Quilting the Light Fantastic – Capital Quilters Exhibition

How wonderful – I’d just returned home the previous day from our three month South Island holiday, and came home to find a quilt show.  Capital Quilters presented their 2012 exhibition “Quilting the Light Fantastic” at the Horticulture Hall in Lower Hutt.  Incidentally, I attended many dances as a teenager in the dim dark ages many years ago in this same hall dressed in my full skirted dresses over a stiff petticoat, all ready to rock’n’roll the night away.  My non quilting friends Kathryn and Dot accompanied me and we were delighted to find the entry cost a very modest $2 for us qualifying seniors.

Overview of the quilt show

The raffles were set out in the foyer, together with a raffle quilt, so here’s hoping!  One of the prizes is a whole lot of fat quarters – wouldn’t I just love to win that!  The hall was wonderfully decked out with colourful quilts on stands, congratulations to the organizing committee for a job so well done.   Okay, let’s start looking at the quilts.  Here are some that took my fancy.  Just in the door was this New York Beauty variation, a wedding quilt made by Jeanie O’Sullivan.

“Blessings of the Ancestors”, by Jeanie O’Sullivan

Small can be beautiful too, a selection of wall-hangings on show.

I’m very partial to quilts made from wool, they always look so homely and cosy, both of these are made by Irene Anderton.  “Balmoral Park” was made from recycled wool fabric, and Irene’s daughters joined her in making “D I S Displayed”.

Two very different woollen quilts by Irene Anderton

Stitcheries and quilts go together so well, I always think.  Christine Paxton wanted to make a blue quilt to hang on her bedroom wall, and “My Garden Patch” is the end result.

“My Garden Patch” by Christine Paxton

Another wonderful quilt full of glorious stitchery and nicely finished with a border of stars is “Walking in a Winter Wonderland”.  Clare Grant stitched this delightful quilt while living in snowy Wisconsin for a number of years.

“Living in a Winter Wonderland”, by Clare Grant

With a combination of appliqué and piecing,  “Springtime”, by Doreen Parker fresh and pretty and won two awards.    It would certainly look wonderful draped over a bed.

“Springtime”, by Doreen Parker

Members who entered the club challenge worked around the theme of “light”.  As usual, all entries were quite different, as quilters interpreted the theme in their own individual way.  Entries ranged from a sunshine, a space theme, starburst, and a light bulb.

Challenge quilts with the theme of Light

After all this walking, admiring, pondering, and trying to decide on our own individual “Viewer’s Choice”, we sat down at the cafe for lunch.  There was plenty of choice from a range of delicious home baked goodies, and we sat and rested our weary feet for a while.  Some of the club members were sitting and stitching, which drew quite an interested audience.  The ladies were only too happy to explain what they were doing and answer any questions.  Debra was busy stitching up little blocks using selvedges, which she then makes into children’s quilts.  I have lots of selvedges too, so I am always happy to discover new ways too use them. 

Debra explaining how she makes her selvedge blocks

Janet proudly showed us her lovely pastel quilt, which is a combination of pieced blocks and a large amount of sticheries.  Just look at that wonderful embroidered border, it is just a work of art.

Janet’s beautiful work of art

Congratulations to Capital Quilters on their 2012 exhibition.  I really enjoyed my visit, as did my two friends, and judging by the amount of excited chatter around the hall, everyone else had a great time too.