NQA Show - Paula Nadelstern

This is the last post I'll be doing on the NQA show.  I know some of you are dismayed that I have no photos, and I wish I could, but I do comply with the shows request not to post photos of the quilts without the maker's permission.  Since I didn't get that, no photos.  You can get photos of all the quilts in the judged part of the show by going to www.nqaquilts.org and ordering the CD from the show.  The cost is $20.00 and there may be some shipping cost as well.

The Thursday night Gathering keynote speaker was Paula Nadelstern and she was a delight.  I had never heard her speak before and have only spoken to her in the context of saying, "hello, loved your presentation"  that sort of thing.

Paula told us she would tell us everything we need to know about math to make quilts like her kaleidoscope quilts.  She said we already knew it, anyway -- there are 360 degrees in a circle.  That is all we need to know according to Paula.  Hmmm, I think I need a little more instructions, though she did go on to show us how she divided the circle and wedges.

I wish I had been able to take her class.  I did learn that I have the wardrobe that would work in New York -- black.

The quilt on the left is an early Paula Nadelstern quilt.  She's evolved a bit, wouldn't you say?

She had umbrellas for sale, but I already have two umbrellas and I live in Arizona.  I couldn't think of any reason to buy another, unfortunately!

She also showed us her latest quilt, but we were not allowed to take photos.  It cannot be shown on the Internet yet. 

Those who were able to take Paula's class really liked it.  Next time, I want to be a student instead of a worker, OK?

This is a night view from my window.  Lovely!

On Friday night we had the Little Quilt Auction and Saturday was another day at the show.  Much money was made for the Grants Program of NQA with the many small quilts auctioned at the 25th Annual Little Quilt Auction.  It was a celebration with a steak dinner.  I'm not big on steak, but the asparagus soup was wonderful and so was the key lime tart for dessert!

After the show, the quilts had to come down, everything boxed and ready to go back to the makers    and the classrooms cleaned out.  That gaffer tape holding down the extension cords is some sticky stuff!

Tomorrow I'm going to a Farmer's Market and to Sweet Salvage in Phoenix.  Don't worry, I'll take my camera and share the experience with you!

Hope you are having a wonderful Wednesday!

xoxoXOXOxoxo

Lois

NQA Show - North Market Experience

The view from my window each morning was really spectacular if you ignored the roof below.  The sky with the sun rising and the distant lights of cars heading to work made me want to start my day!

One of my favorite things to do during the NQA Show in Columbus, Ohio, is to visit the North Market.  Thursday was the only day I actually got outside the convention center as my friend, Diane, was leaving that day.  She stopped by the Registration Desk to say "Goodbye" just as I was going to get a lunch break.  We decided to walk a block over to the North Market.

It's always fun to walk in the older downtown areas of cities and observe the various architecture.  The dome on this Greek Orthodox church peeks between buildings and the ever present construction!

Just look at the wonderful brick detail on this old building.  I really wanted a chance to go out again to take photos just of the buildings around the Convention Center, but it never happened!

Ah, there it is!  Just look at the charm of this area!  This parking lot was full by the time we finished lunch a mere 20 or so minutes later!

Just Charming!

Inside are foods and other goods from around the world.

Feel like a little Indian cuisine?

How about some soup?  A salad or a sandwich?  It's in there!

Just look at the fresh produce.  Oh, how I wanted to take some of this back to the hotel!  I could have taken it in one of the wonderful French market baskets the shop also sold.

But, instead, I had a slice of goat cheese pizza.  It was delicious!  See the name?  I'm not sure what a Clever Crow has to do with pizza, but it's an interesting name.

All too soon Diane needed to leave for the airport and I needed to get back to work.

I had hoped to get back to North Market to take more photos and to stroll the downtown area taking more photos.  On Saturday I could have had time, but there was a parade on High Street and taking a stroll would not have worked at all.

If you ever get to the Convention Center in downtown Columbus, Ohio, you just must take in the North Market and experience the Old World Market experience there.

Hope you are having a terrific Tuesday!

xoxoXOXOxoxo

Lois

NQA 42nd Annual Show

What a week it has been!  I just returned home yesterday from the 42nd Annual NQA show and it was a wonderful show!  I hope you made it!

When I arrived last Tuesday, the Hyatt was waiting for the quilters!

For two years, one of my quilts hung over the front desk, but two years ago something happened that changed that.  An antique pine tree quilt of mine was hanging there and disappeared over night.  The show director almost had a heart attack when she found that it was missing the following morning.  But, never fear, it was just a housekeeping error.  The caterer thought it was for an event held in the evening and removed it, placing it in a banquet room.  Eventually, it was discovered and returned to the show director.  She made the decision to hang it in the exhibit hall where there are guards 24/7 so that another error like that could not happen.  Now, all quilts are hung in the exhibit hall, but I do miss having a theme quilt hanging in the lobby to welcome the quilters to the Hyatt!

