More Eye Candy...

Okay, ready for some more quilters' eye candy? One of the quilts which received a LOT of attention at Maine Quilts 2011 was Shattered Nine Patch Squared, made by Daniel Perkins of Rangeley ME. He was standing by his quilt and proudly discussing it with many interested viewers. It's a small bed quilt, 68" x 84", and can you believe it - I did not get a full view photo of the front of the quilt. But this closeup will give you a good idea of how it looked. He started with a stack of nine patch blocks, cut them on the diagonal, re-assembled and added sashing and corner stones. Very nice. But the great interest was in the BACK of the quilt. (They even had a sign pinned to the back saying that this was the back- just so people would realize, and be sure to look at the front!!) Yes, it was totally reversible and look what he did on the back. WOW!! Actually, I liked the back better than the front. I don't know if Daniel would be offended to hear that, but I suspect a lot of other viewers felt the same way. What a huge amount of work in this quilt. It was quilted by his wife Carol Perkins, who is a professional long-armer.

Hanging nearby was Starburst Galaxy, by Daniel's wife Carol. This quilt won a First place rosette in the Small Bed Quilt category. Here is a "fairly closeup" shot so you can appreciate the machine quilting, done by Carol. All the quilting is freehand!! Isn't it beautiful? Look at those feathers! This quilt was 69" square.



















Here's another quilt which had great appeal for me- it just made me smile, it was SO cheerful. Mi Lindo Solecito (53" square) was made by Yolanda Aliberti of Lewiston ME from the pattern Celestial Dream by Susan Powell, because her grandson's name is Sol, the Spanish word for sun. She did it as a family tree for him. It is machine pieced but hand appliqued, hand embroidered and HAND quilted!! Yeah! One of the few! It was simply beautiful - definitely one of my most favourites.

One of the things I like best about Maine Quilts is the interesting Special Exhibits. Besides the Guild Challenges which I love to see (they'll be shown on the next post), there are always several special exhibits - this year they included a traveling exhibit called Thread Tails and Vapor Trails. Thread Tails and Vapor Trails quilting contest honors the 100th anniversary of Naval Aviation (Navy, Marine and Coast Guard). Quilters were invited to create a Naval Aviation themed quilt. This challenge was the idea of Charlie Hoewing, wife of Vice Admiral Gerald Hoewing, US Navy (Retired). He is President and CEO of the National Aviation Museum in Pensacola FL, and Charlie, a quilter and museum volunteer thought it would be wonderful to have a quilt challenge centering around the 100th anniversary of Naval Aviation. Selected quilts will be displayed at many Centennial events during the year, as well as naval and other military museums and celebrations, and quilt shows/exhibitions. (Info from Maine Quilts catalogue) These quilts were amazing, so creative and technically very well done. The first one, at left, titled "Scrambled Eggs" by Pat Alderman of Fort Collins CO, received the Best Machine Workmanship Award in the Mixed Techniques division. Her inspiration was a propeller driven by the Mariner's Compass in the center. The "Scrambled Eggs" are a nickname for the Oak Leaves that are worn on the Officer's cap. The "Wings of Gold" are symbolic of her husband's naval career.

"Prowler on Cat 2" (at right) by Vinda Goulding Robison of Colorado Springs CO won first place in the Mixed Techniques division. Her original interpretation is a tribute to her husband's navy career of 27 years. Trying to decide what to do and how to cover a 27 year span was the challenge for her. One aspect she highlighted was his term as Commanding Officer of VAQ-132 Scorpions.

The Best Group Award was won by "Tiger 56" by Kathie Buckley of Woodbridge VA. She enlisted the help of her three daughters KC, Erin and Diana, hence the "group" award. Her quilted collage commemorates her husband's command tour of Patrol Squadron Eight (tiger). He was known as Tiger 56 - the 56th CommandingOfficer. The quilt depicts many memorable feats apart from the squadron's traditional anti-submarine warfare mission: Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring freedom,(footprints), Operation Unified Assistance -the search for tsunami survivors in Indonesia (wave), deployment to Japan (Samurai) as well as many happy family memories in Maine (lobster, hockey, moose).

"Going Home" by Karen Williamson of Pensacola FL tells two stories. It tells of sunset at sea- majestic, radiant, compelling. It also tells of brave F6F Hellcat pilots returning after their mission. Without radar capability, it was crucial they reach their carrier before sunset to land safely. Victorious for another day, they were "going home".

"Flights of Fancy" by Maria Elkins of Beavercreek OH really caught my eye, probably because of her wonderful depiction of the young boy. She says she bribed her friend's son to repeatedly jump off a chair so she could have a good photo to work from. When the quilt was done, he was more impressed with the "toy" airplanes in the border than by the life size portrait of himself! Look at the detail shot below for a closer look at her wonderful facial and hair detail. And the quilting!! Wow!! What great work.

All info on the above quilts was taken from the cards on the displayed quilts, or the Thread Tails and Vapor Trails website. The Thread Tails and Vapor Trails traveling exhibits will continue to tour around the USA for the remainder of this year- if you get a chance to see one, don't miss out!

My next post will show you some of my favourite Chapter Challenges. If you are a local reader be sure to scroll down and read my previous post. And if you have not yet entered my Giveaway, click here to read all about that.

Peace,
Linda

"Creativity comes from trust. Trust your instincts."
~ Rita Mae Brown