Hey Ho, Hey Ho, Off to the Quilt Show...

On Friday my friend Barb and I headed "stateside" - yep we braved the lineup at the US border (25 minutes to get across first thing in the morning - why do I always seem to pick the slower moving line?) to attend the Friends and Needles Guild's quilt show in Houlton, Maine. It's been a couple of years since I've been to this annual show, and I was pleased to see they have found a new venue. The Education Centre was brighter and more spacious than their previous venue, however most of the quilts are hung in hallways so it was not easy to get good photos. I did not take many photos, but will happily share the few I did get.
It was a nice little show- some beautiful quilts, a lovely raffle quilt and a silent auction, a Guild Challenge and vendors! It's not easy to do a show every year, especially when your guild is not terribly large, so hats off to these gals. I always enjoy a show that goes that extra little step to add some interest to the show with "decor". This show is graced with the most beautiful bouquets of wildflowers - and not just a few bouquets- many! There had to be more than 20. They were gorgeous! Did I take any photos of the bouquets? No... duhhhh!! Sorry! You'll just have to believe me. I understand this is the undertaking of one member- and what a talented lady she is! I overheard her telling someone that most of the flowers she picked along the roadside - well I'd like to know what road she lives on, because she had such a wonderful variety - everything from cattails and rushes, berries and ferns to black-eyed Susans, Queen Anne's lace, goldenrod, and many more. Some were garden flowers as well- coneflower, hosta, phlox, etc.  Many of the arrangements co-ordinated colourwise with the quilt they were placed by. I hope the guild is lucky enough to hold on to this member for a long while- she is one valuable lady to the Quilt Show Committee!! She's a "keeper" for sure!! I wish I had noted her name...

 In my haste and excitement to get some photos of the quilts before the hallways got too crowded, I missed getting the name of one quiltmaker and the name of two quilts. I apologize - I always make a point of giving credit to each quiltmaker as I feel this is important  and some bloggers do not bother to do this.
This is the first quilt we saw upon entering the show. This is one of several that resulted from a Guild workshop taught by Kim Hazlett. It is always interesting to see different pieces from the same pattern or workshop, and see how the colour or fabric choices and the quilting design make them all unique. This one is made by Gayle Cyr (trusting my memory  and hoping I have her name correct) and quilted by Jan Frost.

Here is another from the same workshop. This quilt,
54" square, was made by Mary Anne Stewart and quilted by Anne Freeman. The design/pattern called Golden Harvest, is by Judy and Brad Niemeyer. Beautiful! I haven't seen a Niemeyer pattern yet that I didn't like!

















I'm sure I'm not the only quilter who is drawn to the quilts made in her favourite colours... Most of you know I am a big blue fan! So how could I not love this quilt- my photo really doesn't do it justice- it is done in rich deep blues and navys, and the lights included soft blue-greys and golds. This is one that I didn't get the complete info on. I know it was made by Kim Hazlett, and I'm guessing it was quilted by Jan Frost, but I don't have the complete title- I know it was Japanese...something.











Isn't that a lovely quilting design?














The next quilt that really caught my eye was yet another Judy Niemeyer design called Confetti, and not surprisingly it was made by Kim Hazlett. Kim made this 55" x 68" quilt for the guild's "30 Something" Challenge to celebrate their 30th anniversary. The quilt contains 30 colourways and over 90 different batik fabrics.

Oh yummy... such batik beauty!!

Upon entering the show we were handed ballots to vote for two Viewer's Choice winners, large and small. We were also to pick favourites in the 30 Something Challenge. This one got my top vote!   :)

Here is yet another beauty pieced by Kim Hazlett and quilted by Jan Frost, this one is called In A Pickle. The pattern is by Larisa Key and is available here. The quilt measures 57" by 64".
Each time I attend the Friends and Needles Guild's show, I am always drawn to Kim's quilts. Her workmanship is impeccable and we have the same tastes in colours and fabrics. I think I have to meet this lady!



























Lastly here is a lovely scrap quilt made by Sandra Troutt and quilted by Amy Shannon. Sandra called it Pick and Mix. What a great name for a scrappy project! I'm sure she had lots of fun going through her scraps and making choices of what to put together. It's a simple design - just four patches and half square triangles.

I hope you've enjoyed this brief look at "Celebrating Thirty Years of Quilts and Friendship", the 30th anniversary show by the Friends and Needles Quilt Guild of Houlton Maine.

Piece!
Linda

Quilters know all the angles...