Tri-Cities Quilt Show 2010

Anyone who knows me, knows that I'm addicted to sewing, and lately quilts have been my passion. But I'm rather new to quilting, and have been living in more rural areas for the last 20 years. So even though I'm a quilt fanatic, until this past week-end, I had never been to a quilt show. Yes, it's true. Well, all of that was remedied when a friend of mine, whom I'd met on-line a year ago, and in person a few months ago, invited me to her quilting guild's (Tri-Cities Quilt Guild) quilt show in Kennewick, Washington. So I cashed in some kid-free time from my husband, and spent 27 blissful, inspiring, relaxing and fun hours in Tri-Cities visiting my friend and the quilt show.

There were over 400 quilts displayed, and over 50 fabric and quilt supply vendors to shop at. We spent over 5 hours there admiring, and shopping. I must say it was an amazing experience. How did I not do this sooner? I'm already eager to go to another quilt show. We have one coming up here in Pendleton in May (Krazy Horse Quilt Show), and Sisters, Oregon has one of the largest, well-known quilt shows in the country in July, The Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show. They're both penciled in on my calendar.

The featured quilt artist was McKenna Ryan, who uses mostly applique to create absolutely gorgeous nature-inspired scenes on her quilts. The detail of her work is phenomenal. Here are a few pictures of her quilts, including one with me in front:

There were also quilts displayed from Barbara Sherrill, a local quilt guild member and artist. I LOVED the embellishments on her quilts, and her style of artistry. Here are a few of my favorites from her wonderful collection:

Also on exhibit were some of the quilts from the "Hoffman Fabric Challenge", a national quilt contest where participants must all use a recognizable piece of a certain chosen fabric in their quilt. Here's a few of these to admire too:

There were so many beautiful quilts there! I wish a had pictures of all of them, and apologize at the not-so-great pictures I did take. But here are a few of my favorites, starting with one from a Pendleton friend and fellow quilter/artist/teacher, Collen Blackwood: