There and back again...

...a quilter's tale about this year's Houston International Quilt Festival.

I and two of my besties headed down to Houston on Thursday and spent the day on Friday at the show.  We did the ENTIRE show, quilts and vendors, in ONE DAY!  And let me tell you I was EXHAUSTED at the end of the day. 

It was not an adventure for the faint of heart.  We spent the first 8 hours just making it through the vendors.  There are so many vendors to see that by about half way through you're visually numb to almost everything because it all starts to look the same.

I could've bought and bought and bought.  But I showed restraint...lol.  Here's my modest haul.

 

Some 1/2 and 1 yard cuts, some fat quarters, and a couple bundles of wool squares...

 

I would like to have found more text prints but I was especially happy to

find Kaffe Spots and Aboriginal Dots in fat quarters.

 

 

A pre-printed panel to quilt, a couple patterns, a soap stone/graphite

pencil, a few stencils, and wedge paper pieces...

 

If you're ever in the market for quilt stencils, I highly recommend

The Stencil Company.  Their selection is the best I've ever seen.

 

 

...and Kathy Doughty's new book that I've been dying to get!

If I ever make it to Australia, Kathy's shop is first on my To Do List.

After all that, the last hour of the show was spent actually looking at the quilts.  While the winners were all amazing, I want to share with you the ones that didn't win the BIG awards and that I was especially smitten with.  In no particular order here are just a few of the quilts.

 

Winding Blade Quilt

by Christine Imbaud of La Rochelle, France

 

 

Zomerse Dag

by Lilija Kostenko of Gouda, The Netherlands

Second Place - Novice

 

 

Starlight Night

by Ghislaine Lucas of Le Conquet, France

 

 

Clarissa

by Aline Joulin of Chaillevette, France

 

From Replica to Replica. Ursula, Doris, and I!

by Simone Patouillard of Sorbiers, France

 

Double Feathered Star

by Gabrielle Paquin of Orleans, France

 

 

Upside Down

by Marie-Josephe Veteau of Steinsoultz, France

 

 

Berne House Quilt

by the members of the Bernese Quilters of Berne, Switzerland

 

My Journey to Baltimore

by Lois Podolny of Tucson, Arizona

 

 

The Age of Discovery

by Setsuko Matsushima of O-Tsu Shi, Shiga, Japan

 

 

Baltimore in the Provence

by Ellen Heck of Somis, California

 

 

Hope

by Yoshiko Miyamoto of Nishinomiya City, Hyogo Ken, Japan

 

Raven Blanket

by Lynn Czaban of Vancouver, Washington

 I have more quilt pictures to share.  But that'll have to wait till tomorrow. 

Till next time...