Visting the SFQG Show

Yesterday, after spending the morning with the Young Man at an appointment , I met my mom and we visited to the biannual San Francisco Quilters’ Guild Show. The show is held South of Market in a funky, old building. There is parking and the space is large so the show never feels crowded. The light has been a problem in the past, but this year the quilts were well lit. The last of their shows I visited was in 2007. I think I was too lazy to go in 2009. Sewing calls, you know.

It was great to spend the day with my mom. We always get into discussions about color at quilt shows and I think we see color very differently. My mom is a teacher of the Munsell color system. I have never studied that system of color theory and have decided I will have to read up on it. I always find myself at a disadvantage when talking with her about this topic. I should at least understand, on an intellectual level, what she is talking about. I told her to write some Munsell color theory posts on her blog.

Sunshine over Aquamarine by Laureen Neily
Sunshine over Aquamarine by Laureen Neily

We did agree that Sunshine over Aquamarine was our favorite quilt. I even filled out the Viewer’s Choice slip for this quilt! First, the pattern is simple. The fabrics are scrappy, but work really well together. The maker paid careful attention to the colors and her work paid off. The ratio of yellow to aquamarine is perfect. Also, the quilting fits the quilt very well. The photo above does not do the quilt justice.

Sunshine over Aquamarine by Laureen Neily -color
Sunshine over Aquamarine by Laureen Neily-color

The above photo is very close to the color of the quilt. The center looked more yellow than beige. I liked that none of the wide variety of fabrics really stuck out. When viewed from far away, they all worked in harmony. I also liked the squares and rectangles combination.

Sunshine over Aquamarine by Laureen Neily -quilting detail
Sunshine over Aquamarine by Laureen Neily -quilting detail

The photo above is a bit dark (no flash), but I wanted to get a clear photo of the quilting. I think this type of quilting would work very well in the Zig Zaggy quilt. There were a number of quilts where I thought the quilting overshadowed the piecing. I am a piecing girl, though, and I am sure that the makers of those quilts had good reasons for the quilting added to their pieces. The quilting in the quilt, above, is perfect for the piecing. The quilt has a strong, if subtle, horizontal line and the quilting accents that without overpowering it.

Linda's Potpourri by Linda Gavin
Linda's Potpourri by Linda Gavin

I really enjoyed this quilt as well. It appeared to be a group project, though members seemed to offer more support than blocks to each other (they all made their own quilts). Each person made an 18″ block (comprised of smaller pieces) every month for a year until enough blocks were accumulated to make a quilt.

Again, I liked the ratio of green and yellow to black. Also, the greens and yellows, mostly, seemed clear rather than greyed out.

Linda's Potpourri by Linda Gavin - detail
Linda's Potpourri by Linda Gavin - detail

There isn’t too much black in this piece, which means that the other colors aren’t overwhelmed.

Linda's Potpourri by Linda Gavin - detail 2
Linda's Potpourri by Linda Gavin - detail 2

This star is similar to the stars I used in the Frosted Stars quilt.

The guild was having a special on memberships – one year membership for$10 during the show only. I bought one.  The lady at the membership table was very enthusiastic and very friendly. I said I had belonged before and, when pressed, mentioned that I felt the guild was too clique-ish last time I was a member. They acknowledged that as a problem and said they wanted to have a meeting for new members to get to know each other. They also want to form some new small groups. I am interested in a small group, but will wait and see how it goes.  If I go to two meetings, like I did last year, then it will be worth it. I have to get back on the list for their meetings as I have not received an email about their topics or speakers in a few months.

Circle Quilts
Circle Quilts

We also visited with Colleen of Sew Little Time Quilting, who was vending at the show. She has just come out with a new book, Circle Quilts. She was giving a demo just after we saw her, so we headed over there to watch. All of the patterns are for paper piecing. From my glance through the pages, the directions are very clear and there are full sized patterns in the book. I like the Liberty Star. Mom bought the book.

Many of the quilts in Colleen’s book are round. Round quilts are a pain to hang. Colleen has solved that problem with Quilt Shaper.

Quilt Shaper
Quilt Shaper

This is a piece of stainless steel that you insert into the quilt to help it keep its shape. There are full directions inside. One of the reasons I have never made a round quilt is because hanging is less than stellar. Why make something that will look terrible hung on the wall? This product makes me actually consider making a round quilt!

[NB: I did not get discounts or anything free to write about the above book and product.]

We also saw a demo of the Accuquilt Go. I think this machine would be great for my mom, but they are pricey. The woman demoing works at a quilt shop 12 miles from where my mom lives and invited her to come to their bee. I was pretty happy about that, because mom has been missing her friends since she moved.

We had a good food experience with the deli as well. We were contemplating the choices for a gluten free meal. When the chef heard us talking, he came up and offered to make something special for us. We both had salads with meat, cheese, tomatoes, avocado, cucumber, etc. I would have been a cranky and irritable mess if I hadn’t eaten and really appreciate the chef reaching out to us.

All in all, it was a good day. Fun to hang with mom, nice to see some quilts. I’ll put the quilts up in a Flickr set, but it will take me a few days.