A Paducah Story

For 26 years, dedicated quilters and fiber artists have made the springtime "pilgrimage" to Paducah, Kentucky, for the annual AQS Quilt Show & Contest. Every year generates not only an amazing array of spectacular quilts and enthusiastic quilters, but also new events, exciting developments, and heartwarming stories. Here’s one of those stories.
Annabel Baugher is a farmer’s daughter and a farmer’s widow who just celebrated her 89th birthday. She has two sons, two daughters-in-law, four living grandchildren, and two living great-grandsons. When she was very young, Annabel was taught good hand sewing by her mother; she was so young, in fact, that she can’t remember when the needle was first placed in her hand or the thimble put on her finger. Annabel does remember her mother saying, “Keep that thimble on your finger and learn to use it or you will never be a seamstress.”
Annabel was a charter member of AQS and met AQS founders Bill and Meredith Schroeder in 1985 when two of her quilts were included in the 1985 Paducah show. That year she won first place in the Other Techniques category with a wholecloth quilt of her own design, and placed third with a different quilt in the Pieced category. In 1986 she entered a wholecloth quilt made from a Stearns & Foster pattern, and in 1991, another wholecloth quilt placed second in Other Techniques. In 1993, a quilted wedding gown Annabel made for her granddaughter received an honorable mention and viewer’s choice in the AQS/Hobbs Bonded Fibers Fashion Show. Her granddaughter attended the show and modeled the gown.
The photo here shows Annabel and Bill Schroeder at this year’s show in Paducah, one of six AQS shows she has attended over the years. Annabel and so many other wonderful quilters like her are what make the Paducah tradition so special. Thank you, Annabel, for being a member of the extended AQS quilting family. I look forward to seeing you at another AQS show soon!


Click here to view all the winners of the 2010 Paducah AQS Show & Contest:
http://www.americanquilter.com/shows_contests/paducah/2010/quilt_contest/quilt_winners.php

Paducah, here we come!

Paducah, Kentucky, site of the 26th annual AQS Quilt Show and Contest, is buzzing with activity in advance of the show opening next week (read more at http://AQSQuiltnews.blogspot.com/). By the time we offsite editors arrive on Monday, April 19th, the quilts will have been judged, winners selected, vendors arrived, and general preparations completed. All of the AQS Paducah staff and hundreds of volunteers work long hours for months in advance to pull this incredible show together. I feel privileged to be a part of this amazing tradition and look forward eagerly to it each year.

Three American Quilter magazine editors (Iris Frank, Kathie R. Kerler, and me) will be attending the Paducah show this year. (That's Iris on the left and Kathie on the right.) We'll be interviewing major award winners and doing all the write-ups on winning quilts for the next issue of AQ. But we're also at the show to find new article ideas and explore the newest techniques to present to readers in upcoming issues. Do you have an idea for an article, or have you developed an unusual or creative technique not previously published? We'd love to talk with you. Have you made a quilt from a pattern published in any recent issue of American Quilter? Bring photos or show us your digital images and we'll "publish" you on the AQS Web site.

There are a couple ways to find us. The editors' office is on the second floor of the conference center, in the hallway outside of booth 3801. To speak with any one of us about a possible article, stop by the office and leave a message if we're not there. Or, you can leave your name and cell phone number at the AQS membership desk and we'll get in touch with you. If you see us during the show, please say hello and let us know what you like about American Quilter and what we can do to improve. Feedback from readers is so important!

Inspired by Judith Larzelere

Quilt artist Judith Larzelere has delighted and amazed countless quilters with her stunning use of color since she began exhibiting her quilts in the late 1970s. After reading the profile article on “Jude” (as she likes to be called) in the January 2010 issue of American Quilter, Mary F. Gonzalez was inspired to make her own strip-pieced wall quilt:

“I began quilting in 2001 after taking one class. I fumbled around by myself, learning from my mistakes. In 2006, my husband and I moved to Santa Cruz, California, after living 26 years in Novato, California, where we raised our family. Leaving our friends was difficult, and we wondered if we would ever find new friends in our new home. Luckily we did. I continued quilting on my own and eventually met a group of ladies who shared my interest. We formed a small quilt group which quickly grew to 15 members—we are known as the Sew ‘n Sews.
At our weekly meetings, these ladies offer encouragement, advice, fabrics, patterns, ideas, refreshments, and best of all, laughter. At a recent meeting, someone brought quilt magazines. That’s when I found the January 2010 issue of American Quilter.
As soon as I turned to page 45 and saw the article and art quilts by Judith Larzelere, my heart started racing. I had recently completed a quilt for my son and had lots of scraps leftover. When I saw Judith’s quilts, I went home, read the article thoroughly, and went to work.
Enclosed is a photograph of the wallhanging (called City Skyline) I made for my son using the article as my inspiration. He just loves it, as do those encouraging Sew ‘n Sews. Thank you!”

