A Quilter is Born By Cheryl Clossin

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October/November 2001

Review of 2001 Washington State Quilter's Quilt Show
By Cheryl Clossin and Judith

Judith's Report: The 23rd Annual Washington State Quilters Show was held at the Convention Center in downtown Spokane, WA. Of course we have to include a photo from the location of the quilt show which is on the bank of the beautiful Spokane River. Although our columnist, Cheryl, didn't include her photo when she wrote her column, I did manage to talk her into posing with one of her entries, a wall hanging with the plaid cat and bird. Very cute and not a bad photo of Cheryl, either. Inspiration can also be found at quilt shows by visiting the vendors booths. As I was walking by Ginny's Quilts' booth, a very subtle quilt caught my eye. In talking to the shop owner, Ginny, she explained that the baby quilt was done using Trapunto or Shadow Quilting. The quilt is hand (or machine) quilted as you would a whole cloth quilt. Then colored yarn is carefully inserted in the outlined areas. The Carousel Horse shows a closer image of this technique followed by even closer detail. Ginny explained that the baby quilt was 14 years old and had been lovingly cuddled, spilled on, and washed without the yarn or design fading or bleeding into the off white quilt top. Ginny has quilt kits available using this technique and in the kit are all of the materials that you will need for this beautiful Trapunto technique. For a catalog or more information, you can write Ginny's Quilts at P.O. Box 486, Clearwater, KS 67026 or call 620-584-2554. Ginny also offers a line of Pre-Marked quilt tops in many sizes plus patterns for many sizes.

Another vendor, In Good Company from Hamilton Montana had new designs. They were showing one new pattern in two different colors and quilting styles. The blue and green wall hanging is done with hand applique and machine quilting. The blue background wall hanging is machine appliqued and machine quilted. In Good Company does hand dyed fabrics, hand dyed silk ribbon, silk ribbon kits and original quilt designs. Their web site is http://www.ingoodcohanddyes.com

Sadly, my time and camera memory ran out before I could visit all of the over 41 vendors. Stay tuned for next year's show!

Judith

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Cheryl's Report:

Whenever I smell the crisp scent of fall and wonder at the beautiful changing colors of the leaves I know that the Washington State Quilter's quilt show is once again upon us. The set-up crew hangs the quilts, vendors booths are set-up, doors are open and the quilter's and public alike crowd the Spokane Convention Center to look in awe at all the wonderful quilts our over 800 member guild talent has created this year.

This year the show was in it's 23rd year and was called "A Garden of Quilts". We always have a featured quilter and this year it was Lonnie Zundel. She is a talented quilter and designer who creates beautiful artistic quilts and wall hangings. They are truly spectacular. This show is not a juried show but the quilts are voted on by viewer choice.

Our WSQ show hosts over 41 vendors and, needless to say this is as much a part of the fun and excitement of the quilt show as are the quilts. There were booths from all over the area in Washington State and each booth was packed with fat quarters, patterns, thread and all kinds of wonderful wares. We have free demonstrations all day every day of the quilt show by teachers, the featured quilter and many others in our area. All are well attended and presented.

A Garden in Quilts boasted over 500 entries which were all wonderful and amazing. It is truly fun to wander through the quilt show and stand back and watch someone admiring your entry. Below are some of the fantastic quilts that were entered and at the end of the article we will provide you with a link to view more of the quilts. We applaud all the entrants for their hard work and dedication to the art of quilting and I can't wait to get started on my quilt for next year's show (or finish one of the 5 or so that I currently have in various stages of completion).

