"Review" of Paducah show
Lesley Burnette
Well, I've never been to a quilt show outside of our local guild's so I have
nothing to compare it to, but still....
When we got there, I found out they have an entire TV channel devoted to
quilting. They showed winning quilts and interview with the quilters from
previous years (including the Shannon guy there's so much controversy about),
how-to shows, shows about preserving quilts, etc. etc. I watched it all the
time.
I got there Thursday night and stayed with the family of a friend of mine here
at work who's from Paducah. Great maid and chef service.
Friday we went first to the Executive Inn to the quilt displays ($5). Here's
some memories, I wish I had taken more pictures now.
* Best of show was an appliqued quilt based on a 1800s quilt partially
destroyed in the Chicago fire. It was flowers in orange appliqued
on a white background. There were flowers in the center, then stems
that came out on either side and moved to each corner, with a flower
on the end of those. When all the blocks were together, the flowers
in the corner made circular patterns. The lady who made it was very
quite and sweet. I read in the paper that she wasn't planning to come
until she got the call and then she couldn't find a hotel room, but
something opened up. She said her husband kept time of all the
work she did on it. She was an amatuer.
Book says: Fay Pritts, Mt. Pleasant, PA. "Wild Rose" Original
design based on a quilt partially destroyed in the
Chicago file (1871). 500 hours to design and quilt.
* Best technical (I think) was called Conway (I'm not from Baltimore)
Album that was a Balitmore-album type quilt done in pastels using
dimensional applique. This lady has a book out by the same name.
Actually this was best technical award for hand workmanship.
The quilter was a professional.
Book says: Irma Gail Hatcher, Conway, AK. "Conway Album (I'm
not from Baltimore). Twelve applique blocks surround
a medallion sent with outside swag border.
* Another award went to "One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish" which
I had been hearing about but for the life of me can't remember what
it looks like! The back was made up of water/fish looking charm
squares. I can't believe I didn't take a picture and can remember the
back but not the front. Award was for best machine workmanship.
The quilter was a professional.
Book says: Laura Heine, Billings, MT. "One Fish, Two Fish,
Red Fish, Blue Fish" One Fish block pattern used blown
up or stretched. Tucks quilted on backside to make
fish swim.
* There was a good bit of dimensional applique.
* There were, I thought, a lot of Log Cabin based quilts, with the
blocks making curves, figures (a giraffe, a dancer), etc. Very
imaginative. Oh, one made a seahorse.
* One of my favorites was an album quilt of daily life scenes: the
mailman chased by a dog, the husband mowing the grass and getting
chased by hornets, etc. The cutest block was circular dandelion with
very dimensional blooms and it said "Mom I picked you these pretty
flowers". I think other people have talked about this on the net.
The blocks were all crooked (on purpose).
Book says: Katherine L. McKearn, Towson, MD "Allegheny
Avenue Album" A true life album quilt - nothing at my house
fits neatly into a nice, square block.
* The "bug" quilt was cute - a very traditional looking appliqued
wreath quilt, but in the center of each wreath and all along the
edges were BUGS. Very cute.
Book says: Suzanne Marshall, Clayton, MO "Bed Bugs" Original
wreath pattern looks traditional, but a closer look shows each
wreath with different bugs in the middle. A surprise discovery!
* I saw a lot of spider webs used. The one I liked best had tube-
shaped sequins sewed on it to look like dew.
* There were a lot of Japanese-entered quilts. There were a couple
of English quilts. I read that every state in the Union but Delaware
had quilts submitted, as well as about 16 foreign countries. There
was also a wall quilt from Germany.
* I saw people there from Australia, Japan, and England, but not
many cars outside of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Illinois.
* Dana (my friend) really liked a quilt that was laid out like a
picnic. I thought it was too busy.
I THINK this was this quilt: Kathy Munkelwitz, Isle, MN
TABLE SCRAPS. A crazy quilt of sorts with stars set
haphazardly with 8-point stars. A large variety of scraps
and colors. Abstract quilting.
* The group-made quilts were the most humorous. There was a "fish"
quilt which was a fish bowl on a table, and the fish in it were all
puns - dogfish, needlefish, nurseshark, school of fish. There was
a tea-party quilt which was a table laid out for a tea party.
Book says: Over the Egdge Quilters, Englewood, CO. OFF THE
DEEP END. The group thought it would be fun to make visual
puns using fish names. We took turns adding fish to the bowl.
Book says: Sue Pierce, Rockville, MD. DINNER AT AUNT TILLY'S.
Captures a childhood memory of a special invitation to the
home of an elderly aunit. The table looms large and the
number of dishes served comfirms that this is a celebration.
* I really liked the border of a particular album quilt made by a
group in NH (A New England Album Quilt). The border was a flower/
fruit vine that slowly changed between all four seasons as it encircled
the quilt. I liked that it had worms, butterflies, hummingbirds,
and forsythia blooms (made with yellow ribbons). Very very interesting.
