Dallas Quilt Celebration 2011

Okay, so I'm 30 minutes early for my car pool into the city. It was either head out or pace the floor for 30 minutes with the dogs.

The rendezvous spot... Quilt Country! "Where Lime Green Is The New Neutral." We'll stop and shop after the show. I hear there is a big fat coupon in the show guide.

9:30 AM on the dot - my dear Mommy showed up ready and raring to go.  It was so good to see her.  I wish we lived closer.  As it is, 45 minutes away isn't that bad.  Isn't it just awful that Quilt Country is the midway point?!


The Dallas Quilt Guild hosts Dallas Quilt Celebration every year.  I don't get to go every year, but I do go often.  It is always a treat to get to spend a whole day wandering around beautiful quilts and scrumptious vendors booths with people I love.

This year I went with my Mom and met several friends as we sauntered around Market Hall.  The hall is so big that you would think we wouldn't know a soul there.  Maybe quilters are a tighter knit group than I thought.

This year I was delighted to find a few entries by people that I might actually call friend...that is to say I do more than admire their work.  I've talked to them on the phone or in person about things besides quilting - kids with dyslexia, husbands, girl scout cookie sales - you know....life.  I didn't get pictures of all of their entries, but I did get this one.

I have to say - I LOVE IT!  Anne Bartholet made this with her daughter - a Girl Scout cookie selling daughter who has a thing for these great funny beasts.  I'd love to meet a hippo that looks as hip as this one!!

I took a couple of photos just because the quilting was so amazing.

These bunnies are fantastic!  Upon closer inspection....

the ghost bunnies and vegetables made my heart sing.  (Can you tell that I love whimsy?!)

Another quilt that caught my eye was this beautiful star.  It doesn't really show in this picture, but all of the dark spots are filled with beautiful quilted flowers and vines.  I'm not surprised it won a red ribbon.

I took others because the quilts made me happy.  That is basically how I choose things.  If it doesn't make me happy, or teach me something I need to know, then I'm not interested.  My home is not decorated to look nice, although I hope it does.  My home is filled with things that bring me joy. 

The border on this beautiful rainbowy masterpiece is all appliqued, as is the humming bird block in the middle.  You can almost see those wings moving, just like when these little birds hover at a feeder.  I love to see traditional patterns reworked in modern settings.  I'm thinking that our quilting ancestors wish they had colors like this to play with.

Duck & Cover

I was drawn to the bright colors, and the duckies!  Then I realized that the quilt is meant to be commentary on the economic situation of our day.  "Duck & Cover" is brilliant.  Don't you want to know how she attached those duckies?  And that sticky out flower is too much.

Poptop Paisley

Paisley prints have been popular for quite a while, but this is the first time I've seen them produced with "Pop tops".  "Poptop Paisley" was just too fun to pass up...but I have to wonder where Coors and Heineken are considered "Pop".