musings on a quilt show

Today Ally and I went to a local quilt show that we attend every year. In fact, this one was the first show I ever attended, 10 years ago. I remember the first time I went. I was a new quilter, although I had been sewing since I was a little girl. I looked at all of the quilts in awe, thinking "I will never be able to do that" or "I could never enter a quilt in a show". In fact, I never have. I don't make quilts with the intention of showing them. I make them to decorate my home. To give as gifts. To snuggle with on the couch. But not to show.

Today I saw the quilts through different eyes. I don't know if it's the fact that I have learned a lot in ten years of quilting or if the standards for the quilts in the show has changed, but I was disappointed. Don't get me wrong, many of the quilts were exquisitely  made. The appliqué always amazes me. But the quilts are all beginning to look the same to me. The same patterns. The same fabrics. 

And then, there were some quilts that, to me, simply did not belong in a show. There were several t-shirt quilts. T-shirt quilts in a quilt show? To me, t-shirt quilts are to be used and enjoyed by the owner, not to be hung in a show. Now I'm beginning to sound snobbish.... believe me that is not my intention! I have made t-shirt quilts and I love them! I was just surprised.

I took one picture. One. This quilt, not because it was difficult but because it was DIFFERENT. It's called Xylophone, made by Deborah Sheridan. I don't know her, but her quilt caught my eye. 

I don't think I'll ever enter a quilt in a show. I won't say I never will because statements like that always come back to bite me, but I can't imagine I ever will. But I could if I wanted to. Today showed me that. For now I'll just keep making quilts because I love it. For me, that's good enough!