Machine Quilters Expo 2005- A Review
by Patricia Cummings
photos by Jim Cummings
From April 15-17, 2005, viewers who attended the Machine Quilters Expo at the Radisson Hotel in Manchester, NH were in for some real treats. This large and ever-growing show hosted the machine wizardry work of quilters from around the country. We stood in awe at some of the examples of quilts that were quilted on both long-arm and home sewing machines. Certainly, we would have to agree that this type of quilting has come of age.
Click on each picture to see a larger view. Some will be slow-loading, especially, "The Last Supper," but they will be worth the wait!!!!
Upon entering the show room, the first quilt in sight was an “Indian
Orange Peel” bed quilt. Karen Schroeder from MN decided to make the colorful
quilt after having seen Karen Stone’s store sample. Schroeder chose to
incorporate some batik fabrics into the quilt top. The quilt was
machine-quilted by Kim Brunner of Farmington, MN. Logically, she quilted
the circular design motifs, following their outline. This was a first time
show entry.
A real show stopper was the “Ring Around the Rosie” quilt by Renae
Haddadin of Salt Lake City, Utah. Shown to the right is the back of
the quilt. The two-sided quilt featured machine
quilting, embroidery and jewel embellishments. This quilt was awarded first
place in the Wholecloth division. This same quilter won “Best of Show,” as
well as Blue Ribbon for Custom/Heirloom Quilting award for “His Light
Reflected.” Scroll to the bottom of this file to see a photo of that quilt.
Another show winner was Christine Fries of Vermont who crafted, “Landscape of Possibilities.” This quilt won second place in the Art
Pictorial category. Faithful to her style, Fries’ quilt features timeless
themes of children and the ocean. Special embellishments (including a
terrific beehive and little three-dimensional bees) create a dramatic effect
and make this an “action“ quilt. Commissioned by the Howard
Community Center of Burlington, VT, this piece incorporates about one hundred fifty
leaves, all of which were signed by a member of the center.
One of Jim’s favorite quilts was the beautiful “Stained Glass” quilt by Pam Clarke of Spokane, Washington. We both admired the many wholecloth quilts in the show. They were exquisitely and expertly done.
Just call me Irish. My favorite quilt was a wall quilt entitled, “Green
Romance,” made by Diana Reinhardt Annis of Massachusetts.
The green and white quilt was inspired by a trapunto workshop given by Karen
McTavish. Diana thinks that this small quilt may be a starting point a larger wholecloth quilt
that she has in mind for next year’s show.
For those of you who are not familiar with Karen McTavish, she is the author of Whitework Quilting: Creative Techniques for Designing Wholecloth and Adding Trapunto to Your Quilts (Two Harbors, MN: On~Word Bound Books, 2004), a terrific book with many beautiful photos and great information.
Another quilt that we liked very well is called, “Why Seek Ye the Living Among the Dead?” by Pat Harrison of Rhode Island. The quilt calls to mind the Biblical passage of Luke 24:5. Through a combination of hand painting and machine quilting, the quilter has reenacted the scene of the empty tomb of the risen Christ. The quilt’s uneven edges add to the impression of a realistic and believable scene. Unfortunately, the quilt was hung in an area that did not allow easy access for picture taking. That is why no photo appears in this review.
Continuing in a Biblical framework was the show’s invitational quilt, the much acclaimed reproduction of Leonardo Da Vinci’s painting, “The Last Supper.” This quilt was brought all the way from Waxahachie, Texas by its quiltmaker, retired dentist, Don Locke, and his wife.
An estimated 1200 hours were needed over a two and a half year span to finish this masterpiece. Computer grids assisted Don in placing the nearly 52,000 one inch squares. These became ½” square after being sewn together. The original painting was painted within a building, in Milan, Italy.
Linda Taylor of Melissa, TX machine quilted the extremely long wall hanging which measures 183” long by 67” tall. She captured in thread the details of the scene such as the outline of the chalice and loaves of bread, and most amazingly, the fingernails of Christ’s hand and the lines in his other upturned hand. Linda’s website is: www.LEQuilters.com.
Two magazines have featured articles about the quilt. Quilter’s Newsletter Magazine ran a story in October 2000 (issue 326, 8 - 9). Fabrications, a publication printed in Cambridge, England, October/November 2002, pages 20-23, also wrote about Don’s successful undertaking after the couple had visited England to show the quilt.
Don said that they are enjoying their trips to share the quilt with groups across the country. We very much enjoyed visiting with the Lockes. Don agreed to pose for a picture in front of his creation, and gave us permission to share the photo of his quilt and information about it with you! Be sure to visit Don’s website: www.thesupper.net.
Best of Show, "His Light Reflected," by Renae Haddadin of Utah
Overall, this was another terrific show! Many thanks to the show founders/organizers, Janet-Lee Santeusanio and Mary Schilke. For details of the next show, please see the following website: www.MachineQuiltersExpo.com
©Copyright 2005. Patricia and James Cummings, Quilter's Muse Publications, Concord, NH. pat@quiltersmuse.com
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