Chicago Quilt Show

So the Chicago Quilt Festival has come and now is gone. It is over for Chicago and on for Cincinnati, Ohio in 2011. I’m not sure if it was just me or if anyone else seemed to notice… but there didn’t seem to be as many quilts displayed as in previous years. Lots of empty space on the quilt display side of the house. There just didn’t seem to be as many quilts big or small hanging… and while I like antique quilts, after a while, they all start looking the same. Not sure about the vendors, but I did notice a few vendors missing and a few we could do without altogether (giant stuffed animal pillows and home dec stuff). I did not sign up for any classes, because the instructor/class list was dismal at best. Only one class I wanted to take from the entire class list and of course it sold out in minutes, (while I was in Africa). There is a hint from a quilt at the show.

The best part of the Chicago Quilt Fest is getting together with other quilters. On preview night, we planned a little picnic, 8 of us. We broke the rules and took our own food in -for several reasons. Who wants to eat the evening meal at 3:30 in the afternoon, there really isn’t any great food around the convention center, and the food at the convention center…. Well let’s just say lesson learned!!! Each of us brought something to share so that it was a little less conspicuous bringing it in. We headed for the dining area and grabbed a table, (we did not displace anyone, as most went right to shopping). I brought some sandwiches, “No Mess Chicken Salad”; others brought the water, the chips, the fruit and the cookies. We made short work of the meal and were fortified for the evening ahead. I think all of us opted for the vendors, as the aisles were not crowed and neither were the booths.

My Haul from the vendors... not too much.

As with last year, I invited a friend, (Karen) that lives in Madison WI to stay at my house… until she absolutely had to go home. Karen and I stayed up late… talking and since neither of us had a class on Friday did not hurry back up to the show. We spent the day looking at the quilts and then, just before leaving hit the vendors for all the things we wanted to buy, but didn’t want to carry around. For Karen it was inks and dyes and thread and for me it was mostly thread and a small dyeing kit. We both picked up some silk roving... Not sure what I will use it for, but it would make great doll hair.

We both had some favorite quilts!!! I forgot my big camera… but I did have my trusty iPhone, which does take some really great pictures and Karen had her camera, so between us we got the photos of the quilts that impressed us the most, for one reason or another…. Design, quilting, color or inspiration. So here I will post a couple for you to see too. (edit: I should say that the Easter Parade & Rhino photos are cropped, the iPhone can only see so much...)

 These Pelicans looked so happy and brite. They are machine pieced and machine quilted from commercial cottons.

 And this little quilt, part of the Hoffman Challenge. The detail of the Rhino was great and he looked like he was coming right out of the quilt at you. The rhino was thread painted and then appliqued on to the pieced background.

And if you ask me.... this quilt was fantastic!  This is the front of the quilt. The thread work on the heron is wonderfully illustrative.

Now scroll on down to have a look at the back.

So do I need to say any thing else?
The bobbin work was fabulous!
What do you say?

as always more later--

Beth