* Jane Hurley's guild submitted a quilt which was red cloth with
snowflake like things sewed on it. Each snowflake was cut out
like you'd cut out a snowflake, and it made a repeating pattern.
There were cowboy boots, the San Antonio skyline, a cayote baying at
the moon, oil wells, armadillos, etc. Very cute and very pretty.
Book says: Greater San Antonio Quilt Guild, San Antonio, TX.
SAN ANTONIO ALBUM. Designed by Valerie C. Arcowent, appliqued
by members of the Greater S.A. Quilt Guild, quilted at the
Institute of Texan Cultures. Exhibited in Museum of Art in
Kumamoto City, Japan in 1993.
* There was a BEAUTIFUL stained glass looking quilt. It looked just
exactly like a big stained glass window with sun shining through it,
her fabrics were so bright. I can't imagine appliqueing all that black
fabric to make the "leaded" parts. It was a dove in the center with
little blocks of different animals, flowers, etc. all around.
Book says: Lora M. Horn, Sheridan, MO "Window of Peace" This
quilt represents a stained glass window.
* I really liked the back of the panda quilt. I don't remember the
front too well, but it had a big panda on it with some smaller ones.
The back, though, was different blue and grey squares, with little
pandas hanging out of some of the squares like the squares were windows
(their paws would hang out over the seam line, etc.). The pandas were
really neat, the way she layered the colors to make their faces.
This won second place for amatuer applique.
Book says: Shirley Kelly, Colden, NY "Pandas 'Round the World"
These 102 appliqued pandas (front and back) are
surrounded by appliqued and quilted leaves.
* One of my favorite quilts was an appliqued quilt by a very sweet
Japanese lady, I got to meet her. She said (without speaking English)
that it took her 4 years to make it. I can't really describe it, it
was leaves and designs appliqued on a background. It was geometric.
This won first place for amatuer applique.
Book says: Noriko Masui, Tokorozawa, Japan. "Bouquet in a
Gentle Wind" I am happy if you can see the little
vibrations of the flowers on the quilt.
* There was a double wedding ring quilt with baltimore album appliques
in the center. As if a double wedding ring wasn't hard enough. Back-
ground was black. Phyllis Street of Honaker, VA "In Memory of Mother".
* One quilt was based on the scene of Jesus with the Little Children
and was pieced of 35,000 squares, finished to 2/5". By Paula Hottovy,
Dwight, NE, called "Love One Another". My friend wasn't impressed with
it because she said she could just get the pattern off a cross stitch
pattern. True, but then she stitched the ditch of all those.
* I liked in particular "Peacock Passion" by Kim H. Ritter of Denmark.
It was made of bright, neon silks, and the pineapple blocks alternated
in shades of color and size of blocks across the quilt. Long, skinny
blocks on one side, short, fat blocks on the other, with various other
sizes thrown in.
* I liked a Lone Star quilt with Mariner's Compasses around the
outside of the star. This was from Deborah DeRoche of Riverside, CA.
* I liked one called "One Hundred Birthdays" by Janet Robinson of
Highlands Ranch, CO. She says "For "Celebrations" I chose birthdays,
depicting 100 birthdays with 100 pieces of birthday cake and 101
candles." It was really cute - blocks made of slices of cake. Some
layer cakes, and one laying on its side. One piece had a candle in it
and the border had the rest of the candles appliqued. The back also
had a piece of cake with the 101st candle. Great idea for a scrap
quilt.
* There was a lot of trapunto and stipple quilting. I just found out
what stippling is - I've been hearing the name and then seeing that
squiggly quilting (like is popular for icing on wedding cakes) but
didn't know the two went together.
* It was very hot and very crowded and the exits were all locked, so if
there was fire we'd die. Now I know to go in the late afternoon,
past 3pm. Sunday afternoon is the best time.
* The show closed at 5pm on Friday. I thought that stunk, it should
have stayed open until 8pm like it did on Thursday and Saturday.
*There were vendors in the same room, unfortunately. I bought a
magnet set that you put on your quilt and it holds your scissors and
needles, a new fangled "thimble" that's a strip of metal you hold in
your hand (my finger turns brown and nasty from a thimble so I bought
it quick), some button covers, etc.
* Vendors at the Executive Inn were very expensive I thought ($8 for
a yard of fabric) but the vendors at the Kentucky Oaks Mall were
more reasonable.
* Funniest thing in the book was: Jill Hoevel Bryant, St. Peters, MO.
"Committed". Blanket stiches with a few thousand french knots assure
my room at the asylum. Each flower head required 3 hours of stitching
and the 92 phlox at the bottom only 1 1/2 hours each. We won't mention
the 310 paper applique leaves or the 48 stems totaling some 1,245
pieces. All who witnessed my insanity said I was crazy; thus the name
"Committed," which sums up my true feelings for this quilt.
