some of her designs are way too fiddly for my taste. Instead, I combined some of her ideas with some ideas from Brenda Gael Smith’s Dreamlines class and designed my own.

Both quilts are backed with polyester fleece and have no batting, so they are pliable and cuddly. They are preferred by the grandkids because of this. I find them more comfortable for naps than regular quilts as well.

Also, a friend visited recently and made this quilt top from Tim Holtz’s pattern “Curious By Nature”. The pattern is free on the Free Spirit website. The fabric she used is mostly a Zen Chic collection from Moda, though the medium blue is from Libs Elliot’s Glazed collection.

What interesting quilt patterns or examples have you found lately? I’m always looking for something different.

I see a lot of posts about making pouches, but how many can a person use? Or a person’s friends? However, one of my friends wanted to learn how to get a zipper in a pouch and cover the ends with fabric. SO…

I’ve made this pyramid pouch before in several sizes; it’s quick and easy but the zipper ends aren’t “covered” the way she wanted them per the pattern. You probably can see on the smaller one that I experimented with covering the ends.

Here’s the link for the free pyramid pattern: https://www.loganberryhandmade.com/pyramid-pouch-sewing-tutorial/

I recommend this pouch. It’s quick, easy, and impressive to those who don’t know how you did it–ha! The larger one above is 12″ tall and I use it as re-cyclable gift wrap for the family.

I found a tutorial on how to cover zipper ends and it’s the same as the instructions on a pattern I bought a while back. I’m having trouble with it, but that may be because the pyramid bag was designed to NOT have the zipper ends covered. Here’s the link. Let me know how it works for you.

A more traditional pouch, also with a free pattern, is Noodlehead’s Open Wide Pouch, shown above. This one was a lot more work than the pyramid bag, and still wasn’t designed for covered zipper ends. I’ve made a bunch of Noodlehead’s patterns and they are well written. These bags came out just fine, and the free pattern offers multiple size options.

Finally…

I made some little pods for friends. Pattern is Sweetpea Pods, available here

These little pouches are my all-time favorite because they’re so clever and cute. The pattern isn’t free, but you can buy it here.

What’s your favorite pouch pattern?

Hooray! I’m going on a quilting retreat with friends! Here are a few of the things I have to take:

1. Projects organized in boxes. I take one more than I think I’ll need, just in case I “get ahead of myself”.
2. Chocolate. Because!
3. A little lamp, because you never know what the lighting will be like. I have multiples of these, but probably will take the “daylight” one I got at a guild sale last year.
4. Things I’m through with that other people might want, especially books and patterns. The best part is that I never bring any back with me; one of the ladies takes any leftovers on to another group!
5. A flannel-backed plastic tablecloth to use as a “design wall”, even if I have to lay it out on a bed. If I have a partially-finished project when it’s time to leave, I just roll it up in the tablecloth and it’s ready to go again when I get home!
6. And a little cash “just in case” we go to a quilt shop or two!

Of course, these are just my projects and extras. Karen (Just Get It Done Quilts) has a more comprehensive “Quilting Travel Kit Packing List” of things she keeps ready to go on a moment’s notice! I don’t have enough duplicate tools to do that, but I get the point–no chance of leaving anything behind.

What do you like to take to a retreat that Karen and I might not have included?

I got out the rest of the “studies” from Tara Faughnan’s Block Studies class and put them up on the design wall to consider.

The coral and grey composition didn’t fit in with the others, so I layered and basted it, then practiced some quilting. As you can see, I ran out of steam before it was all quilted. It was just for practice, so there was no rule saying I had to finish!

Then I removed some more blocks that didn’t play well with others, and I’m thinking about what (if anything) to do with the ones left on the board. They may need to go to my friend who wanted orphan blocks…we’ll see.

In other news, I finally did my part of the quilting and put the binding on this quilt.

Succulents in Pots, 52″ x 61″

“My part” of the quilting didn’t amount to much! A friend outlined the cacti and pots and did some very nice leaves on the rest of it. I just put a little design on each pot–ha!

And by the way, this was made from a very OLD paper piecing pattern from a magazine, so if you want to make something similar you’ll have to draft your own pattern. Even if I could find the magazine again (oops–lost it), you probably couldn’t locate a copy!

I’m trying to get all the small quilts finished up since October is the next delivery for Ronald McDonald House. That means it’s time to quit procrastinating and start binding! So I guess the fooling around with the leftover Tara blocks was avoiding binding…

And what are you procrastinating about?