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Alsace Quilts

A quilt show is a great place to be inspired and to celebrate our craft with other artisans. Spread throughout the town of Ste. Marie-Aux-Mines, as well as 2 other nearby towns, this show did not disappoint in either way. There were many fantastic quilts to marvel at, and even more fantastic people to meet and share ideas with.

When at these shows, time is always at a premium, so I prioritized the exhibits that I hoped to see and did my best to get there. Here are a few of the highlights.

The first exhibit we saw were the Canadian quilts. Just as with the Amish quilts, a church acted as the gallery. Churches make great venues for displaying quilts.

Canadian quilts under the stained glass windows made for an interesting presentation.

"Accumulate" by Amanda McGavour, Toronto, Ontario

"Triumph of the Hexagon" by Jeannie Jenkins of Toronto, Ontario

Libby Lehman is very well known throughout the quilt world for her free motion machine quilting and threadwork. As she was the featured artist at this year's show, there was a large retrospective display of her quilts. I am more familiar with her current work, so it was quite a surprise to see her more traditional earlier work. It was a beautiful exhibit.

"Frenzy" (1990)  by Libby Lehman of the U.S.

"New Mexico - Pecos Summer" (1983)  by Libby Lehman of the U.S.

"Watch Your Step 2 - Mushrooms" (2012) by Libby Lehman of the U.S.

"Quiltmania" a French quilting magazine (available in English in North America), profiles certain quilters each year at their exhibit. Di Ford and Kathy Doughty were 2 of this years artists.

"Antique Wedding Sampler Revisited" by Di Ford.

Di Ford (close - up)

"Kaffe Fanfare" by Kathy Doughty

Japanese quilts are always amazing to see in person. The skill of the artisan and the minute, intricate needlework is often unbelievable. Here is an example. I apologize for not having the name of the quilter.

Japanese Quilt. Artist is unknown.

Japanese quilt close -up. Hand applique as well as hand quilting.

The French collection had it's own line-up of talented artists. Note the machine threadwork of this wall hanging.

"Tentation" close - up by Genevieve Attinger of France.

"Tentation" close -up by Genevieve Attinger of France.

18th Century Boutis Quilt from the collection of  Monique Alphand of France.

Close - up of the boutis.
Quilt shows are always fun and inspirational as well as a great place to connect with other kindred spirits. I met some wonderful people at the show and I'm already looking forward to the next one, wherever it might be!
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Comments

  1. needle and nestOctober 3, 2012 at 6:33 AM

    My goodness, those quilts are incredible. I try to remind myself that these most often are ordinary women who create these masterpieces – it helps inspire me to push myself a little harder with my own quilting. Thank you for sharing! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. MonicaOctober 3, 2012 at 8:02 AM

    That Japanese quilt is unbelievable! I always remind myself that most Japanese quilters work in very small spaces, and yet are able to produce these masterpieces. It puts things in perspective for me! Thanks again for the great photos. :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Seams FrenchOctober 4, 2012 at 2:50 AM

    You are absolutely right. Seeing this type of work is always inspirational, and often, the most important factor in making a similar creation is determination and drive. I believe most people are capable of that.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Seams FrenchOctober 4, 2012 at 2:58 AM

    Japanese needleworkers (quilters, embroiderers, etc.) have always amazed me with their skill and talent for creating beauty using intricate and impeccable stitching techniques. It's something to aspire to. Check out my blog from June 2011 "Amazing Applique with Yoko Saito".

    ReplyDelete
  5. JeannieJanuary 27, 2013 at 5:53 PM

    I am thrilled to see my quilt on your blog. I wished that I could have gone to the show. I hear it was a great event.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Seams FrenchJanuary 28, 2013 at 5:15 PM

    Hi Jeannie. I am so very glad that you found my blog with your quilt in it. Although there were many excellent quilts at the Canadian exhibit, the colour choices and workmanship of your quilt made it stand out for me. It's too bad that you couldn't make it to the show. That would have been a great feeling for you to have been able to see your work on exhibit. Congratulations for having your quilt chosen!

    ReplyDelete

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