Second runner up: Deanna D. Dison, Spearsville, LA
"Eye of the Storm" Several variations of Log Cabin blocks. Color and
placement of the blocks gives a feeling of uneasiness. Another name
is "Hardheaded Kids, You Can't Tell Them Anything."
* I found the comments of the Japanese quilters very artistic and
"feely" and more personal than the Americans: "quiltmaking makes
me all free and very happy" "I had a good time while I was making it"
"I'm happy if you can see...." "I hope all people will preserve them
[native american land and culture] for the future" "I tried to stress
the depth by accurate and detailed drafting..." "with each flower I
quilted, the memories of my childhood, my first love, were coming to
me endlessly".
* One woman copyrighted her quilt name. Gretchen B. Hill, San Jose,
CA. SHAZAM (c). Oh, just noticed another - GUALALA RIVER BED QUILT (C)
by Nan S. Becker of Carmichael, CA. And "Light at the End III:
Reflections on Me & Greg (C)" (like someone was gonna steal THAT name).
That afternoon we went downstairs and looked at the wall hanging quilts:
* I saw "A day at the beach". VERY cute. By Linda Cantrell of
Oakland, CA. It had Dolly Parton, the Energizer bunny, a sea serpent,
etc.
* There was one quilt that was little 1.5 cm squares sewn
togther, but the front was the "wrong" side of the stitching, so all
those raw edges stuck out. From a distance it looked like an
impressionist painting. Yellow Flowers, by Ruth Reed from the UK.
* I particularly liked a quilt which I can't find in the book, but
it was a view through a window, and the scene outside had all the
elements of the 12 days of Christmas song. Sitting in the window
is Mary holding Jesus, you can just barely see her shoulder and
arm holding him.
* There was quilt in the book called "Mostly Lichens" that 's all about
different types of lichens! I don't remember seeing it and it\s
driving me crazy trying to imagine it.
* I can't remember much of this part, unfortunately. I really have a
terrible memory.
Then we dragged ourselves to the pool area, where there were mostly vendors,
but some teacher's quilts. I got an Electric Quilt demo and bought some
fabric (Egyptian, bright cats, bright faces, moccasins).
That was pretty exhausting.
Saturday we went to the quilt museum ($3):
* They had the winners for the past few years. BEAUTIFUL quilts.
I care all that much for last year's winner with the airplanes, though.
Fine workmanship, but I am just not impressed with a picture you can
applique. I prefer to see quilts from someone that has so much talent
and vision that the beauty of it is from color placement and selection,
interesting use of patterns, etc. etc. Something that i would say
"I'd have never even thought of that!" Very few applique quilts get
that reaction from me. I appreciate them, and want to make many of
my own, I just prefer non "picture" quilts. The museum had just really
awesome quilts.
* They had a display of double wedding ring quilts. Very inspiring -
some were really different and just barely did even qualify as double
wedding ring!
* The had a display of "modern" quilts that I didn't like. There were
basically funky wall hangings made of textiles.
*I know the museum is new, but I was hoping for more history. There
weren't any really old quilts, no coverlets, no history of quiltmakers
or quilting, etc. Some sort of display about how quilts are made
would have been nice, including equipment. My friend didn't know
anything about quilting, and seeing the stages of one would have helped
her.
*They had a great bookstore. I got inspired and bought a book on how
to improve my quilting stitch.
I wanted to go back and look over the quilts again, but I thought I'd save
that for later and went to Hancocks:
*It's in a barn-like building.
*It's huge.
*However, it's really not laid out for quilters. They have the
fabric laid out by manufacturer not color. They also cut their fabric
and do not tear it, a big minus in my book. I bought fabric but
ended up tearing off about 3-4 inches on every piece to get it straight.
* I found a beautiful
fruit print with a tan background and rusty colored peaches and
olive leaves. I looked for a green to go with it, and had to walk
up and down every aisle and never found one (hence my need for color
grouping).
* I bought a neat little fold up mat that will lay on my rotary cutting
board and i can iron without dragging out my ironing board. I
also got the following fabric: the fruit, matching Kona cottons (feels
GREAT), the sewing house plans in red, green dog fabric, a straw-
looking fabric with eggs laying in it to make a basket for the egg
basket quilt I'm working on. Probably more, I can't remember. I
am buying novelties for my charm quilt (every block different and
every block interesting) and only need a 6" square, but they required
1/2 yard minimum, so I didn't buy much. Only $100 worth. Oh, I
also got inspired by this summer vegatable fabric (eggplant, peppers,
squash) on black background that i have, because i found a fall
vegetable fabric that's similar. Now all I have to do is fine a
winter (christmas?) and spring (strawberries?) on black and I've got
the makings of a 4 Seasons quilt. If the winter and spring could
be with orange colors I'm set.
