Quilt week posts will continue now that I finally have a break! Look for more this week as I go through over 1000 photos. Today's is all about my Thursday activities. This year I signed up for one class. It was 2.5 hours with the Gee's Bend quilters. It was wonderful! I decided to bring hand piecing for such a short class. One thing I love about a class with the ladies is that you never know when they will break into song. There are also lots of discussions about all sorts of things.
This is my friend Sandie asking Mary Ann about some old cut up quilt pieces that she got at a garage sale.
I wonder what it's like to have folks filming you all the time!
Here's my piece. I didn't get very far, but that wasn't really the point of this class. I used scraps from my scrap bin and had a great time playing with fabric. This is the only bit of sewing I've done in weeks. I also had three of the quilters sign my block. I think I'll add a bit more around the signed section and hand quilt it for a small wall hanging.
After class we had three receptions to attend. The first was by my friend Tonye Phillips at Clearwater Gallery. I have loved her work since I first saw it. I was incredibly lucky to be able to buy one of her pieces. It's the last one on the left, two funky birds that is titled Mother-Daughter. Perfect!
Post Office Uniform Shirts by Mary Ann Pettway
Our next stop was the reception for the Gee's Bend Quilters at Studio Redfield. I had seen some of these quilts at QuiltCon, but there were some amazing new ones too. This first one is "Post Office Uniform Shirts" by Mary Ann Pettway. I love that she left in the uniform emblems.
Some of the ladies rest and have a snack in the cool of the porch.
Lots of people came out for the reception and I didn't have a lot of time, but I managed to get photos of all the quilts. This quilt is so wonderfully graphic and eye-popping. I love Mary Ann Pettway's sense of color and design. I also love the idea of making the smallest scraps into a composition and adding strips around.
The Olympic 2012 Housetop by Mary Ann Pettway
Denim Block with Pink by Stella Mae Pettway
I do believe Stella Mae Pettway also has a fantastic design sense. This is so wonderful- bright and happy, but the denim keeps it grounded.
Lazy Gal by Brittney Kendrick and Brianna Kendrick
Brittney and Brianna are great grand-daughters of Arloniza Pettway. So glad to see the tradition continuing!
Ooops, I forgot to get the info on this one.
Robot at the Whitehouse by Mary Ann Pettway
Robot at the Whitehouse is one of my favorite quilts of all time! I saw it at QuiltCon, but it didn't have a label and I didn't get any info on it til it came out in the QuiltCon magazine. We were very lucky to have Mary Ann there to give us a little backstory. She loves red and white, so she started putting scraps together. Her daughter saw the robot shape (bottom left quadrant of the center section). She created the housetop blocks because they are favorite of hers.
Our final reception of the day was at the Chamber of Commerce to see the Wish Upon a Card Postcards. I only had a few minutes to see them, but it's always nice to see how Myrna Dow does the framing. Each one is custom framed and very unique. Above is my dog card. My friend Marion won the auction on this one!
Here's the kitty with the bird on it's head. This one was custom matted. It's all ready to pop in a frame. I have no idea who got this one.
This is Marion's piece that got third place in the Michael Miller fabric contest.
And, finally, this is my bird that is just beautifully framed! This one got an honorable mention in the Michael Miller fabric contest. I don't know who got this one either, but I hope they enjoy!