Fabulous!

Quilts to die for and vendors galore -- the Chicago quilt show was incredible! Overwhelming, too. I reached a point where I just couldn't absorb anymore, but with only one day there, I kept going anyway (duh!).

Photography was permitted for all but one section of the display quilts, so I took quite a few photos. I think I'll share pics of one or two quilts for the next few posts rather than trying to do everything at once -- and maybe you won't get the same overload I did. I'm so grateful that we could take photos! Most of the quilts in the "no photos" section are already lost to me.

First, a little of what I've been up to quiltwise. I got these batiks at the show and think they'll make a wonderful baby quilt.
The little packet on the right has 8 or 10 squares, each with a different image. I love the whimsy and I love the fabrics -- so much fun to pick them out!

I've been trying different backgrounds for my Stroop quilt but of course I had less than a fat quarter of my favorite. At the quilt show I found 3 more fat quarters of it. I might be able to get a pieced background from that, but the vendor said she's pretty sure she has 6 or 7 yards in her shop. She wrote down the info and asked me to email it to her and she'd check. Keep your fingers crossed! Just in case she doesn't have it, I bought this. Sadly, I was disappointed when I tried it out at home.
I also tried this. I like it, in fact I really like it, but it has a carnival feel and I don't think that's right for the quilt. But I like it more than the dots above. Still, I am hoping I get more of my first choice fabric, or that I can make do with the little I have.
I have finished my rainbow strings blocks, but haven't downloaded the photo. I also wrote up directions for what we've decided will be our guild's basic Project Linus block. It's easy to make with scraps at home, so we're hoping people will take a minute and make a block. I posted the directions on the Hearts for Linus blog and have already heard from several guild members that they've been making them. One person helped her grandchildren make 14 of them in one hour!
And now, two amazing quilts from the Chicago show. I don't know how the judges can possibly pick a Best of Show! I was awed by so many of the quilts, and they are so different. The two I'm posting today keep popping into my mind, so I'll share them first. This one is Dust Storm by Paramjeet Bawa. Be sure to click to enlarge it. Note how she made the trees, a blend of fabric and threadwork. The quilting helps define the picture, but see how she gives smoothness to the jars by not quilting them. I love the subtlety of the shading that gives the feeling of dust. And the women's robes -- well, wow!


This next quilt, Black Sheep by Laura Brown, is the only journal quilt I have a photo of (not enough time!). So few lines and colors, so much expression. It really draws me in.