At the Quilt Show!

QuiltFest has come and gone by the time I got to write this post, but we'll spend a few more days looking at what was going on.
There were 465 quilts in the final count for the competition...well, some were competing for ribbons and prizes, but the rest of us were just sharing our latest efforts!
Here is "Roxanne's Honeymoon":
And hanging next it it is the infamous The Black T-Shirt Quilt:
I received many nice comments on both, but The Black T-Shirt Quilt was really fun. Some people called it The Star Wars Quilt, lots of people liked the "10 Reasons to Procrastinate" block, and one lady was delighted to find out that it really was the Celtic rock band 7 Nations shirt used in there.
This "Lazy Log Cabin" by Nan Moore. What fun! Check out her new book of free motion quilting patterns, quilt appraisals, classes and long arm quilting at Moore & Moore Quilts.
Did you collect a lot of those Japanese neutral colors? So did Pat A.!

"Where Did the Yellow Go?" by Elaine S. gives us a set of vintage blocks with a striking way of using the between-block seams as a design element.

Several members of my guild made quilts from the Japanese Puzzle pattern. Margaret S. added a rice bowl, embellished with beads for rice!

"Sunflowers, Sunshine & Daisies" by Margaret H. made a fantastic show at the end on one aisle.

Pat D's "The Hundred Year Quilt" is a great example of how black makes colors sparkle.

Simple quilts are an important part of any show. This was done by John M. who is about 9 years old, and obviously a Gators fan!
Ocean life is an ever-popular theme, as beautifully shown by Arlene B. with "Living Jewels of the Deep" in the Large Art Quilts category.

"Pledge to the Earth" by Gretchen J. gives us a timely message and delightful use of lettering on a quilt.

This is entirely beaded! "The Divine Miss M" by Bonnie Ouellette is divine indeed!

"Misty Mountain Flowers" was designed Kitty Gonzalez and made by her guild...who remained nameless on the information tag! I saw this beauty at both check-in and judging and was happy to have a chance for a longer look at the show. Here's a closer look for you:
That is some fantastic machine quilting!
I'd have to say there have been incredible advances in machine quilting over the last few years. It's a noticable improvement at most quilt shows.

Many shows have a Challenge. This year's theme was "Recycling the Past". Since I'm a button lover, I really enjoyed this quilt by Dawn O. "Buttons and Beads In A Rusty Box".

Stay tuned for some more views around the show!