It has been crazy in my household for a number of reasons in the past six weeks, but despite the sogginess, the sickness and the altogether busyness, I was able to squeeze in visits to two very different, but fun local events.
First, I attended the
Original Sewing & Quilt Expo, which took place in Cleveland March 24-26. The Expo has also already taken place in Atlanta, Chicago, Lakeland, FL, and Worcester, MA. This fall, it will take place in Chantilly, VA, Kansas City, MO, and Minneapolis.
So many wonderful things were on display, even outside of the booth area. There was the “If These Quilts Could Talk” exhibit from the
Alliance for American Quilts. The Rust-Tex Collection was simply breathtaking, with its array of rust-dyed fabric creations. Although I encourage you to find this on display in person before it goes away in 2012, Rust-Tex does have the pieces pictured online
here.
The “Thread Tails and Vapor Trails” display honors the centennial of Naval Aviation through 40 quilts. Again, winners are displayed online
here, but check out
tour dates to see them up close.
I was particularly enamored by “The Stuff Dreams are Made of” gallery, curated by the
American Sewing Guild’s Janelle Archer. The gowns on display featured such intricate work, reflective of the fantasy worlds they were designed to represent. My favorites had to be the winter wedding dress and autumn bridesmaid gown. Oh, how I wish they allowed photography in the gallery area! If anyone knows where this collection is housed online, please
let me know.
In the exhibit hall, I met some great people, including Kim Hansen of
Fasturn, Medford, OR. To showcase the Fasturn Fabric Tube Turning System, Kim was teaching an easy make it-take it project to legions of willing expo attendees while her husband, co-owner Dan Tilton, ran the register a few feet away. The Celtic Knot Bracelet was fun to do, and a great way to give Kim a chance to talk about her product as we chose our materials and wove away. My bracelet turned out lovely, but I’d rather show you Kim’s earring, necklace and belt creations, all variations on the same basic weave:
Also having a great show was Lori Mulholland at
Stitch A Book, which gives quilters an easy way to show off their skill on the cover of their day planner, cookbook, photo album or other binder-type cover. Mulholland’s site offers not only the patterns and tips for getting the ideal project, but the binders and fillers (calendars, for example) as well. She’s looking for commission-based representatives, by the way!
Last but not least, the patent-pending El-EGG-ant Hooks ergonomic crochet hook from
Magique Enterprises not only caught my eye, but made a great birthday gift for my mother-in-law, who has rhumetoid arthritis. I also am forever indebted to the wonderful gentleman running the booth, who tracked me down to hand me back the checkbook I left there! Whoops!
