The Quilt Show!

Well, it was quite the weekend and I loved it. I look forward to the Quilt Show every year and I love seeing a lot of you there and most of all, I am glad when we come back and put the store back to rights again.

For those of you who aren't familiar, Maine Quilts is Maine's largest annual quilt show, held at the Civic Center in our state capital the last weekend of July. There are hundreds of quilts, thousands of attendees, and about 40 vendors (such as yours truly) who bring their latest and greatest to sell in a booth and hopefully make some new friends and attract customers to our store.

I snapped some photos of our booth:


































































































































































































And here are some of the quilts we hung in our booth:























This quilt block is traditionally called the "Antique Rose," but this particular version comes from the book "Material Obsession 2," which is one of our favorites at the shop. In the book, the quilt has 2 versions: one is called "Jazz Hands" and one is called "Erica's Honesty."
























This one is called "Heaven's Stairway" from the book "Quilt Lover's Favorites Volume 4" and we'll be listing kits for it in the online shop later. The background fabric is our favorite bleached 200 thread count muslin from Moda and the half-square triangles are all made up from our favorite signature color here at the shop: red!
























The "Alice in Wonderland" Turning Twenty kit all done up as a quilt. I love this one. I think when the kits are gone it will have to come home with me and live in one of the spare bedrooms.
Barbara Commeau did a great job quilting it in that swirly pattern, don't you think?


And here are some of the quilts that were on display at the show:



































































Can you guess what these are?

It was a whole row of quilts made from wedding dresses, which I thought was a fabulous idea, but you should have heard some of the comments coming from the spectators at the show: yowza!

I guess hell hath no fury like a woman with an opinion about what OTHER women should (or should not) do with their wedding dresses.

If there is one thing I love it is a healthy debate. Preferably among middle-aged Maine women.



















This was my favorite quilt. I think it's beautiful and I was glad to see it won a blue ribbon.














































This one was interesting. The colors reminded me of Liesl's Oliver+S fabric collections and the pattern started with a simple nine-patch that got chopped and re-stitched into this pleasing composition.














































You have GOT to love this Kaffe diamonds quilt: it really stood out at the show in a very good way.
























Fabulous use of color in this quilt.
























These trees were also from the book Material Obsession 2, just like our Antique Rose quilt.



















My friend Meredith made this quilt and there is something about it that I just love.

I like the subtle colors and the patchwork and the mix of photography on fabric and the quilting is lovely and the entire image really just reminds me of Maine. I think she nailed it.


And would you like to see what I bought at the show?

(I got some good stuff!)



















I got three pink half-yard cuts from my friend Cyndi's booth, which is all reproduction fabrics.

You've heard me mention how I love to go to Cyndi's shop, the Busy Thimble, when I am cheating on my shop. She has great stuff and Cyndi's my buddy.

I think it's a riot that the gal with the most contemporary shop (me) and the gal with the most old-fashioned shop (Cyndi) would have so much in common (like our mutual love for hexagons: I showed Cyndi mine and she showed me hers!).























The lovely Japanese fabric came from a booth that was all Japanese textiles. Nothing but for as far as the eye could see.

I could have picked at least three more designs, but in the end just chose the plummy flowers.

I like how it looks with the pink repros, don't you?

And the basket!























Every year at the quilt show there is a lovely lady with a booth called "Studio 55" filled with these gorgeous baskets from Africa and ever since I was 19 years old and went to my first quilt show I have wanted one of them.

I am so glad I didn't buy one for myself, because at the very end of the show this year, Mom surprised me and asked me if I would like her to buy me a basket for all my hard work at the show.

Umm, let me think: YES!!!

So this is the lovely basket that came home with me. I love it because it's so pretty but mostly because my Mom bought it for me, which I think was so sweet of her.

Even when you're in your thirties I guess your Mom can still spoil you a little (okay, a lot).

It was a great show. We live in a state filled with very talented, hard-working people, and we are by no means lacking in fabric stores.

Hope you enjoyed the photos and if you were there hope you had an awesome time (I know I did).

XO,

Rhea

PS Read all about Brooke's trip to Maine Quilts here, here and here!