Then I went to the mall where they had a really disappointing "quilt show".
I expected a variety of interesting quilts, but it was just one person's
collection of 1930s kit quilts and you couldn't take pics. Sorry if you love
1930s kit quilts.
However, the vendors were much more interesting and much cheaper.
I bought some green fabric, Santa fabric, flying pigs, moose. Also I found
a really neat kit for a tree skirt that has the nativity scene on it in
dimensional applique. To do after the christmas quilts, after the charm
quilt, after the 4 seasons quilt, after the wallhanging with the peaches and
Kona cotton fabrics.
Well, I never had time to make it back to the Executive Inn. I really should
have. By Sat at 5pm I was exhausted and I didn't want to pay $5 again (what
a cheapskate - after i spent $100 on fabric). But that would have been
a great time to go, the crowds really thinned in the afternoon. Sunday
afternoon is the best time to go, most everyone has left by then.
I also never made it to the Rotary show.
Some stuff I noticed/thoughts about the show:
* There were no Amish-style quilts.
* There were quite a few Mennonite women in attendance.
* There were a lot of men there, but not actually looking at the
quilts, more like waiting for their wives. I did overhear one man
discussing the "interesting use of traditional block design in a
contemporary quilt". A very enlightened man.
* Youngest person there (of their own free will) was 27, my friend
Dana. Average age was about 62.
* I was disappointed that there weren't any new, cool gadgets. Mostly
it was the same stuff my quilt shop has. Except the new "thimble".
I guess that's just the engineer in me.
* Most fabric sold in 1/8 and 1/4s were about $8 a yard!
* There was an INCREDIBLE amount of workshops and lectures to go
to, but since this was a last minute trip I didn't go to any. Next
year....
* The Executive Inn had food stands set up pretty well to get
sandwiches and fruit b/c restaurant lines were pretty long, and it was
all expensive. They did convert some men's restrooms into womens and
that was a big plus. If they could just get the airconditioning
running....
* The man who started the show sat at the front entrance greeting people
almost all day. I thought he was just some worker checking hand stamps
until I read an article about him in the paper on Saturday!
* Except for the crowds around the quilts, it really wasn't that
bad in Paducah, crowd-wise. Even Hancock's wasn't horrible like
I thought it would be. Everyone in Paducah was really very nice.
Every shop from MacDonalds to dentist offices had quilts hanging in
the windows.
* The quilts were diplayed in little 3-sided "boxes" made of curtains
hanging on rods and the quilts on the rods. That meant
that the back quilt was pretty far away and the side quilts were
at right angles. It made them all hard to see. I would have rather
they angled them more shallowly so you could get closer. Of course, then
they couldn't pack them all into that room.....
* I noticed quite a few quilts w/o hanging sleeves. Now why would any-
one submit a quilt to a show w/o putting a hanging rod on it?
* I never heard anyone mention Shannon's name or his quilt. I noticed
there there were no quilts commemorating death or illness or anything
else like that, although there were many environmental quilts, one
pro-life quilt (or at least i thought it was, the one that had Jesus
with the children - it said "Life - God's most precious gift" on it),
and one pro-Clinton quilt (or so I thought, it's called A Chance at
Change by Darlene H. Skog, Santa Barbara and she says "My emotional
response to what went on in the media throughout the 1992 elections").
* I have to admit that I tried to pack as many quilts as I could into
2 days, and watched all the quilting channel I could. It got to be
overload after a while. Next year I'm definately spending more
time on it.
* The only person I saw with a blue star nametag was a lady about
92 years old. I asked her if she was on QuiltNet or Internet and
I suppose she thought I was crazy. Turns out there were a number of
QuiltNetters there but I never saw a one!
Well, it's always easier to criticize than complain, but I really had a great
time and am definately going back next year! Hope you get something out
of all this typing......
--
Lesley P. Burnette Intergraph Corporation
Program Manager, Electronics Huntsville, AL 35894
llbu...@lesley.b23b.ingr.com (205) 730-8597
Cheers Trivia Question*********************************************************
19: What is the name of the wooden Indian statue that stands by
the door? [*1] =1
Answer to Question #18*********************************************************
18: Sunday. [Woody for Hire, and Norman of the Apes]
*******************************************************************************
Mary Jane Pickering
llbu...@lesley.b23b.ingr.com (Lesley Burnette) wrote:
[Lots of fabulously interesting information deleted]
Thanks Lesley. Being not only a beginner quilter and new to America, I
never even knew that Paducah existed until a few weeks ago. Your review
has certainly whetted my appetite. Maybe if I can ever figure out where on
earth Paducah is, I'll attempt to get there one day! Thanks again for the
effort.
MJ
--
Anzac and Raglan's Mom.