Bayberry Quilt Show

At the Bayberry Guild's opening day of the annual show I took only a few photos, I'll have another opportunity on Saturday.  And I have another to add here tomorrow.  For today here's just one of several small challenge quilts that were just wonderful.  The challenge was to use a certain blue Moda fabric and 25 aditional fabrics, within a quilt that would be no more than 100 inchs total perimeter.  I was especially charmed by this cat sitting on a very puffy pillow.  It seems to me the members of this guild react with special creativity and enthusiasm to the challenge for the past few years.  

The red, white and blue quilt here is on a frame with backing and batting, held in place with the large clips that can be seen. It was being used by the ladies who run the charity committee to demonstrate what they do: they encourage donation of tops (and are especially looking for patriotic ones to give to vets.  I made this top late winter and donated it.  The commitee also receives donations of fabic and for the quilt show they bundle fat quarters (six per bundle) and sell them at $3 per bundle.  Compare this, as the value ads say, to most of the vendor's fat quarters which were between $2 and $2 per fat quarter.  Can't beat it.  Did I buy some?  Of course.  Grace and Lou, the co-chairs of the Charity Committee were saying loudly to everyone that although much is donated, they are selling these items to purchase batting for the quilts. They spent about $1,000 last year on batting. They have a number of people who help them quilt or tie the tops they receive.

They also sell quilt magazines and books. I bought a fairly old book about American quilts that may be the very one I donated to the free table at a guild meeting. I realized I was sorry I didn't have it as I'm doing research for the history of quilting course I'll be giving this fall. It may be re-donated later in the year. I didn't have time, or energy, to look through the many magazines. (I need quit magazines like I need an extra elbow -- but the same is true of FQs.)

I was gratified to see people spending time in front of my quilt about Women Poets who are marginalized -- I think they were trying to figure out what the quilt was about. I'm not sure they were reacting to the message since I cynically and honestly believe that very, very few people have any feelings about poetry at all, let alone whether men or women are marginalized -- poets are practically nonexistent in the lives of most people.  Sad, but I'm afraid it's true.