AQS members can access the complete article and Judith's Tips for Strip Quilting at www.AmericanQuilter.com.

Are you ready for a mystery?

It’s just a little over a month until the introduction to a new mystery quilt, designed by Beyond the Block authors Linda K. Johnson and Jane K. Wells, is published in the July 2010 issue of American Quilter magazine. This is a mystery like none you’ve ever seen before: it’s non-traditional, personalized, and a way to use some of your accumulated unfinished quilt blocks. I'm really excited about this project and just can't wait to reveal a few clues to get you started...

First, an explanation to those who have no idea what a mystery quilt entails: You, the quilter, embark on a quilt project without knowing what the final result will look like. You will be given instructions (the clues!) one installment at a time in three consecutive issues of American Quilter.

Why is this upcoming mystery quilt different? (1)The final block layout will be dynamic and non-traditional. (2)You start with your own specially-chosen focus blocks, not just shapes cut from stash or purchased fabrics. (3)You have a chance to win a nice prize simply by participating in the mystery as it is published. (I'll give you more information on that last piece of news in a future blog!)

So what is a "focus block"? You could use hand or machine appliquéd squares; paper-pieced blocks that feature a centered image or design; cross-stitched or embroidered squares; vintage linen squares; photo transfers or photos inkjet printed on fabric; or squares of a beautiful large-scale print or any other special fabric, perhaps holiday themed. You could even use squares cut from treasured tee shirts, backed with lightweight fusible interfacing. The only blocks not recommended as focus blocks are pieced blocks with busy overall designs, as they may not blend well within the mystery quilt setting.
Two more important clues: The focus blocks should be cut at least 8 ½" square so they finish 8". (If your focus blocks are smaller, just add some borders.) Four of the focus blocks will be straight set and three of them will be set on point. Keep this in mind if you are cutting a directional large-scale print.
Intriuged? Take a look at some of these photos for ideas on focus blocks and then read the complete introduction and clues on choosing additional fabrics in the July issue. Even our AQ pattern editor, Marje Rhine, is excited about this project. She'll be making her own mystery quilt (even though she knows the final result!).
Stay tuned for more clues...

Fantastic debut of the AQS Lancaster quilt show

The first-ever AQS show in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, is now history, but its stunning debut is just the start of a new tradition. Congratulations to Marilyn Badger of St. George, Utah, for winning best of show with her quilt Filigree, shown here.

Thousands of quilters traveled from all over the United States and Canada last week to converge on this small but cosmopolitan city (which I was told is correctly pronounced LANK-a-stir). The combination of a rich cultural heritage, diverse museums and attractions, plentiful nearby hotels and B&Bs, specialty shops and boutiques, and a wonderful array of terrific restaurants within walking distance of the downtown convention center makes this a very attractive location for a quilt vacation. The quality of the quilts on display was outstanding, and vendors traveled from as far away as California and Montana to participate in this venue.

My two favorite downtown Lancaster attractions were the Quilt and Textile Museum and the Central Market. Housed in a former bank featuring a vaulted ceiling and Beaux Arts architecture, the Quilt and Textile museum’s permanent collection includes the world-famous Espirit Quilts, considered by many to be the finest collection of authentic late 19th and early 20th century Amish quilts indigenous to this region. (Because most of the quilts are protected under glass, photography is permitted.)

This photo of two side-by-side quilts shows the difference between fabrics used in Amish and Mennonite quilts. The Mennonite quilt on the left features brighter colors and commercially-produced prints, while the Amish quilt fabrics on the right are all solid colors in a subdued palette. But you’ll learn so much more about Lancaster county quilts from the knowledgeable docents and the well-documented displays.