After checking in on Tuesday, June 12, I helped hang some of the show.  What fun that is!  Actually seeing the quilts up close and personal -- wearing white gloves, of course!

Wednesday was spent on more setup, and then most of the rest of the week I spent here.

Glenn Taylor has been the registrar for the show for several years and I was privileged to work with him to help those who pre-registered pick up their name badges, totes and show pins.  It was sometimes very fast paced with lines of quilters eager for the show to begin!  That is Glenn in the middle and a volunteer on the right.  Volunteers are the lifeblood of the show!

Wednesday night brings the Preview Party featuring a dinner where the show winners are announced followed by the first opportunity to see the quilts.  Oh, yes, the vendors were all waiting in their booths as well -- lots of vendors with lots of "stuff".  Let the party begin!

My friend, Diane, and I joined this group of quilters from New York.

That is Barbara Arnold (no relation) in the middle.  She was the Certified Teacher of the year either last year or the year before.  She is also from New York.

These ladies are from New york, too, except for Diane, who is shown in front (right side).  We had a delicious chicken meal that night.

There were approximately 270 at the preview party -- lots of tables of 10!

Judy Taylor, president of NQA and several of the board members as well as the two other show chairpersons were at a table near the front.

Of course there HAD to be some chocolate!

Judy welcomed us all to the 42nd NQA show.

Two of the judges were present to announce the Judge's Choice awards.

The third judge had to leave after the judging so another judge made her announcement.  While the NQA show is a non-juried show, Certified Judges do the judging and make comments that the quilters get when their quilts are returned so they know what they are doing well and where improvement might be needed.  Feedback like this helps us improve with each quilt we make.

Drum roll please!

The co-directors Karen Blocher, Linda Miller and Judy Taylor announced the list of winners and photos of the quilts appeared here.

You can go to www.nqaquilts.org to see the list of winners.

My favorite was America, Let It Shine by Sherry Reynolds from Laramie, WY.   I had the privilege of meeting her and spending a bit of time with her -- she is delightful and her quilt was exquisite!

While I'd love to show you the quilts here, it would be a copyright violation as the show book asked that no one use images of the quilts on their blogs or web sites.

I'll share more of the show happenings in the next post.

I'm exhausted -- happy, but it was a busy 6 days with little sleep!

xoxoXOXOxoxo

Lois

Dallas Quilt Celebration

Oh, friends, how I missed you!

For 8 days I was in Dallas.  First for a National Quilting Association Board of Directors meeting and then for the Dallas Quilt Celebration.  Guess which was more fun!  BOD meetings tend to be intense, non-stop meetings.  A quilt show?  Hands down the winner in the fun department!  BOD meetings are necessary and worthwhile and I'm glad to participate so that quilt making will have a future.  The days at the Quilt Celebration were spent primarily in the NQA booth (oh, yeah, I did see the quilts and visit the vendors!). Meeting quilters from all over guarantees a good time!.  Most of the quilters were from the Dallas area, but some were from other states.

I got to meet my blogging friend Julie!   In person!   She is a wonderful person and quilt maker from the Dallas area who makes the most amazing plaid quilts and string quilts.  We just didn't have enough time to visit!  She always has several projects going at once and each one is more beautiful than the next!  If you haven't been to her blog, you must go visit her.

Julie is on the right and I'm on the left.  It was very chilly that day!

The quilts at the Dallas Quilt Celebration were simply amazing!  I had planned to post photos, however, the show program specifically asked that no photos without permission from the owners/makers of the quilt be posted on the Internet so I am honoring that request.

Linda Roy won Best of Show and you may have seen her quilt in other shows.  It is a work of art as are all of Linda's quilts!

This is where I spent most of the time at the show.

The beautiful quilt on the left is for the Texas Association of Quilt Guilds that was the booth beside us.

We started out giving  visitors the NQA member magazine, the Quilting Quarterly, but ran out on Saturday.

The banner says it all -- Creativity, Education and Heritage, that's NQA!

Isn't the bee cute?

If you would like to know more about the National quilting Association, Inc., visit us on the web to see how you can become a member of this fine organization.

Next time I'll show you where I stayed and talk food!

Until next time,

xoxoXOXOxoxo

Lois

Tucson Quilt Show 2012

A Friday "hello" friends!

What could be better than good friends, a road trip and a quilt show?

That is exactly what friends Diane, Joyce and I got to do last Saturday.  We had not even seen each other since last year!  I know that was only weeks ago, but still....... a girl needs her friends!

This photo was taken at the NQA 42nd Annual Quilt Show in Columbus OH last June.

The show this year will be June 14-16 -- be sure to come!

Back to the Tucson Quilter's Guild (an NQA Chapter) Show.

As usual, I didn't get a lot of photos of quilts taken.  I get so busy looking I forget!

