AQS Quilt Week With the Kiddos: A Belated Recap

Lars Test Drives a Gammill Long Arm Quilting Machine, as Anders Looks On

I just realized that I never got around to posting about AQS Charlotte Quilt Week!  I schlepped my whole family with me, and as you can see, the boys found plenty to interest them at the show.  After terrifying the Gammill sales reps by reprogramming their $30,000+ computerized long arm quilting machine, my 13-year-old son Lars was redirected to this manual long arm machine, which they graciously allowed him to play with for a LONG time.  Lars thought it was cool, and he did a pretty good job for his first try:

Custom Quilting by Lars

No, Mom did not buy him a long arm machine of his very own.  :-)  I did sign him up for an EQ7 Intermediate to Advanced Pieced Drawing class with Barb Vlack.  Barb's class was fantastic, and she was very kind and welcoming to Lars.  If any of you quilters out there own EQ7 software and you have kids or grandkids who enjoy art and computers, I highly recommend that you get those kids into an EQ software class if you ever have the opportunity to do so. 

Lars had already completed all of the workbook exercises that came with the quilt design software, and he had no problem keeping up with the class.  He created some really nifty quilt designs, several of which I would consider making into a real quilt:

Designed by Lars in EQ7

Designed by Lars in EQ7

Aren't those cool?  That boy needs to learn to sew up his quilt designs (and he WILL learn, but he has to finish his cross stitch project before he starts something new).  My mantra as a mother is "Do as I say, not as I do."  Ahem.

Now, for the eye candy from the show floor:

"Roses for Katrina" by Gail H. Smith, North Barrington, IL

I have a soft spot in my heart for antique red and green applique quilts, and this one by Gail Smith struck a chord with me.  I really like the way the borders were quilted, too:

Detail of "Roses for Katrina" by Gail Smith

"Roses for Katrina" took home a 2nd place ribbon for its meticulous workmanship and truly striking design.  I'm sure those white chains in front of the quilts were there to stop people like me from drooling all over them.

"Adagio" by Dianne S. Hire, Northport, Maine

Next to catch my eye was another applique quilt with extensive but artfully subtle beading and surface embellishment, "Adagio" by Dianne Hire.  This is probably what inspired me to add beading to my monogrammed sewing machine cover.

Detail of "Adagio" by Dianne S. Hill

Detail of "Adagio" by Dianne S. Hill

See what I mean?  The beads and tiny buttons aren't what you notice right off the bat about this quilt, but it draws you in for a closer look and THEN you see the meticulous detail.  Perfection! 

"Fiesta Fireworks" by Julia Graber of Brooksville, Mississippi

I enjoyed seeing Julia Graber's "Fiesta Fireworks" raw edge applique quilt as well. 

"The Acacia: A Tree of Life" by Sue Gilgen of St. George, Utah

Anders and Bernie both really enjoyed "The Acacia: A Tree of Life" by Sue Gilgen. 

Detail of "Acacia" by Sue Gilgen

The detail and energy in that quilt are just incredible.

"Monument Valley at Sunset" by Cathy Geier, Waukesha, Wisconsin

Anders asked me to take this picture of "Monument Valley at Sunset," by Cathy Geier.  He liked how it was done in three separate sections so it looked like you were seeing the sunset through a triple window.

"Pi" by Cheryl Brickey of Greer, SC

Naturally my kids were excited to see Cheryl Brickey's "Pi" quilt, but Anders questioned why the quilter didn't use any circles or curves in a quilt that was supposed to be about pi.  Interesting observation -- perhaps someday he'll make his own Pi quilt with circles in it.

Anders also found the above posted notice hysterically funny.  He liked the part about how our likenesses could only be used throughout the KNOWN Universe, and pointed out that if they find any ADDITIONAL places in the Universe, they will need to get our permission to include our voice and likeness in whatever photos or videos we might have accidentally stepped into. 


"Autumn Journey at White Oak" by Kathryn Zimmerman, Mars Hill, NC

"Autumn Journey at White Oak" by Kathryn Zimmerman was another 2nd place ribbon quilt that I adored.  Look at the gorgeous dimensional ruched applique flowers:

Detail of "Autumn Journey at White Oak" by Kathryn Zimmerman

Finally, after ignoring the Dear Jane craze for SO long, I was smitten against my will by this beauty:

"Jane as a Teenager" by Anya Tyson, Wellsboro, PA

The faithful reproductions of Jane A. Stickle's famous Civil War era quilt never did it for me, but seeing this version of bright, sparkling miniature blocks against a dark background won me over.  Here's the original quilt, made by Jane A. Stickle in 1863.  The blocks are 4 1/2" and there are over 5,000 pieces in this quilt:

Photo by Ken Burris, courtesy Bennington Museum & Vermont Quilt Festival 

I had to order Brenda Manges Papadakis' Dear Jane book immediately when I got home.  I won't be STARTING this immediately, since I'm already in the middle of four other quilts and it might be nice to FINISH a quilt this year.  But I have added a Jane quilt to my Wanna Do List.

Meanwhile, if I keep writing such epic blog posts, I won't get ANY quilting accomplished!