Stitches in Bloom Quilt Show 2013

As I told you yesterday, I went to the 2013 Stitches in Bloom Quilt Show at the Oregon Garden yesterday.  This is about the fourth year running that I've gone.  This year's show was just so-so compared to years past.  Nevertheless, I have plenty of pictures of quilts that caught my eye.  I spent a good portion of the show kicking myself for not entering my Day in the Life of Mr. Bear quilt.

Despite a good deal of consideration, I told myself that it wasn't good enough, that nobody would like it, that it wasn't my original design, etc., etc., etc.  There were a lot of reasons for not entering it that all amount to one reason:  I was chicken.  (Insert clucking here.)  It would have fit in nicely with the other quilts I saw.  In fact, there was a dearth of embroidered quilts, and so it might have been well received.  Maybe next year.

So who was brave enough to enter their quilts?  Well, note to self:  I need to be better about taking pictures of the little cards accompanying the quilts.  To be honest, it was such a small and crowded venue that it was difficult to get pictures of any of the quilts, let alone hanging out to take pictures of the accompanying cards.

This is the actual structure where the show is held each year.  It appears large enough, but the quilts and vendors are all housed only in the tall center section of the building.  On the right and left sides there are other things going on, classes, and the like.  So all of that to say, smack my hand for not having more information about the quilts.  My apologies to the quiltmakers.  Does it help if I promise to do better in the future?

So with that, I'll just get to it.  I don't have a lot of commentary, but I'll chime in if I think something needs explanation.  Here are the quilts that caught my eye.

This first one was unusual for its texture.  Such a pretty fall wall-hanging.

This next one was just an image for you needle-felting fans.

I really loved the creativity in this next one.  I took quite a few detailed pictures of the quilting.  It was elaborately quilted, and very effectively.  None of the quilting looked terribly difficult, and I found myself saying, even I can do that!

This next one was very creative and unique.  It is a representation of the words "Quiltmakers Create Memories with Fabric" in the American Braille alphabet.  Fun, huh?

The name of the next quilt was "My Mother's Perspective".

 Here's some detail:

I'm not usually a big fan of modern quilts, but this next one caught my eye.

I loved this next one.  It doesn't have very much color, and only a few fabrics, but the quilting was very effective.

Look at this detail of the water rushing against the cliff.

I also liked this representation of the element of fire.  

It's a realistic representation of the sparks flying off a fire, and when you see how simple the quilting is, it's amazing how well it works.  Here's a detail.

 This next one is traditional piecing, but lots and lots of it.

Look at these tiny little pieces in this next image.  The woman standing beside me was heard to say, "I throw away pieces that small."  I do too!

This next quilt wasn't a part of the show.  It was hanging at a vendor's booth and the sign says that it is an "upcoming pattern".  Cute, huh?  There's a little detailed image below.

I really liked this next one with so many iconic scenes from Oregon.  I've followed it up with several detailed images.

Here's my own image of this scene:

This next place is less well known, Crown Point.  I'll see if I can find an image of it on the internet.  I liked the way she quilted the little trees.

(Image Credit to Craig Wolf Photography)

Okay, more quilts now. 

The quilting created a lot of texture in this quilt.  Very nicely done.

This is one of my favorite filler designs, especially because I think even I can do it!

This next quilt was very cute.

It had bunnies quilted all around the edges!

I really like this next one.  Very interesting.  I would like to quilt the Acoustic Montage quilt that I just started kind of like this.  

The quilter used a contrasting thread and a long stitch.

I really like the textures created by the quilting and the piecing in this next one.

And I loved the embellishing on this next one.

Plain old washers in various sizes from the hardware store!

The multicultural representations always draw my eye.

And for some reason, I'm very fond of quilts that include a clothesline with clothes hanging on it somewhere. Don't ask me why.  I can't tell you.

Those are all the images I have from this show.  After I left the show, I visited a quilt shop, but I'll save that for another post.  I hope you enjoyed the show!

Oh, I almost forgot.  I've been wanting to try this recipe for a Dutch Baby for about a week now, and I finally did it this morning.  A Dutch Baby is a German pancake...sort of like a crepe batter.  It puffs up high in the oven, then deflates when you cut into it.  It was remarkably simple to make, and very yummy.  The recipe called for a mix of fresh raspberries and fresh blackberries.  Fresh aren't available this time of year where I live, and so I used all frozen blackberries, which is what I had on hand.  You could use any berry, fresh or frozen.  Here's the link to the recipe if you want to try it yourself.  Honest, it's so simple, and very elegant.  You can amaze your friends and family.  They'll think you cooked all morning, and it only takes about ten minutes of preparation, then about 20 minutes in the oven.  Yum.

It's a sewing day for me, so I'm going to get to it.  How are you spending your Saturday?