I went to the Quilter's Anonymous Quilt Show in Monroe on Sunday. It's the first quilt show I've ever been to and I loved it! They had around 500 quilts on display. I went hoping to feel inspired and to get a better idea of what it is that attracts me in quilting. I think it did accomplish that. Here are the kinds of things that attract me in quilts:
1. Color. Especially batik and hand dyes. Also beads & threads.
2. Applique. All kinds.
3. Creative applications rather than beautifully pieced or quilted traditional pieces.
4. Whimsy, but not silly.
I think my favorite quilt from the 500 was one in a special exhibition of japanese quilts. It wasn't particularly Japanese, though. It was covered with dragonflies of all different shapes & sizes, going everywhere and appearing to be coming out of a pile of leaves at the bottom. It was a bit chaotic, but filled with so much interest and fun (especially finding all the dragonflies and separating them from the leaves!) that it just really pulled me in and kept me searching for more dragonflies!
There was another Japanese quilt that I didn't entirely get, but I loved the beautiful hand embroidery and silk ribbon embroidery on it. I also enjoyed the display of the featured artist and got some tips from her on learning to machine quilt (reduce your max speed by half and then floor the pedal). She had a quilt of 2 trees with machine quilted branches and twigs that was stunning. I liked her handmade-looking jacket, too! It was turquoise and covered with square patches in various colors that had been sewn on.
It was inspiring, but daunting, too. Most of these people are SO good at piecing, appliqueing, quilting, and just everything they do. There were very few quilts that made me feel like I could get in there and compete. I don't do well at all compared to these. But what a wonderful thing that so many people can make such beauty! I have to keep working at it and improving my skills. Practice, practice, practice!
