Enjoying Other Women's Work

Have I mentioned before that the women in my quilt guild are an amazing lot of talented people?

No?

Well, let me correct that oversight. They are.

For the uninitiated, let me describe some of the tribes within the quilting universe.

There are those who make a few traditional quilts a year and enjoy the craft as a hobby.

There are those who get quite competitive and enter their work in shows. (Believe me when I tell you that the judging in professional shows is very, very, very tough.)

There are quilters for whom "the rules" such as seam allowance, cutting specs, thread use, etc. are paramount. Some of these tribe members get a little carried away and become what other quilters call the "quilt police."

And there are folks who use traditional quilting as a stepping-off point for individual creative expression based on fabric but including many, many, many other materials.

The name commonly used for this latter group is "art quilters" though in all honesty, I think even that title can be somewhat limiting. But that's just semantics. What really counts is enjoying these incredible expressions of individual taste, design, and ideas.

There's a group of art quilters in our local area, some of whom are members of my guild. Together, they have a show of their work in the public library up in Lyme, NH, a really nice space. I was up to visit on Friday afternoon and just ooohed and aaaahed through the whole show.

This is one of the pieces in the show by a friend who's name is Dana Burrell. Thought you might enjoy seeing it too. And I heartily recommend that if you are in the neighborhood, to drop by.