Thanksgiving quilts 2014

So I save patterns. I have patterns from the 1960s. Some I keep because I want to make it some day. Some I keep because they give me inspiration to do something like it. Some I keep because they teach me color management, which I am not very good at.

One day about a month ago I got out a bunch of my pattern boxes and started going through them just to remind me what I have saved. I found a Fons and Porter's Quilting Celebrations magazine from September 2013. It had several fall patterns I liked. There is one called Thanks. It is a round pattern that can be used as a table topper or a wall hanging. I decided I had to make one. I started drawing the pattern onto fusible web and thought, "I'll make three." So I drew out enough for three. I found fabric I liked. I did not have enough of any one fabric to do all three, so they have different fabrics for everything except the pears and the pumpkin.

I just finished putting the binding on the last one today. I put them next to each other on the floor and was trying to decide which one I was going to keep and which one I would send to my sister and the last would go to my mother. Hmmm. Hard decision. Each one has something I like better than the other two. Each one has something I did wrong but didn't on the other two. Hmmm. Not sure.

Which one would you keep?

Number 1:

Number 2:

 Number 3:

Yeah. Maybe I should just keep all three. No. No. That would be redundant. Help me choose. Send me an e-mail at contact@BeehiveQuilts.com or comment below. I will post which one I kept in a few days.

Keep on Quilting

River City Quilt Guild Show November 2014

I am a member of the River City Quilt Guild. Each year we put on a fantastic quilt show on the second weekend in November. We are just finishing up the run today. It is a three day event open to the public. Judging of quilts is on Wednesday. Set up is on Thursday. The show is Friday, Saturday and Sunday. It is amazing to be part of this show and see all it takes to put it on and have it be so successful. I used to go to shows and just enjoy what is on display there. Now I am so much more appreciative of all the hard work. It is appreciated to all guilds and there shows, not just River City's.

There were over 200 quilts on display at that show and numerous vendors there, too. The quilts this year seemed to take on a more artistic side. I love traditional quilts, but I truly appreciate all the work that is involved in doing the art quilts. I took a few pictures of what was displayed. I hope you enjoy looking at them.

Día de Las Muertas - Day of the Dead.

Always have to include a Halloween. This is one I would make but it would probably take me 15 years to complete. There are a lot of small pieces that were needle turn appliqued here. Love it.

I love hats. I love this quilt.

Unbelievable.

This is a small wall hanging but it is stunning. It is covered with embellishments of buttons, ribbons and shiny objects. I took a close up in hopes you could see some of what is there.  See below.         

 

These are five quilts made by five different people. Below is a picture of the explanation of the quilts. Very unique. They could be hung alone and be stunning, but they really need each other to tell the whole story.

Another Halloween inspired quilt. Sorry the picture is a little fuzzy. I was taking the pictures in between people trying to get up close to it. I really like this quilt.

Cats! Need I say more?

This is one of the featured artist's quilts. I just love the yellow background. And look at that border. I think the unique border is what makes this quilt.

Another of the featured quilter.

I took this picture as a close up to a quilt that had a bunch of 3D effects to it. I failed to take a picture of the quilt itself, I guess. I need to do more 3D embellishment on my quilts. I really like the effect it gives to a quilt.

Love all this but especially the snowman in the middle.

Pelican. Love him.

Very small quilt with very small embroidery. I love to do embroidery and have a lot of respect for this work.

This is a tiny quilt (around 24" square). Imagine how small that piecing is!

Another small quilt - 17" square. It has a lot of embellishment on it to make it look like a true night scape. Very nicely done.

This is a close up of the quilt below. All those white "squares" are individually cut and sewn onto to the background fabric. The background fabric has a little puffiness to it which gives the quilt some dimension. I like the overall effect this process gives the quilt.

This is a very large quilt. Look at the border! Just magnificent.

Pretty wall hanging. The geraniums are 3D. Pretty cool.

Very watery or fluid looking quilt.

This is a quilt that was made from blocks in a winter themed block exchange. I was involved in this exchange but have not finished my version of the quilt yet. I love how this was put together with the piano key inner border that brings the colors together. FYI the snowman and the sled are blocks I contributed to it. All so pretty.

I really love lighthouses, so this quilt grabbed me right away. I especially love it because the quilter added dimension to it by adding netting for the waves. Good job. See up close picture below.

Love the colors in this quilt and that border is divine.

Very nice quilters. I cannot even say ladies, because our guild has several men participating in it. So just a good job to all. Maybe I will even enter one of my quilts next year. We will see.

Keep on Quilting