Sisters Quilt Show 2025: Rainbow Pop

 One of the themes I noticed at the quilt show were these high-contrast quilts with rainbowy colors. 

This one isn't as bright or modern, but it has that country appeal that goes back to the era that I started getting interested in quilting. Back when the quilt magazines had newsprint pages and very few color photos, and you had to use a lot of imagination. (Just a side note-- I was really young, okay!)

This isn't quite the contrast, more creams and "low volume" in the background, but we loved the bright birds. Can you see the hummingbirds in the quilt at left?

Sisters Quilt Show 2025: Log Cabins

 It seems that this is all the blog is about now, ha! 

I don't know why but something seemed to be missing from the quilt show this year. In comparing notes with another acquaintance (who was there in different places than I), we both felt the same way about it even down to taking fewer photos. And it was the 50th anniversary of the show. I just didn't feel the same overwhelming inspiration, but of course it was not the quilt's fault because every quilt is worth seeing! I thought maybe it was because accompanied by two young boys this year instead of my usual quilt-interested companions, and although they were willing, I felt a bit rushed. It got hot early and I wanted to get them through it before they melted. 

"I liked it, but I did feel like a cooked noodle," the youngest told me. 

This seemed to be the Year of the Log Cabin.  I didn't get closer to the wall but it looks like the quilt shop was covered in log cabin variations. 

I tried to up the contrast on this one-- we were there early in the morning which is a good time for strong shadows! This is very "Northwest" and I hope you can see the mountain in the middle.

We met the maker of this one which was neat because we got to hear the story about it-- she had fun animals hidden in the quilting which she challenged folks to find!

Log Cabin with Baptist Fan quilting 

This one should go under the next category-- that of bright rainbow quilts, which was a secondary theme I noticed. See next post! 

Sisters Quilt Show 2024: Around Town

As we got close to this building, I started to suspect that I was seeing the SAME quilt over and over...

Indeed, it was a local quilt guild that decided to each make the same pattern, changed up to their own personal tastes.

The pattern is called "Urban Owls" if I remember that right.

 

 

They all seemed a little bit random to me, until I got to the Christmas version at the end. I think the pattern interprets well in Christmas colors!

 

The quilts hung from porches had the added feature of being able to walk around them and see what the backing looked like. Plus it was nice to duck into the shade for a while!

Across-the-street quilts. Last year we walked that side of town, this year we chose to start in a different area. I don't think it is possible to see them all!

Scrap-filled quilts on this row!

Colorful stars.

This was a popular quilt, deservedly so!

 

 

I was given some "orphan blocks" like those in this quilt. I guess I'll make them into potholders.

A beautiful subtle quilt in pale grays and yellows. It was hard to see the details in the bright sunshine, wish I could have seen it when the shade came over.

Even with a break for lunch we were too tired out to look at the rest, and it was too hot to keep going. We probably missed some amazing ones but hopefully we can do this again next year but not in triple digit weather!

 

If you want more, here is the post from last year and a post from 2015.

 

Sisters Quilt Show 2024: Twists on Tradition and some Inspiration

 

I like to look at quilts like this, and try to decide which square is the block that's being repeated.

A beautiful applique quilt with some felt pieces, laces and trims.

A glimpse of a tumbling blocks quilt, all hand pieced and hand quilted. The interesting thing here was that the little blocks made a different pattern in shadow and in sunshine!

A beautifully done sampler.

 

 This pastel quilt also looks different in shadow and sun.

 

This quilt was a show-stopper for me!

10,210 pieces, Read all about it!

I would actually like to make this. It would be exciting to see it come together.

I admire the diamond star and medallion quilts. I will probably never attempt one.

Beautifully done in traditional prints.

A traditional block but done BIG! 

I wish I had a better photo of this one, it deserves a lot of attention! Traditional blocks are overlaid with applique reminiscent of the block's names. 

I think this is a variation of the Drunkard's Path quilt block, at least it uses the pieces. Here it looks like a tropical flower or a pinwheel.

And now for some quilts that I took pictures of just for the inspiration:

 

This is simply half-square triangles. How hard could it be?

 

A case where the camera changed the quilt for me. In person, I hardly saw those gray squares, I only saw the "movement" of the red & white paths. When looking through the phone camera, the gray squares suddenly became prominent!

 

  Hexagon flower border... a good idea for an update of Grandmother's Flower Garden.

 

This should have been in my "brights" post, but I put it here with the other hexagon quilt as ideas for hexagons. I have been doing English paper piecing for a year or so, but only sewing a few hexagons every other week! 

 

Baskets with log-cabin-like fillings, and a delicate border. A very striking quilt for contrast and color.

Here's an idea for your old linens.

Each book here has a selvage for a title. No doubt the name of each fabric used. 

 

This quilt is not my type, but it gave me an idea for another way to use crazy quilt blocks: Impressionism.

This isn't quite a crazy quilt but it is a way to use up scraps, is this called crumb squares? I suppose if you are a dedicated quilter you have scraps with straight edges, whereas we dressmakers always end up with odd shapes better used in the previous style. I like these colors together.

One more post to come: scenes from around the town.