Quilt Canada Part 1

I'm home from Quilt Canada, tired but happy! I could use a new pair of feet, but the rest of me survived quite well; I walked miles but every step was worth it. With 10 Shows to see (and yes I saw them all, several more than once) I knew my little footies would take a beating. I was grateful to be familiar with the Dal campus, so I had no trouble finding my way around nor did I need a map (bonus!). Like any trip I take, I went with a plan and knew what I would see and do each day to maximize my time. I was very grateful to have a parking spot at daughter's apartment so I didn't have to try and find parking- this was the only recurring complaint I heard from attendees -finding a parking spot was challenging!  But then, isn't it always, on campuses?? I must say, with all the rain we have had this spring, Halifax was so green- the trees were lush with foliage and the rhododendrons were in full bloom - beautiful!! Dear daughter and I had a

lovely long walk in Point Pleasant Park one evening (as if I hadn't walked enough at that point!!) and an exploratory drive through Sir Sanford Flemming Park another evening... plus I had a great stroll through the Public Gardens to enjoy all the blooms there, and dare I say it- never saw one mosquito!!! Hard to believe!
 Three Shows did not allow photography, but I think I took enough photos at the others to give you a good taste of what was there! Of course, the creme de la creme is the National Juried Show (NJS) and our Guild was thrilled to find out that THREE of our members had pieces juried into this prestigious national show. Although photos are not allowed of this Show, they did allow entrants to have their photos taken with their own pieces before the Show opened. Because one of our members (and good friend of mine) could not be there, I requested special permission to photograph her piece, so I am very pleased to show you Storm at Sea by M. Monica Washburn. Congrats Monica- it was a thrill to see
your piece hanging in the NJS! Also there early Wednesday morning was another FQG member Trudy Corey, so I felt privileged to get her photo with her quilt - Bill's Peony (above her head). Way to go Trudy! Congrats also to Kathy Tidswell whose thread -painted cape was accepted in the Wearable Art category. (I could not photograph her piece as she was not there, and I didn't want to get "evicted"!) I was also very proud to see FIVE other NJS entries from New Brunswick, and THREE of them won ribbons!! Congrats to ribbon-winners Juanita Allain (25th Anniversary Stars - Excellence for Originally Interpreted Traditional Wallquilt - 2nd Place), Judy LeClue (Saint George and the Dragon - Excellence in Workmanship Domestic Machine Quilting) and Sandra Betts (Just for the Peck of It -  Excellence in Innovation) and also to Juliet Nowlan who had two pieces in the show. I'd say that's a pretty darn good showing from our little province! Yay New Brunswick!!
Those of you who are CQA/ACC members will receive your National Juried Show catalogue with your Autumn issue of The Canadian Quilter. 
EDIT: Photos of the NJS winners can now be seen on the CQA website by clicking here.


The CQA/ACC Invitational Show is an exhibit  of quilts (not judged) by the CQA Board of Directors, the Editorial Team of The Canadian Quilter, the LOC (Local Organizing Comm.), the teachers, the judges, jurors and the Regional Reps. Of course I can not show you all the quilts, but here are a few which caught my eye:
 Spring by Deanne Hemphill (LOC) was hand appliquéd, hand embroidered and hand quilted by Deanne. This is one of four (seasonal) quilt designs by Sieglinde Schoen Smith. Because I met Ms. Schoen Smith and saw her original quilt ("Mother Earth and Her Children") I was most interested in this exceptional piece which I thought was certainly as well done as the original Mother Earth and Her Children quilt. Deanne said after working on this quilt for over two years, she may not be making Summer, Fall or Winter... Pity...



  
Looking West by Daphne Grieg (Editorial team) combined patchwork with a number of contemporary techniques such as fused appliqué, thread and fabric painting, couching and bobbin quilting. Her work celebrates elements and growth in nature, as well as her own personal growth as an artist. She focuses on visual texture of fabrics and surface texture created with stitching and surface embellishments. A photograph taken by Daphne's husband was the inspiration for this original design.



  

 






Marshall House by Susan Tilsley Manley (Teacher) caught my eye as I know Susan and I'm a fan of her work. Susan taught a portrait class for our Guild several years ago and she is truly a gifted artist. This is a new technique she has developed, reproducing photographs on fabric  using rust. Sounds interesting, doesn't it? And knowing Susan, she would make it fun too! Susan, a native Nova Scotian, had another of her "rusted quilt  creations" (for lack of a better term) in the SAQA Show, but no photos were allowed in that Gallery...   :(






I love a quilt with humour and Night Sail by Beth Cameron (Editorial Team) made me laugh.  Like Beth, I love looking at the names people give their boats, and she certainly did a fine naming job on all these little sailing vessels. Don't you just love her sense of humour? I hope you get a smile... In case you cannot read the names, they include Aqua-Holic, Time Well Wasted, Fog Ducker, Sloop du Jour, Passing Wind, Bow Movement, Fish 'N Chicks, Forget Me Naut, First Mistake II, Harvey Wharf Banger, Minnow Pause and Midlife Cruises.

Next up (on the left) is a large wall quilt by Jo Diggs (Teacher): A Full Tank is 71" x 79", hand appliquéd and machine quilted, and is one in her new Fish series. I love her use of color - wouldn't you just like to dive into this underwater scene and play with these delightful fish?
To the right of Jo's quilt is a wallhanging by Jackie White (Editorial team) titled Coneflower. Jackie and I have been blogging friends for a while now so it was great to finally meet her in Halifax. Jackie's work is often whimsical and fun and it just makes you smile. The flower petals are 3D, the cone is stuffed and the background fabric is hand-dyed by Jackie.

Grey Wolf  by Lezlie Zwaal (Regional Rep.- Alberta) really caught your eye when you entered the room. Her fabric choices were perfect and his eyes were so realistic. Lezlie did a great job on the thread work on this piece- her stitching helped to blend the fur colors and add texture. Grey Wolf is a design by Toni Whitney. You may be familiar with some of Toni's other designs- she has done a number of horses and other wild animals.








Canadian Landscape Triptych by Heather Lair (Teacher), is a sample of her original design and technique which she calls "Torn Strip Appliqué". (After seeing this piece, I was wishing I had signed up for this class... ah yes, hindsight is a wonderful thing... lol ) She stitches torn strips of fabric to  a quilted base to simulate landscapes - they were beautiful! The texture provided by the torn edges, ravelling threads, etc. certainly gave the effect of water, land, grasses waving in the wind, etc. Very effective indeed! Silly me, I did not get a photo of the entire triptych- just the individuals, close up.

 Lastly, Where Angels Play by Nova Scotia's own Laurie Swim (Teacher). Laurie is a well known Canadian artist who fashions realistic landscapes with fabric and thread, many of them typical of Nova Scotia's coastal areas. Laurie is a wonderful teacher who works and teaches from her studio in beautiful Lunenburg. Those students who took her classes this past week were fortunate indeed to learn from such a  Master Quilter. Where Angels Play is a scene of Sand Cove, in Blue Rocks N.S. (very near Lunenburg). This piece is just one example of Laurie's masterful use of chiffon and sheer organza overlays to create shadows and water reflections. She also uses hairy textured yarns, spun sari silk and lots of thread painting to create realistic effects in fields and meadows, on trees, etc.. If you are ever in Lunenburg, don't miss a visit to her Gallery.
That's it for today, folks. Next up - the Trend Tex Challenge Show.

Piece!
Linda

"We are all artists gently guided by our Master's hand, painting a vision called life. The blending of colors of joy, sorrow, wisdom and love inspire us to create a magnificent masterpiece of self. "
~ Linda LaTourelle