Upon entering the show, we saw this wonderful mariner's compass variation made by Kathy Zimmer.

Note the ribbon -- it is a wonderful quilt!  Kathy was the show chairman.

This is an honorable mention ribbon, not Kathy's.  I just wanted you to see the wonderful AZ logo close up.

Many of the quilts were colorful and used a LOT of different fabrics like this one by Jean Troutwine.

I loved the spinning star effect.

One of my favorites was this one by Patsy Heacor.

The women are Arizona women of note.  The bottom left is Sandra Day O'Connor.  The faces are painted and thread painted.  Patsy did a great job!

Though I didn't take a photo of it, the best of show was stunning.  I spent some time speaking with the maker, but never got a photo.  There were a LOT of people wanting to get up close and personal with the quilt!

Though I took a few other photos, they turned out blurry and I didn't want you to go blind trying to see them.

Joyce, Diane and I had a great time.  We enjoyed a lunch outside though the selections were limited.  My theory is that it's not about the food, it's about the company, so the food choice isn't all that important.

We all visited the vendors as well -- of course we did, that's part of the whole show experience.

We visited with friends we had not seen in a while and met new ones.

All too soon we needed to get in Diane's van and head home.

Until next time,

Lois

NQA 42nd Show Wrap up

We enjoyed the Little Quilt Auction on Friday night.  The proceeds from the auction go to the NQA Grants program.  Many worthwhile projects have been funded through the NQA Grants programs throughout the years.  The bidding can get very spirited and lively at times when two or more are determined to purchase the quilt being bid upon.  One such quilt brought in $400.00 by itself and was made by an Certified Judge.

All the quilts were on the screen as well as being carried by a "worker bee" for all to see.

Joyce wanted this one, but it quickly went beyond what she was willing to bid.

The auctioneer was good at stirring the pot and getting people to "up" their bids.

Friends also were encouraging each other to bid higher and higher.

The group stayed until the last bid to pick up their booty.

Saturday found us putting labels on boxes that would later that night hold quilts to be picked up after the show and to be filled on Sunday with those to be shipped back to the owners.

Each box was numbered with the number of the quilt in the show and all numbers verified before the quilts went in the box to be shipped.  Each participant received a show book and the winning quilts also were packed with the ribbons won at the show.

There were a variety of boxes and tubes.  They were all different sizes depending on the size of the quilt.  A bit of advice to any sending quilts away -- buy a NEW sturdy box.  The shipping services and postal service are rough on the box and your quilt is precious cargo so treat it to a fitting container.

Diane Pitchford, the Show Coordinator had many responsibilities before, during and after the show.  She was constantly making sure things ran smoothly and did a superb job.  She has already begun work on the 43rd Annual NQA Quilt Show.  Do yourself a favor and start to plan now to attend.  You will have a great time seeing quilts, shopping for supplies, attending classes and events and meeting new friends.



All too soon Sunday came and it was time to go home.  My friend Joyce and I had such a good time working at the show and spending time with each other as well as with friends, old and new.  It is so much fun to see friends you have not seen for some time and find that your conversation hasn't missed a beat.  You pick up where you left off.  Hope to see you in Columbus next year, friend!

Until next time,

Lois

NQA Show Mostly Behind the Scenes

What an incredibly busy week it was last week at the 42nd Annual NQA Quilt Show!  Here are a few pictures of the aisles BEFORE the crowds came.  There were lots of vendors and lots of quilts to see! And my favorite?  Looking for friends!

The admissions booth before the crowds came!

A lull in the registration booth with NQA volunteers ready to hand out NQA show bags & books for those preregistered and those coming to register.

The NQA booth ready and waiting.

You could purchase Rebecca Barker show prints here, CD's of the quilts in the judged part of the show, NQA umbrellas, pins and so much more! 

The NQA Guide to Judged Quilt Shows book was available here. (It is also available on line!)

National Quilting Day was highlighted. See the log cabin quilt in the background?

Demos by Certified Teachers were held here.  The quilt on the right has a bead to show where the NQA chapters are located.



You could learn about the Certified Judge and Teacher programs here.

Then there were the vendors!

Don't you wish you could have shopped when the aisles were this empty?

Yep, more vendors were in this aisle.

And this one!

There were special exhibits.

And more special exhibits.

And a lot of quilts to see, yippee!

There were even stunning quilted garments.  I wanted the red and black one! Of course, it was there to be judged, not purchased!

President Judy Taylor introduced the winning quilts and announced our newest Master Quilt maker, Mary Buvia.  Her quilt was exquisite.  This is not an award handed out lightly!

After the preview party, the aisles looked like this!

And this!  Quilts to see, supplies to purchase and friends to visit with.  They came, they saw and they purchased all the fabric and gadgets they needed or maybe wanted!

I am NQA are YOU?

I'll add a few more pictures of behind the scenes next time.

Until then, quilt until you wilt!

Lois