I had a fabulous time at the Minnesota Quilt Show in St. Cloud this year.  Most of the time found me teaching a variety of Electric Quilt classes.  The students were great, and I even picked up a couple of new tips from them.  

My favorite special exhibit were a variety of red and white miniature quilts completed by MQ member Ellen Carter and her sister Andrea Blackhurst.  These quilts were inspired by the 2011 Red and White Quilt Exhibit held in New York City.  My photography does not do justice to these quilts -- but let me share a few of my favorites with you.

Here is the quilt that won my faculty choice ribbon.  It is a miniature Dear Jane.  The blocks each finished 2" x 2".  I've started a miniature DJ of my own.  This has inspired me to get back to working on it.  The maker of this quilt is Barbara Larson from Chaska MN.

This tip was shared by one of my students.

When you want to add the same size border on all four sides, you can type the size in one of the boxes and then just click on the slider button.  It will change all the borders to this new size.

I historically did this by moving one of the slider bars.  I definitely prefer the "type and click" method.

Happy quilting.

Kari

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I'm a member of a quilt group - Dear Jane Minnesota.  We have been meeting for over ten years with the primary intent to encourage each other on the completion of a quilt (or quilts) inspired by the Jane Stickle quilt hanging in the Bennington Museum in Vermont.  The quilt was made popular through a book entitled "Dear Jane" written by Brenda Manges Papadakis. 
we have used her book along with the Electric Quilt CD to make our renditions of this masterpiece.  Every couple of years we like to have a show to display what we have been working on. 

These quilts are on display at Four Seasons Quilt Shop in Maple Grove Minnesota.  They will be on display through the end of September.

The star attraction of our show this year is Sherry Perry's Dear Jane.  The quilt is breath-taking and is definitely worth seeing in person with 225 blocks (every one different).  She did a fabulous job quilting it on her domestic sewing machine.

Paula's Halloween Jane Quilt - This was from a challenge from a number of years ago.  We each selected one block from the "Jane" quilt and made 18 variations.  The variations were based on selected holidays/seasons selected by each member of the exchange.  So for Paula, we each did our selected blocks in Halloween fabrics.

A year ago the group decided to have a challenge to celebrate our 10th year of retreating at St. Ben's College at St. Joseph Minnesota.  We took each of the "10" blocks (the tenth block in each row of the quilt) and each received a random row assignment.  The challenge was to design a quilt around that block.  Some also incorporated the theme of ten in their quilts.  Not everyone finished the challenge -- but here are those that are on display.  Maybe we will see the rest in 2015.

JoAn S. A10 Quilt.  Great use of a log cabin block for a setting for her quilt.

Erin Kennedy's B10 Quilt.  Notice the B10 block in the house.  There are also 10 stars, ten maple leaves along with ten leaves on the tree.

Kari's (i.e. my) B10 Quilt.  I used the B10 block for my setting.  The then included 9 other blocks from the "B" row in my quilt.  9 blocks plus the setting makes 10.

JoAnn's D10.  She pieced four of the D10 block and set them together.  This is classic JoAnn with her signature red and black civil war fabrics.

Sherry Perry's E10.  Sherry has had a productive year finishing her "big" quilt and the challenge.  I love how she fussy cut the eagles for each of the melons in this quilt.

Pam's H2.  I'm not sure why, but I keep thinking fish when I look at Pam's rendition of this block.

Mona Harmann's J10.  I would like to make this one.  The white borders really make the melons shine.  The applique looks perfect.

Diane Rose's K10.  Diane combined both her love of redwork and her love of Dear Jane.  The young woman is hand sewing a Dear Jane block, as Diane is doing her Dear Jane quilt by hand.
 
I'm wondering if this quilt will be in the redwork show as well?

Rose's L11.  Rose had the most difficult block (at least in my opinion) in the challenge.  She bravely managed to make three of them and incorporated in a wall hanging.

I hope you enjoyed the virtual rendition of our show.  And if time allows, please check out the quilts in person at Four Season Quilts.