Backside of Masterpiece Quilt "Spirit of Mother Earth" by Sharon Schamber

While I was at the NQA show in Columbus, Ohio this week I happened to be standing near the quilt made by the newly named Master Quilter Sharon Schamber when the white glove lady picked up a corner to show us the backside. Well, you can go several places on the web to see the front of this quilt (Sharon's website, for example) but I grabbed the chance to take photos of the back. I have read that Sharon spent two years working on this quilt. The women standing near me were overcome with admiration and awe for this quilt and made comments along the line of "It is beautiful!" "Gorgeous!!" and "I could never come close to making anything like that!" (Also note the ribbons awarded to a Masterpiece quilt by the NQA judges.)

My reaction was a bit different. I felt the quilt had been stitched to death and I felt that Queen Victoria, the woman who loved fringe, bows and excessive ornamentation on everything would have been pleased. The looped piping on the edge of the quilt was, for me, a sign that I am out of touch with what pleases judges in the 21st century. (But since I never enter contests it doesn't matter. LOL)

I suppose that some longarm machine quilters get carried away with the grace and flow they can execute with their machines but it seems like some of them don't know when to stop their machines and give the machines (and the quilts) a rest. Please note that I have said "some longarm quilters" .... I am not making a blanket statement here.

Judy in Ohio

HALP AGAIN!!

Sondra has notified me that she is in the process of working and getting ready to move and just can't see her way to committing to the retreat in September. Thus I am in need of a roommate with whom to share the room rent at the motel. Please let me know if anyone out there wishes to join me there. As I said in my previous plea, I don't smoke, snore (use CPAP for apnea), or use scented cosmetics.

Jane in NC

QUILT SHOW

My guild's bi-annual show will be held on the second weekend in August rather than our usual third weekend in October. There is very little time but if you have something ready we'd love to have any of you enter. To learn the details go to http://www.smokymtnquilters.org/. The details and entry form are right there on the links at the web site. Jill in Portland was a winner two years ago and loved the basket of quilter's goodies she received with her ribbon.

Y'all come.

Jane in NC

T-shirt Quilt

I should have mentioned that the reason we made her this quilt is because she designed all 19 t-shirts featured in the quilt. What an awesome woman and the new art teacher will have huge shoes to fill!

Flooding

I have never been so happy to live to live on top of a hill! The flooding is unbelieveable! Having an 11 mile stretch of I-94 closed due to flooding is just crazy.

On another topic, I finished quilting a t-shirt quilt for the elementary art teacher at our school who retired after 38 YEARS of service. I will try to attach a picture, but I am not very computer savvy. My friend Kim pieced the quilt and for her first t-shirt quilt I think she did an awesome job.

Another quilt shop is closing here and another one also just 22 miles away. Our choices are shrinking and I will now work even harder to help the remaining shops. I actually saw someone at a shop who was sketching a quilt rather than buying the pattern. I said something to the gal at the counter and she asked the woman to stop--now here's the kicker--it was a $3.00 pattern in the clearance bin. I know gas is 4.00+ now but this is crass. Something needs to give...... Enough of a rant, lets see if I can post that picture. Wow this part is easy, let's see if it actually posts!