I've shown you a bunch of quilts from the Shipshewana Quilt Show and this post will be more specifically about my experience at the show.
I took the opportunity to go to the awards ceremony on Tuesday evening. Anyone who has a quilt entered is allowed to go. I had no expectations of getting an award, but I like to go because I think it's part of the experience and because it's a chance to look at all the quilts before anyone else!
After the snacks and the presentations, I walked around looking at everyone's quilts and looking for mine. I found it in a corner:
It did not garner a lot of attention because you walked up the aisle facing the fancy one on the right. Also, the lighting was bad. Unfortunately, it was bad for a lot of quilts.
I learned that it is hard to take a selfie with a huge quilt!
My next event was a workshop on Thursday with Pat Sloan called, "Scrap Happy Trash Bag Quilts". First off, she is an excellent teacher. The class had a good pace and a proper amount of structure.
 |
| Chatting before class got started. |
In the morning we did exercises in "making" fabric from scraps. First we did strips - pick a colour or set of fabrics and put strips together. Later we would use this fabric in a block.
Then we did "slab blocks" when you sew smaller pieces of fabric together to make squares or chunks that you can then cut up as if it were just a piece of single fabric.
 |
I have no idea if I was trying to get
a picture of something specific or
just a general view of my work area.
The sewing machine was on the right. |
I made two blocks because it is easier to work on alternating blocks than to have to cut your thread after each seam.
After the allotted time, we gathered together to show our blocks and then hear and see what was next.
And that was curved strips. I won't get into each step, but you sew some strips together with wavy seams,
and you end up with pieces like this you can use:
You might think of them as wonky stripes.
The final exercise of the day was to make a star block out of our new "made fabric". The strip sets we started the day with were for the star points and we could use what we wanted for the centre square.
Some used their strips sets also for the centre; some used their slab blocks; some used a solid square; and I used my new wavy strip pieces:
With a little more time, I would have been more careful about stripe placement, but it's still a pretty block. I may finish it into a wall hanging; it would match my
Crossed Canoes on a Starry Night.
That evening I went to a lecture by Jinny Beyer on Color Theory.
I was very interested in all she had to say, and of course, the quilt samples are the best part.
She showed these three quilts early in the evening and had us vote on which we liked best. They are three different colour choices for the same pattern.
At then end of the evening, she explained the choices in each one and it was very illuminating. The bottom line is that if you follow the common advice to pick a fabric with colours you like and then pick other fabrics to match it, you are not going to get the best looking quilt.
On Saturday I was able to visit the show floor again, this time with my sister. Having someone with you means you get pictures of you
and your huge quilt. :)
As we were walking away, this couple approached my quilt and the man
touched it. This is a serious no-no at quilt shows.
I commented on it as something funny (I was not upset and did not intent to report him or anything) and my sister says, "Just think of it this way. He was so compelled by your quilt, he could not help but touch it."
As a bonus for the day, my sister and I ended at
Make South Bend to make some stamped rings.
 |
| Knit Purl Repeat / Sometimes it's bigger than me |
And we may have done a little goofing around for the camera:
That wraps up a fun week at the quilt show.
