Fun in New Hampshire

Have you been waiting to hear about my trip to the World Quilt Expo in Manchester? The Frayed Edges and I had such fun. I'm just going to jump into posting a bunch of pictures. Wonderful eye candy and inspiration, plus a few comments from me.

This is my very favorite piece of the whole show. Christine Restall's The Red Clay Road. I just adore it. Beautiful juxaposed piecing, stamping, leaves, leaves, leaves, metallics, wonderful quilting including three quilted archways that invite you to imaging ducking right under and into this stunning composition. I must track Christine down and tell her GREAT JOB!












Here's another favorite: Jan Clark's Coleopetera VIII Beetle Wing. Of course, I always love the grid layout. This is a stunning variation. And then the mix of translucents and metallics and quilting... and the one wonderful beetle chop-like image at the top right. Love it.
















Kathy and I especially love Elaine Bernard's The Gift of Friendship. Talk about embellishment. Wow. Here's a close up. I'm defintely inspired to do a larger piece with lots of hand embroidery.






I love the lettering with just one strand of thread and made with long straight lines. I sometimes worry about taking stitches that are too long. I guess I should put that out of my mind. And all thoses x's and French knots in the border. They just dance. Each figure has the same skin tone and red lips, and the blocks cross the color spectrum. We did think the fibery ribbons and hang tags distracted, but still stunning.






Speaking of large pieces with lots of hand embroidery. Check this out. Merete Nybro Berg's Summer Morning. Don't you just love that one curvy line? My detail shots just don't do it justice, so you'll have to take my word for it. Again with the grid. Brilliant.











Ah, Pamela Allen. Gull Girl. Oh, that we all looked this bodacious in our underwear. And tht birds came to roost on our arms and heads. Her other quilt, Two Sisters: One Tall, One Short won third place for Best Innovative. I like Gull Girl Better.















We were all impressed by this huge tryptic landscape. I'm sorry I don't have notes about who the author is. Could it be River Barge by Beth Miller of Australia?











Isn't this a clever and effective use of quilting. It's actually part of a three piece tryptic... all diferent birds with just those pops of color for feet and beaks.

















Love love love Carol Taylor.













I think this piece is quite remarkable. I wish I would have studied it more. It's called Cascade, by Linda Schmidt. You can't really appreciate the shape here, it's cut out on the side and hung from bits of ribbon. Lots of interesting materials incorporated here to give a sense of texture and movement.














Oh my goodness. Can you imagine the design, planning and construction of this piece? Ann Harwell's A Tree Falls in Yosemite. Of coure, if you've seen Church in the Wildwood, you'll recognize the style. Impressive.










Are you tired of looking at quilts yet? This one is Laura Fogg's To This Place God Gave Everything. Apparently these three little stone saints are sitting in her yard and have become over grown with vines and the life of the earth. It made me a bit sad that I won't be able to create little vistas like this in our Maine yard. Oh well, we'll have a new yard in Dallas.












I saw lots of wonderful quilts from artists in our blog ring. Melody's Matchstick Moons #2 is fantabulous. Tommy's With this Ring is wonderful. Liz Berg had two wonderful pieces in the Carpe Diem Exhibition. Anne Lullie had Fiesta Florabunda II -- oh the quiling, it's stunning! Forgive me if I forgot you.

Oh, I did some shopping too. I'll tell you about that later.