Well, Maine Quilts has come and gone for another year, and it was wonderful. This time I volunteered even more, helping hang and take down the show, and I can tell you I am impressed by the organization, time, commitment, effort and professionalism of the women (at least I think it is all or almost all women) who make this show happen. The show is a project (hope that’s the correct word) of the state-wide Pine Tree Quilt Guild (PTQG..click on the initials to go to the website), and invites entries not only from across the state but from elsewhere as well (last year, a teacher at the show based in Florida, I think, entered and won Best in Show!). This year, including 9 garments, all the exhibits, display quilts, judged quilts, and special exhibits, there were 515 entries filling the Augusta Civic Center.

Best in Show this year went to Pat LaPierre-McAfee for her fish quilt “For a Lifetime” inspired by a carved fish on the wall at a Red Lobster Restaurant in Minnesota (Pat invented the Free Motion Slider!). Clearly she has mastered not only machine quilting, but good design and impeccable workmanship!

The quilt is two-sided, no less….here is Pat her own self holding the big fish to show his bony backside. After looking closely, I realized she quilted two separate fish (front and back) then joined them…fantastic work! This quilt was the only one to receive an Exceptional Merit ribbon this year (meaning a score of 97 or higher out of 100). Here’s one more photo…a detail of the soft colors and dense quilting:

My nativity quilt, Christmas Tableau, was hanging right next to hers and I’m thrilled that it got a first place, as there were only six blue ribbons in the entire show which had 124 judged quilts. And as luck would have it, it was hanging right next to Pat’s (whom I didn’t recognize when I walked up right next to her with her new super blond hair!). And by the way..don’t those awful faded burgundy drapes suck the life and color out of things?

I don’t quite know why, but this very traditional quilt really appealed to me, and obviously to the judges also, since it received a Judges’ Choice in addition to a third place ribbon (and why all the Judges’ choice ribbons went to second and third place quilts baffles me…who ever understands the mind of a quilt judge?) It is listed as 3 CC Autumn by Mollie Gibbons, who said it is an original design inspired by looking at many lovely pineapple quilts.

Another very simple but stunning quilt was hanging just to the right of the pineapple quilt took a second place ribbon….as a friend said, I’d love to see the house that goes with the bedroom in which this quilt resides:

The color and fabric selections were spot on. The quilting was simple, but absolutely suited to the quilt! It is titled Gingko Goddesses by Frances M. Parker (97×102 inches! it was too long for the drapes, so the bottom is pinned up to the back). Frances said in the program that she used a traditional Japanese print style of framing for the setting and the top medallions are from a block by Kumiko Sudo.

Roxanne Wells, co-Pres. of my local chapter Coastal Quilters, is a fabulous art quilter (although I expect if she reads this she’ll protest that oh no she’s not…well, I have to tell ya Roxanne, you ARE! You don’t need to be modest, because you are good!!!) Anyway, Roxanne did a wonderful, colorful applique quilt. She said it was, at first, intended to be a tablecloth to go with her Fiesta dishes…not any more!

I loved this quilt, in the teachers’ aisle, by Jenny Raymond:

and here’s a detail…she had it professionally quilted, and wow it’s smashing:

This quilt, on the very sweet side, won a first place ribbon and both viewers’ and vendors’ choice awards!

Several of the quilts in the Lobster challenge were wonderful. Every year, Maine Quilts has a “theme”; last year it was loons, this year, lobster, and has a challenge and a display to celebrate something “Maine.” This year was the year of Lobstah Chowdah! Here are three of the 40+ quilts in the exhibit. The top one in this first photo is by Jeanne-Marie Robinson; in my local chapter, she always has animals and critters in her quilts, does mostly all hand applique and hand quilting, and wonderful embellishments. She wrote about “Pot Luck” “My lobster is still alive and who knows if it ever will be in a chowder?

I also totally loved the Maine Lobster license plate…done in “real” size…which hung directly beneath Jeanne-Marie’s quilt. Titled “Chwdah” by Ann Woodhead, she says “design and pattern came courtesy of the on-line site of the Maine State Department of Motor Vehicles.” LOVE it!

And I loved the humor in “What Happened to Larry?” by Judith Sala. Made for a challenge at a fabric store in Rockland, the challenge fabric is in the border and is an original design. The serving dish is slightly 3-D.

This lobster was SO dramatic…and exceptionally well-done by Carla Selberg (Carla’s Crustacean, 28 wide by 24):

Art Quilts Maine, the state-wide chapter in the PTQG, had an aisle to itself, with five entries in the “Clothesline” challenge, and another 14 or so in the rest of the exhibit. I managed, somehow, to *not* get photos of individual quilts other than these two closeups of portions of Mary McFarland’s “Calendar Section: January, February, March” (the photos are of January and March)

There was a whole lot more, and tons of wonderful quilts that I missed. I really wanted to take a photo of the whole show / auditorium from the upper balcony area, but when I both had my camera AND remembered, the quilts were all taken down! Next year I guess! And I guess this has gone on for Soooooooo loooonnngggg that I’ll wrap it up for now!

We are heading away on vacation and (eeek! Gasp! horrors!) I’ll be away from computer, internet and e-mail for nearly (eeek, gasp, horrors again) two weeks…. but should have lots of fun stuff when I get back. I’ll post again before we leave, though, so talk to you in a couple of days!

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