Searching for the indefinable....

I had forgotten that last weekend was the annual quilt show of a local quilt guild, but I decided to make time to run over late Sunday afternoon before it closed at 6:00 p.m.  When I was first learning to quilt many years ago, I loved going to quilt shows -- carefully examining each quilt and reading each story of inspiration and perspiration.  I soaked up everything and loved every minute of it.  I still like quilt shows because I love quilts and I make quilts, but besides just looking to admire, I find myself looking for inspiration and excitement.  What's new?  What's different?  Who's got a modern twist on an old idea?  How have color, design, cloth, and thread been utilized in unique and beautiful ways?

I have to admit that this show left me somewhat disappointed, not unlike the quilt show I attended in September. I saw some beautiful workmanship, including excellent quilting (both hand and machine), but little to truly excite me.  Maybe I'm being silly, but I want that excitement -- like a child on Christmas morning.  I have that experience all the time in blogland and on Flickr.  Quilts that make me sit up in my chair and exclaim out loud, even though I am alone in the room.  I don't always know what I'm looking for, but I sure know it when I see it!

Here are a few pictures of quilts that for one reason or another stood out to me:

Oddly enough, for someone looking for "new", I am starting with an old quilt.  This yo yo quilt was made in the thirties by someone with a lot of patience and/or persistence.  But I love yo yos and this one was impressive!

This is probably a weird reference, but in one of the later seasons of the show, Friends, Phoebe was living in the spare room of Chandler and Monica's apartment, and she had a gorgeous yo yo quilt on her bed.  I'm remembering it with lots of mint greens in it.  One of those older patterns that looks great in even modern decorating styles.  Oh, how I covet Phoebe's (or was it Monica's) quilt!

I thought this one was interesting in terms of colors/fabrics chosen, and the fact that it somewhat camouflages that it is actually a nine patch quilt.

See them?

I like the solids and color play in this Michael James design.

Close-up of the machine quilting.

I love when these types of pale neutrals are done well in a quilt (see also Julie Herman's recent quilt).

I really liked the idea of this one. 81-patches made up of 1" squares + sashing.  I'm just now noticing in the picture that there is a very subtle X going through the middle of the 81-patches.  See the pink and blue diagonal lines?

This quilt really stuck out as unique. It was described as a one-patch quilt based on a 60 degree diamond and fussy-cut from stripes.  The idea is from a Kaffe Fassett book.  

The diamonds were divided into fussy cut nine patches.  There are 56 different stripes, framed in black and white fabrics.

This one caught my attention because of its use of the large scale floral in the border which has been blended into center of the quilt.  This one didn't really photograph very well.  It didn't look quite so "busy" in person, as I remember.

See how the appliqué overlaps and blends into the rest of the quilt?  The idea is from Blended Borders, a book by Pamela Mostek.

This is Kaffe Fassett's "Square Clamshell" pattern from Museum Quilts.

Gorgeous colors!

I will close with the Quilt Bug, especially for Aneela (comfortstitching), because she got such a kick out of my quilted car pictures from the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show in July.  She's going to need to explain this to me though.  With so many projects piling up, I can't imagine making a quilt to cover a car.  I just don't get it.

With wishes, true and kind -- Joan