A Visit to the Machine Quilting Expo

Despite my malingering stomach bug, I'm definitely on the mend. On Friday, I met up with Joannie, Marion and Kim P. to go to the Machine Quilting Expo, also known as MQX, in Manchester, NH. After only one emergency bathroom visit, we made it up to Manchester and went wild in the hotel ballroom. I lost the girls for a while, but eventually we reunited. Lots of great vendors and many FABULOUS examples of machine quilting. As my friend Lee Anna would say, "I quilt by check" (meaning I pay to have my quilts professionally machine quilted). I don't apologize, free motion quilting is a completely different skill set than machine piecing. I've taken classes and have practiced, but I just don't have it in me. I can quilt lovely straight lines using a walking foot and I do quilt my own baby size quilts, but that's where it ends.

Warning, this post is photo heavy and may induce drooling.

Anyways, feast your eyes!

This was one of my favorite quilts in the show. I love the colors and it was just gorgeous. My photo is not doing it justice.  The tag is in the photo below. The quilt is called "Trying to Find my Way Home" by Irene O'Brien of Anchorage, AK.

 Here's another photo.

Here's another one of my favorites. Doesn't this puppy just have the sweetest face? All thread painted and machine quilted.

This wallhanging is titled, "A Prince among Kings" and it is made by Lois Podolny of Tuscson, AZ. If you're not as dog crazy as I am, this is a King Charles Cavalier Spaniel, hence the name of the quilt.

There was a special exhibit of quilts by Cathy Wiggins. I had never heard of her before, but her work was amazing. Here are some of her quilts.

I had to photograph this...Cathy says, "Life's too short to spend time piecing quilts, since I hate piecing." Her label is below. These are blocks she started in 2004 and never finished. I had a good laugh!

She also had a whole section of quilts she made with leather that had the most intricate quilting I've ever seen. I wonder how she got the idea to quilt with leather? Thankfully there was a small exhibit of samples on leather that you could run your hands over. They were just yummy! And leather quilts smell good too, just like new shoes!

"Modern Love", a leather quilt by Cathy Wiggins. Label below.

Here's a close-up of the quilting.

This quilt is cut out in the center. The blue you see behind the heart is the curtains at the show. It is strung with beads inside the heart. It was so original. Or should I say, Groovy?

I guess I forgot to take a picture of this quilt, but here's a close-up. It was also a Peace symbol.

 Here are some more wonderful quilts from the show.

I love the tranquil colors in this quilt. It is "Ronald's Flight" by Helen Ernst, of
Cape May Court House, NJ. Label is below.

Here's a close-up.

This beauty is "Soul Shine" by Suzanne Munroe of Barrington, RI. Love the striking colors! Label below.

Here's a close-up of one of the flower centers.

This quilt was amazing. It is La Passion by Grit Kovacs of Germany. Label below. I can not imagine making a quilt that has over 17,000 pieces in it. Yikes!!

Here's a close-up.

This is "Ad Libbing" by Linda Hungerford of The Villages, FL. I love the bright colors and improvisational piecing. Label below and make sure to check out the close-up of the quilting!

Here's your close-up!

This is "Let's do the Dresden Twist" by Teri Cherne of Henniker, NH. Label and close-up below.

I've run out of adjectives. Is amazing good enough?

This is "Spring Fling" by Charlotte Peterson of Park Rapids, MN. I can never get enough of Kaffe Fassett's bright colors. Guaranteed to cure the winter doldrums. Label below.

Close-up.

From left to right: me, Joannie, Marion and Kim P.

Did I buy anything? Of course I did... I treated myself to the Curvy Log Cabin Trim Tool and Jean Ann Wright's brand new book, Curvy Log Cabin Quilts. I also got a fabulous rainbow colored Dresden Plate pattern called Rainbow Dash plus the fat quarters to make the quilt. Since I've given up eating (due to the stomach ailment that just won't quit), I have more money to spend on fabric! (And yes, I've been to the doctor, she says it's just a bug...)

Thanks for visiting.

Pugs and kisses,
Nancy