Quilt market opens today in Kansas City. This event is for the quilt industry trade only and not for the general public. There are similar shows during the year geared toward the consumer called Quilt Festival that are sponsored by the same organization that sponsors Quilt Market, Quilts, Inc. I have been fortunate to attend Quilt Festival in Houston a few times. Quilt Market is where quilt shop owners and others in the industry go to find out the latest fabric lines coming out, the latest tools, machines, books, patterns, etc. that the stores can offer for their customers. Weeks Ringle of Modern Quilt Studio has provided some pre-opening vendor booth setup photos on the company’s Facebook page. Here is a link to Week’s blog post or just type “Modern Quilt Studio” in the search bar on Facebook.
Also this weekend, in Overland Park, Kansas is the Machine Quilter’s Showcase. It started yesterday. The person that really reached out to me when I started my blog was Linda Hungerford of Flourishing Palms blog. Linda took two prizes in this show. She took Best of Show in the Just for Me-Bed Quilt Division and Second Place in the Just for Me-Wall Quilt Division. Here is a link to her post. I hope she doesn’t mind if a share a picture of her award winning quilt here. This 77″ square quilt was quilted by Linda on a domestic sewing machine. She beat out all the long-arm quilters in her division. Kudos to you Linda. I am so proud of you!
I have entered quilts into shows before and I know how stiff the competition is. Today I am entering a quilt in the Blogger’s Quilt Festival. The festival starts today and runs through June 1. The quilt I am entering is called The Chemistry of Symmetry (34″ x 42″). I had planned to enter my Heart quilt, but I am still working on the binding. The Chemistry of Symmetry quilt is special to me. I love kaleidoscopes and actually have a mini collection of art kaleidoscopes. One year I attended a Jinny Beyer seminar and the theme was kaleidoscope quilts. When I got back from the seminar I started this quilt. It is made from one Jinny Beyer border print fabric and a small bit of Fossil Ferns collection. Remember that collection? I think I have one yard of every color. Anyway, I made this quilt while my husband went through one year of miserable treatment for melanoma and I sat with him every night while watching TV and hand quilted this quilt. I am not much of a sit and watch TV kind of a person, but I wanted to be there if he needed anything. I finished this quilt in 2007 and it was the last quilt I hand quilted. I used wool batting which was beautiful to hand quilt through. I am not the best hand quilter and I am very slow at it. However, I do love the texture created by the wool batting and the hand quilting. While quilting this quilt I learned patience and persistence. Please visit the Blogger’s Quilt Festival and vote for your favorites May 26 – 30. Click on the button on the side bar.
Have a great weekend everyone and quilt on!
Lora
Dragonfly Quiltworks 
Oh, wow – that quilt is stunning!
Thanks for taking a closer look!
This is an absolutely beautiful quilt and the quilting is amazing. I hope it provided a level of comfort for you while you tried to be a source of comfort for your husband (and I’m certain you were since oftentimes, just being near is more comforting than “doing” things). Beautiful quilt created by a beautiful woman.
Thank you for your sweet comments. It did provide me comfort and something to look forward to. I was determined that I would finish that quilt and that he would be well again. Thanks for stopping by and taking a closer look. Have a great day!
gorgeous quilts
Ann
Ann, Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. I sure appreciate it! Lora
What a great quilt !! thanks for sharing ;-))
Thank you for stopping by and taking a closer look!
What stunning hand quilting! The designs are so intricate, I’m blown away!
It was so much fun planning the quilting designs for this quilt. I used stencils and everything worked out perfectly with the size of the blocks and the border fabric. I would do more hand quilting if it didn’t take me so darn long.
Beautiful pictures! I never learned how to quilt but love going to quilt shows and admiring others’ creativity!
Thanks for stopping by and taking a closer look. If you love quilts, you might enjoy taking a beginning quilting class. That is how many of us started!
I have thought about it indeed …. but I’m afraid I’ll have yet another fiber addiction!
it’s just glorious. how sweet of you to sit with your husband during a difficult time–and to have a lovely remembrance of that. thanks for sharing and have a great day
Eileen, Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. It means so much to me. This quilt is a lovely rememberance of a time I will never forget. Lora
Your quilt is beautiful and hopefully contains happy memories for you.
Janet, I can tell you that I shed alot of tears over that quilt, but I am very happy I made it as a rememberance.
Simply lovely!!!
Jill, Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment! It means alot that you took the time. Have a great day! Lora
Thanks for sharing my quilt, Lora. I’m still walking a few inches off the ground! Your quilt is stunning! We’ll have so much to talk about when we finally get to meet in person!
Wish you could have come to quilt market. You would have loved it. I enjoyed it much more than in previous years, possibly because of my win. I saw again the designer of Snowflake Medallion (she’s Australian), was photographed with her, and she gave me her latest pattern with a challenge to make it and win again!
This quilt is a winner! Beautiful!
Thanks so much!
Beautiful quilt and a touching story. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Dawn!
Your quilting is spectacular. I have never hand quilted but my grandmother did all her quilts by hand. BTW I hate cancer too. It is hard to be the caregiver.
Pam, Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. I checked out your entry. Love your “Love” quilt. We are big dog lovers in this house, too.
This is a beautiful quilt. Is that piping is see? What a nice touch. Hand quilting is very relaxing, but I don’t have time anymore.
Thanks for the nice comments. There is no piping on this quilt, although I have used that technique on other quilts, just creative use of border prints. I don’t have time for hand quilting much either anymore. It would have to be something really special for me to hand quilt it.
love JB’s stuff…got to go to her last HHseminar in 2009. Thank you for sharing this touching story with your quilt. A treasure for sure.
Thank you for taking a closer look. I went to two of the HH seminars. I wish she was still doing them. I loved them.
Your quilt is stunning- I have never hand quilted but admire others who do.. Often the stories of our quilts are as special as the quilt. I am sure that this quilt holds a real mixture of memories. Thanks for sharing…
Regards from western Canada,
Anna
Thanks for you sweet comments. Yes, this quilt holds a real mix of emotions.
Your quilt is stunning. I admire those who are still hand quilting their quilts. I started as a handquilter, then progressed to domestic and now I have a long arm, but still do all 3 types depending on the quilt and occasion. Your’s is really a treasure in more ways than one.
Thanks for sharing your quilt and story.
Thanks for stopping by and taking a closer look. I would love to get better and free motion quilting. I guess it just takes lots of practice.