2013 North Carolina Quilt Symposium

I was lucky enough to be invited to go with some ladies from a quilting bee to the 2013 NC Quilt Symposium over the weekend. I've never been to one before so I had no idea what I would come across. I tell you, the commitment, talent, and patience of the quilters competing is unreal.I took a ton of pictures and want to share some of my favorites with you. I'm afraid you're stuck with my candid cell phone photos. Next time, I'll bring a real camera.

Picture heavy post to commence now...

Here is the one that was just jaw dropping. My favorite by a mile. You can't see it in the picture, but there are crystals wisely placed throughout the piece drawing your attention to some of the more amazing quilting as well as giving it a little bling, which of course, I love. The symmetry is perfect, the borders are perfectly measured and the roses are beautiful.

Remembering Alice, Kathleen Stuart

I didnt get a picture of this entire quilt, but I will tell you, all of the squares are amazing as this one. The details are amazing and quilting is as good as it gets.

Friends of Baltimore, Nancy Yondo

This was one of my favorite borders in the show. It was kind of a little surprise. I had paid so much attention to the center of the quilt I didnt even notice the houses around the border at first. As soon as I did, it was such fun to eyeball them all!

Yo Yo Village, Nancy Moore

I'm so mad at myself for not getting a good picture of this one! It's beautiful. Most the pattern and texture is created with thread rather than fabric. It's quite a unique piece that shows you something new every time you look at it.

Goose Tracks at Night, Beth Wiggs

I'm not much of a cat person, but I still thought this one was really cute. Check out those tiny little cat paw prints in the border.

Pussy Footin Around, Mary Louise Parks

This one was really special up close and personal. I love the way she handled the photo borders and each and every section of the images were hand pieced.

Greetings from Fort Bragg, Sana Moulder

This one caught my eye because I had never seen anything quite like it before. The black "lines" are actually the black background the piece is hanging against.  She's used a pillow case finish and put the pieces together with beads between the pieces. Really cool idea and execution.

Feather Fantasy, Jeanette Overmayer

The quilting on this one... amazing.

Billy's Bluebirds, Ellene Place

Here's the last one that is all about the amazing quilting - promise. The full quilt looked to be a queen size and every inch of it was quilted this beautifully. See those perfect TINY circles around the leaves?

A Walk in the Woods, Kathleen Stuart

The last artist, Anne Francis, had a showcase series, with good reason. I understand all of her quilts are done completely by hand. Yep, just scissors, needles, thread and tons of patience! All of the following quilts are hers.

(I found fan art at a quilt show! This made my day!)

I kind of wish I had pictures of some of the others too. They really are special and so much fun to look at. One of the missing ones that stands out in my mind is the one she had made snow out of french knots - on the whole quilt.

I hope you enjoyed them as much as I did. Tell me, which one is your favorite? What do you find yourself drawn to when you go to these shows?

(I did attempt to locate web presences like galleries or blogs for each of the artists so I could link you, but was unsuccessful for all of them! If you happen to know any of them, drop me a line and I'll add the links!)