Jacksonville Quiltfest

This past weekend we went to Jacksonville, Florida to see the quilt show there. It is a large show with a great variety of quilts. And, of course, a lot of great vendors (isn't THAT why we go?). This year I was fortunate enough to win prizes for both of the quilts I had entered: The Eye of the Storm and Honey Locust Beans. Batiks, Etc. (one of my favorite vendors and shops) was the sponsor of two of the ribbons. I also won a ribbon for Artistic Merit (I was floored by that one!) which was sponsored by the show itself. The committee that puts on this show does a lot of really neat things--some of which work better than others. They had a recognition ceremony on Saturday morning which is really just a photo "op" because they didn't have a microphone and no one could really hear anything but , they presented each of us with a gorgeous rose that was done in the style of Joan Shay (and that was a LOT of roses for them to make). They did a similar thing last year and I think it is a really nice touch to make each ribbon winner feel special. After the ceremony, each winner was asked to stand by her quilt for a while to answer any questions people might have. This year, my husband Smokey stood by one of my quilts and talked also (I think he enjoyed it!). The people are so nice and really seem to appreciate the opportunity to talk and ask questions. Again, they did this last year also and I think it is a great addition to any quilt show.

There was another quilt there by a Charlestonian, Virginia Schrenker. She does absolutely beautiful needleturn applique and her quilt is really outstanding.

I took more pictures, but there were so many wonderful quilts that it was hard to choose just a few to post. This one I liked because of the use of color--something that I always need to work on. Working out where to put so many individual pieces of fabric really takes a lot of patience and a good eye. And the dog by Pauline Salzman I really liked because she does such a great job of looking at the ordinary and making it extraordinary.

So . . .all in all, it was a great trip that included a visit to the Old Green Cupboard (a GREAT quilt shop), some good food and a comfortable bed. Hopefully, tomorrow I head back to the mountains and can get back to work on my swamp hibiscus quilt. And then, Karen, I can post an updated picture.