Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Vermont Quilt Festival - a most excellent adventure!

We (46 of us) boarded the bus at 8:00 a.m. and headed out for a most wonderful adventure! There were only two minor glitches, both of which ended up on the positive side. 1) We had to divert our trip slightly to pick up another bus as our toilet was not functioning. We ended up with a newer, more comfortable model! and 2) we ran into construction/accident traffic which forced us to seek an alternate route through Vermont's beautiful countryside. We still landed in Essex Junction in plenty of time to shop at Yankee Pride Quilt shop. We then headed over to the hotel to check in and get ready for the Gala Champagne preview. We entered the venue through the "prepaid" entrance which is where all the "special" exhibits were.

The first thing I saw was the magnificent collection of quilts from Deb Grana and Sharon Waddell. It was without a doubt the best exhibition of antique quilts I ever seen at a quilt show. Both Sharon and Deb are very gracious about sharing their collection. I was of course mesmerized for an hour or so. Finally, a friend broke the spell by asking me where my quilt was displayed. Wow, I forgot all about it. We headed into the main hall to look for it. I was so surprised to see a red ribbon attached! But, it also had a little gold safety pin on it and I couldn't figure out why until another friend came by and asked me why I wasn't at the awards ceremony, and "didn't you hear your name called?" Long story short, I was also "honored" with a judge's Choice ribbon from Sue Nickels.
I feel particularly honored since I consider Sue to be one of the greatest "machine queens" of the quilt world and for her to choose my all hand appliqued and hand quilted potholder method quilt, I was speechless! (and for those of you who know me, I am rarely speechless!) I'm sorry to say that I failed to get permission to post any of the contest quilt photos I took. Deb and Sharon however are happy to have us share their quilts with those of us who appreciate them. 
Thank you Deb and Sharon!!
Here are a few of my favorites. I'm not going to caption them so if you have any questions, please let me know and I will give you the information that was published in the show booklet.  

There were early quilts


and eagle quilts

and a super fun "Trip Around the World"
here is a close up - look at that fussy cutting!

another favorite - these stars were amazing!
close up

a great sampler

lots of great red & green


This was my favorite and when I asked Deb for permission to reproduce it, she said "by all means, but I think you are crazy!" We'll see!

just look at those grapes and tendrils and piping!

I don't think I will do the conventional red & green. Hmmm, maybe cheddar?
That's all for now. I will post more later. If you ever get a chance to meet either of these fine collectors, do let them know how much we appreciate their custodianship! They are both members of AQSG and I think they are both planning on being at this year's seminar in Indiana. 
Enjoy the day!







23 comments:

  1. Congratulations Wendy for the ribbons ! Sue chose your quilt just because it' s awesome !!
    Thank you for sharing the show with the antique quilts and good luck if you decide to make the last one !! Ouch ! What a masterpiece !
    Have a nice day !
    Hugs !

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  2. congratulations...no surprise wendy as by now all should know about your excellent quilting expertise....and thanks for the eye candy....

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    1. Thanks Grace! It will be at the Maine show too. Hope to see you there!

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  3. Wonderful and congratulations on your ribbons! Your quilt is so crisp and pretty. One of these years I must make it up to the Vermont Quilt Festival! I love seeing antique quilts up close in person.

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    1. It is such a wonderful show. And beautiful ride too!

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  4. I can see why you were mesmerized! How wonderful to see so many great antique quilts. I don't mean to be disrespectful or snotty in any way, but why is it that people feel they have to get permission to reproduce antique quilts? I have always felt that if a quilt is old enough to be an antique then it should be an honor for it to be reproduced and as the original maker is dead, then who really 'owns' the creativity involved? Congrats on the ribbon for your wonderful quilt. Your work is really inspirational.:)

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    1. some people (myself included) agree with you! But if I know the owner, I would always ask and certainly give credit for the inspiration. I also like to see the original quilt to see how others interpret certain designs. I wouldn't hold my breath on me doing this one any time soon!

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  5. Congratulations - what a lovely surprise for you and such a sweet quilt! Thanks for all the pics - such a beautiful collection. I do just love the grape quilt - sooo many grapes but worth it!

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    1. I'm just not sure I could do it in just red and green although I certainly love your red CWB quilt!

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  6. I wonder how many circles are on that quilt!

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    1. Lots and lots! My record is 1,000 in one quilt. It was a fun one though!

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  7. Yes, congratulations on your ribbons. Your quilt is beautiful. The quilt that struck me was the star surrounded by the circle. The workmanship is great but what is interesting is the amount of yardage the quilter had to have access to make all the background and sashing the same. It must have been expensive.

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    1. Indeed! But actually if you look closely (not sure you can see it in this photo) she did run out of the sashing fabric and used something so similar it is hard to detect. Clever!

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  8. Beautiful quilts! Congratulations on your well deserved ribbons.

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  9. Congrats on your quilt! So nice to be rewarded for lovely hand work.
    The antique quilt display looks wonderful!!

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  10. Congratulations on your prizes. A closeup view shows the beauty of all the details. I was thrilled to see the photos and close ups you kindly supplied of the antique quilts and I would greatly appreciate the info on those quilts. Thanks in advance.

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  11. Congratulations on your quilt! It sounds like you had a wonderful time at the show. I really enjoyed seeing the pictures and closeups of the quilts!

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  12. Oh. My.
    THAT looks like it would have been a wonderful show to attend!!!
    I love all of the quilts you have pictured - including yours!!! Congratulations!
    I've been mesmerized looking at the photos you took, only wishing I could enlarge them more! Those fabrics in the stars quilt!, and the Sampler!
    Truly, each of them had something wonderful going for it!
    And my favorite of the pictured?
    The Grapes, of course! - I will if you will! :)

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  13. Thanks so much for sharing your pictures and the trip!

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  14. Congratulations on your special ribbon! a great honor.
    Thanks for sharing some photos - I'll have to plan to go next year.

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