Snuggly Warm Beauty

My mother and I went to the Quilt Show last weekend. No wait! Don’t click away! It’s actually pretty cool.

This particular show is an international event showcasing the giants of the field. Instead of cozy bedcovers, many of them make extraordinary collages made of fabric. They show a truly amazing grasp of color and form. Examine this rooster. He was the Grand Prize Winner. Everything you see here is sewn. The wood texture is created by using tiny scraps and the suggestion of feathers is the stitching. It is also, coincidently, made by a man.

I always look forward to the Japanese entries. The one with the violins is a beautiful interpretation of a photo quilt. Up at the top little photo printed fabric squares form a ribbon. The flower petals on the violins and the border are all meticulously cut and appliquéd. Photo quilts are often only appealing to those who are featured in them, but this is genuinely fantastic work.

This quilt also inspired my first homicidal reaction of the show. While I was examining it, a grisly little woman comes up, looks at the miniscule appliqué and loudly remarks “Someone has too much time on their hands!”

I hate that!

Every man, woman, and child has exactly 24 hours in their day. Some choose to spend that time playing video games or giving themselves French manicures with white out. Others chose to devote their time to making art. I always resent that comment.

There are plenty of less spectacular entries, of course. We looked at many small single square works. These usually aren’t so great, although they frequently involve some shocking imagery. My mother, a gifted seamstress, commented that examining these was a lot like looking at the 4-H displays at the county fair. Assuming 4-H kids made 8 inch square fabric panels about genocide or abortion.

The best part, of course, is the vendors. I personally spent $70 on Japanese fabric printed with adorable little bunnies. I’m pretending now that I will use it for something. Chances are I’ll just keep it and look at it, like Smaug and his hoard.