Quilts!

This is a very popular part of the festival we attend each 4th of July--sadly, this is our first time through the quilt exhibit. We're usually at the fair with my nieces, and by the time we hit the area the quilts are in, it's getting to be time to go... Anyway, this year they're in Maine, and we got to see quilts.

A quilting bee. I overheard a guy being outraged on behalf of these women because the lighting was so poor. "They're going to ruin their eyes!"

Attendees were invited to quilt a bit and sign their work. I wanted to but I could tell the dude wasn't that interested. Plus when we walked by after buying our quilt the frame was full of (amateur?) quilters--including two guys. (The woman in the middle said she was making her quilting debut when I took her photo.)

There were a lot of quilts--over 2500--all for sale or up for auction.

Here are some of my favorite award winners:

"Storm at Sea." Something interesting happens when you photograph this quilt. It looks like there's a heart in the middle. You don't see that in person. Optical illusion?

This one is called "Something Old, Something New." It's a bunch of very traditional patterns put together in a very nontraditional way.

"Courthouse Gardens." These are being auctioned today. Most of the starting bids are $1000. You can see more of the award winners here.

Ours! This 22"x22" log cabin wall hanging was labeled "No Sunday Sales" which means it was made by an Amish woman who can't allow her work to be sold on the Sabbath. This is the cheapest hand quilted Amish quilt I've ever seen. Now to find just the right spot for it.