The Central Market is America’s oldest farmers’ market building, in operation since the 1730s. On Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday each week, farmers bring locally-produced meats, vegetables, bread, flowers, crafts, and desserts to sell in colorful and mouthwatering displays. I couldn’t resist the homemade jams, chocolate, and some specialty cheeses, which made the trip home to Colorado safely.

And then there were the quilts! Row upon row of amazing quilts at the show, from traditional to avant garde. To see all the winning quilts, use this link: http://www.americanquilter.com/shows_contests/lancaster/2010/quilt_contest/quilt_winners.php. Almost every class offered at the show sold out in advance, so be sure to make your plans early for next year’s Lancaster show, March 16-19, 2011.

Do the math on this quilt!

What are fractals? In simplest term, a fractal is a rough or fragmented geometric shape that can be split into parts, each of which is approximately a reduced-size copy of the whole. The Sierpinski carpet is a well-known example of a plane fractal first described by Polish mathematician Wacław Sierpiński in 1916.

Thank you to Anabeth Dollins for graciously sharing a photo of her quilt based on the Sierpinski carpet. The construction of the Sierpinski carpet begins with a square. The square is cut into 9 congruent sub-squares in a 3-by-3 grid, and the central sub-square is removed, resulting in a Nine-patch quilt block. The same procedure is then applied recursively to the remaining 8 sub-squares, ad infinitum.
What a wonderful quilt design! Make it any size, any color palette, or any fabrics to give the quilt your own spin. Here’s how Anabeth made hers:
“Each week for several weeks I took a pile of fabrics to quilt group—one week reds, one week oranges, one week blues, and so on. I cut two 1" x 8" strips from each of the fabrics that read mostly solid, omitting plaids, florals, and multicolors. At home, I'd choose eight strips that sort of went together in value and color and then make eight 1.5" Nine-patches, using sky fabric as the middle piece. Then I made a 4.5" Nine-patch out of these, using sky as the middle. The 4.5" blocks that satisfy me the least are the ones in which the eight fabrics have too much contrast. I think the trick is to keep the fabrics similar in value.“

Anabeth continues, “Eventually I had 64 different 4.5" Nine-patches to play with. I spent a lot of time arranging them on the design wall, taking one photo after another to record my arrangements. I finally said ‘Stop thinking!’ and put the 64 squares into eight 13.5" Nine-patches, with sky in the middle, and put the eight big squares into a large Nine-patch.
The 512 smallest Nine-patches have half-inch finished blocks. All of the fabrics came from my stash, but since the blocks use so little fabric there's NO visible change in the size of my stash!”

Another variation is the Sierpinski triangle, also a wonderful quilt design. I’ve started my own Sierpinski carpet variation, in which the smallest squares finish three-fourths of an inch. I love this project because it can be done in small snippets of time, and it has endless design and color possibilities. Use your computer’s search engine to find many more examples of quilts based on mathematics. You can see more of Anabeth’s quilts at http://anabeth.dollins.org/qlt.html.

Mosaic memorial

Submitted by Marje Rhine, technical pattern editor for American Quilter magazine)
In September I lost the girl doggy love of my life, my 14-year-old Sheltie, Daisy. All fall I thought about what I could do to memorialize her in fabric. Not being very proficient at appliqué and wanting a realistic portrait instead of the cartoon I could design, I decided that a mosaic was the way to go. A quilt would have been my first choice, but it was just not practical.
I cropped one of my favorite photos of Daisy and used PCStitch (photo to cross-stitch, available at http://www.pcstitch.com/) software to create a chart with a DMC floss list. I already had most of the DMC colors, purchasing just a few more. I compared the floss to fabrics in my stash, pulling those that matched. After attaching fusible web to the back of small chunks of fabric, I was ready to get to going.
Working on artist mat board, I drew a grid of 2 1/2" squares. Each square would end up holding 100 pieces of fabric 1/4" x 1/4". I cut strips of fused fabric slightly larger than 1/4" wide by about 6" long. Starting in a corner and following the color chart,  I fit the appropriate strip onto the board and trimmed the square to 1/4" x 1/4". About 7,200 squares and six weeks later, I was done. The finished piece measures 18" x 25" and will hang on our wall forever.
I have already told Simon, our collie, that he needs to stick around for a long time.