Reflections on Quilts at the AQS Show

Last Saturday I was able to make it to Des Moines to see the AQS Show along with the show for the Des Moines quilt guild.  I really like how they combine the two events together.

The ACQ show allowed me to see what is cutting edge in our industry.  It is what the masters are doing and probably the things we will be working on in the next few years.  I definitely enjoyed the quilting on many of these quilts.  It was interesting to see that crystals appear to be waning in popularity.

The Des Moines quilt guild show provides a better perspective on the types of quilts most of us are working on including the favorite types of patterns that are out there and what is making it on our beds.

One of my favorite features from the Des Moines Guild show was an exhibit on Family Legacy Quilts.  It appears the quilting gene can be passed from generation to generation.  The following quilt was from that exhibit.  If I read my notes correctly the artist is Ellen Kelly Smith.  The diagonal lines is a very typical quilting style from the late 1800s.
 

The Puzzler by Marilyn Martinez

This quilt appears to be made from an exchange.  There were 11 participents from the Loose Threads Quilt Group.  You can see how the artist combined the nine simple blocks into a larger block.  I just loved the color in this one.

What a great way to put simple blocks together.

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Dorita Frederick

In addition to the scrappy nature of this quilt, I loved that the number of different blocks in this quilt -- all with just squares and rectangles.  No half square triangles.  :)

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Moonlit Barn by Janet Bergeron

This is actually a miniature quilt.  I just like barn quilts and love how she did the wood in this quilt.

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Family Tree by Karen Thompson

A wonderful rendition of a traditional quilt pattern.  I love her use of color along with the feather quilting in the background.

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There were a couple of exhibits that I found particularly fascinating on the AQS side of the show. 

The first was a group of miniature quilts.  Photos weren't allowed during this visit; however there was an ASQ book that I was able to purchase that not only had the photos but some additional information on the quilts and their artists.  One of my favorite parts of looking at miniature quilts is thinking through how I would make the quilt myself.

The second exhibit I loved was that of modern quilts.  Many of these were very simple in terms of piecing.  In these quilts you can see how the machine quilting really appears to move the quilt to award quality.

Iceterine Strata by Doris Lovadina-Lee

Iceterine Strata

Doris Lovadina-Lee
Toronto, Ontanrio, Canada

This reminded me of playing Free Fall on my Iphone.

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Moon Shadow by Diana Roberts

Moon Shadow
Diana Roberts
Windsor CA

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Moons Over Bars by Susan Garrity

Moons Over Bars
Susan Garrity
Wilson, WY

I thought the quilting on this one was phenomenal.  Straight lines super-imposed with pebbled circles. 

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I can't read the label on this quilt.  My apologies to the artist.

I loved the use of plaid in these circles along with the pops of color.

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I hope you enjoyed a few of my favorite quilts from these shows.

Happy quilting.