This stunner was made and machine quilted by Florence Coffey. It is an absolutely beautiful Medieval alphabet quilt and the detail in each block is incredible. She says that each block took her about 15 hours to make (I believe it). It was machine appliquéd, embroidered and quilted. This quilt created a lot of buzz around the quilt show and the statement "it belongs on the cover of a quilting magazine" was heard many times. It truly is a magnificent quilt! It won first place in the Novelty Quilt category and also won President's Award.	Medieval Inspirations by Florence Coffey
This beauty won first place in the Pieced & Machine Quilted category. It is a repeat pattern of the same block but what sets this quilt apart (other than the wonderful piecing) is the quilting. Very detailed feathers in the border and around each block and the way it was incorporated into the quilt makes the quilt just pop!	Wedding Stars by Barbara Durheim
This first place award winner in the Hand applique, hand quilted category was made by last years WSQ president, Dorie Clark. She used trapunto quilting in many of the blocks and it really makes this quilt a stunner. The hand quilting is magnificent.	Elly's Tulips by Dorie Clark
These lovely cottages have an enormous amount of intricate detail and she used quite a bit of silk ribbon embroidery as well (which she says she won't be using any time soon). Edwes won first place in the Large Wall Hangings, Hand Quilted category.	Seasoned by Piecemakers by Edwes Wille
For the last couple of years, WSQ has had a Pun Challenge category. The participants are required to use one or both of a required fabric in a large quantity within their wall hanging and it must be a pun of some sort. This quilt won first place and is a riot. It really needs to be seen to be appreciated as Barbara used little beads on the back of the 'foundations' and several other details which really made this quilt stand out. She won a 1st place ribbon in this category.	Foundation Piecing Class by Barbara Lambrecht
This is the 2nd place ribbon winner in the Pun Challenge category. It is also a riot and must be seen up close to be appreciated. Linda said that in all the years she has been quilting she always heard that 'value is so important' and she tried to figure out a way to make this into a pun and came up with the 'hue' idea.	The Importance of Hue shown with quiltmaker Linda Hansen
This quilt won the 2nd place ribbon in the Applique and Hand quilted category. She says that it took a long time to complete because she put all the 'leading' on by hand. It really is a stunner. There is a great deal of leading and the colors really pop!	Looking Through a Special Window by Ginny Muench
This quilt won the 2nd Place ribbon in the Pieced and machine quilted category (which is a huge accomplishment as this category has by far the largest number of quilts entered). This quilt really has to be seen in person to be truly appreciated. It is 2 colors, white and blue and other than that alone making it stand out, the machine quilting is wonderful. It really is what makes this quilt spectacular!	Simplicity by Mindy Cardwell
This quilt won the 2nd place ribbon in the Combined and Machine Quilted category. It is a wonder of detail. The book titles were books Jean's Dad had written and the other items on the shelves are keepsakes from her parent's 50 years of marriage. Aside from the wonderful applique, this quilt is a clever way to celebrate an anniversary.	50th Anniversary Quilt by Jean Carlen
This quilt won the 1st place ribbon in the Combined and Hand Quilted Category. I remember running over to look at this quilt while I was setting up. The blocks are wonderful and interesting and the hand quilting is fantastic! It was done by Kelly, as a block of the month and it took her six years to make!	Times & Seasons I by Kelly Fisher
WSQ has a youth category and there are a surprising number of entrants in this category which is exciting as it's always fun to see the up and coming quilters. This quilt is a beauty! Sarah is 10 years old and as you can see she is very pleased with her contribution (as she should be)! I love seeing the young quilter's, it makes me wonder what they will make 20 years from now!	Purple Wonders by Sarah Kliewer

If you'll go to the link (provide link here) you'll see many of the other quilts entered. All are wonderful and great inspiration to all of us. The one thing I noticed this year was that we quiltmaker's all seem to have a strong sense of perseverance. On many of the quilts I noticed explanations by the quiltmaker that stated that the quilt had taken many years to complete, or that it had been ripped out and started again many times over or other variations on that theme. This really was what inspired me to go home and look at my stacks of works in progress and not feel overwhelmed. So what if it takes several years to complete. The key is the sense of accomplishment of completing a project and the ultimate enjoyment of your quilt for many years to come and hopefully many generations to come! I hope you enjoyed our virtual show!

Pictures - Page 1  Pictures - Page 2

To contact Cheryl, send an email to cheryl@fabrics.net