It was starting to snow as we arrived near Nashville, Tennessee to vist our daughter and her family on Friday 1st March 2013. It was the first snow we had seen in two years. The next morning the snow was still there, but barely, and by day's end it had melted. We never had a chance to play in the snow with our three grandsons. We stayed for the week-end and on Monday we drove to Memphis, TN, to visit our other daughter. Next time we drive to Nashville there will hopefully be a new grand-daughter as our daughter is expecting in the next couple of months.
During the rest of our stay in Tennessee the weather kept getting warmer. By now many trees are in bloom in Tennessee and Georgia. It has been a warm winter here - one of my annual plants from last year is blooming again - it did not get the message that winter had come. As I was driving near the post office yesterday I saw a tree with lovely deep pink buds. Luckily there was no one driving behind me so I took some pictures from my car. One of my Georgia blogging friends told me that this lovely pink-mauve tree is a magnolia x soulangeana.
After we returned to Georgia last week I caught a bad cold which kept me weak, feeling miserable and away from the computer. Last Saturday was warm and sunny and since I was much better we drove to Roswell, Georgia, to see the Quilt Show at Bulloch Hall. It is called the Great American Cover-Up Quilt Show and this year is its 31st annual show.
I have written three posts on Bulloch Hall in the past, but they were around the Holidays. The first one was "Bulloch Hall in the Festive Season" on 22 December 2010 - click
here to read it. The second was "Christmas at Bulloch Hall with US Presidents, part 1" on December 13, 2012 - click
here for this one. It was followed by Part II on December 20, 2012 - click
here. This time it was much warmer in Roswell - 75 degrees F (25 C.)
I had only been to one quilt show before and that was back in 2009 in Columbus, Ohio. I wrote a post on it and showed some of the beautiful quilts exhibited there in "Quilt Show in Columbus, Ohio" on July 18, 2009 - click
here to see them. The theme of the Bulloch Hall's quilt show this year was "My Favorite Things." Close to 200 quilts were on display throughout Bulloch Hall. I took many photos as usual and won't be able to show them on only one post. Today I'll concentrate on quilts on the ground floor of this historic antebellum mansion. As we entered we saw large quilts hanging on the walls. (Click on collages to enlarge.)
Smaller quilts were shown at the end of the hall.
The brochure given to us contained information on each quilt and some biographical notes on Laura Davidson who is the Special Exhibitor at the show this year. Laura Davidson is a Canadian award-winning quilter from Oakville, Ontario. Her quilts were exhibited in the Parlor. This beautiful room with antique furnishing was a wonderful setting for Laura's exquisite quilts.
The quilt below is called "Stars in my Garden" and is stunning in neutral tones. I took a close-up picture to see its stitching.
Quilt #9 is Laura's "From Sea to Shining Sea."
Quilt #10 is Laura's "God Sheds His Grace on Me" to celebrate the Millennium.
Quilt #8 is called "Canadian Cottage." It incorporates provincial flowers and the beauty and calm of a country cottage. Quilt #12 is called "Mardi Gras."
Behind the piano was quilt #15 "Peacocks in Bloom" by Laura Davidson. A stark quilt inspired by Amish quilts.
#14 is "In My Garden."
Quilt #13 is called "Canadian Quilt" by Laura to revisit Canada's history.
A Bonus Quilt called "Nature's Trail" was bright and colorful.
It was well worth a closer inspection to look at all the cute animals.
We saw more striking quilts in the dining-room made by local quilters -
Quilt #18 below is called "Happy Faces" by Teresa Utz of Acworth, GA, with fun pictures of fellow quilters.
So many gorgeous quilts ....
Quilts on the outdoors -
Quilts with stars, triangles, squares and other lovely shapes -
Quilts with meaning, such as quilt #28 called "Ykes" by Jan Antranikian of Alpharetta, GA. She says "
Making this quilt helped me deal with the fear and darkness and brought a bit of hope in my life after the loss of my daughter."
and some more attractive quilts to admire -
Below are some close-ups from several quilts.
More quilts were in the Warming Room -
Marie Wood of Alpharetta, GA, called her quilt, #77, "My Favorite Things" - same as the quilt theme for this year. My favorite things are very similar - ships, the sea, lakes, mountains, trees and looking up at the sky.
There were more quilts on the ground floor of Bulloch Hall but I'll end with the lovely quilt below. This is quilt #20 by Ellen Lott of Roswell, GA., called "Peace."
In my next post, we'll go upstairs to look at more quilts.
39 comments:
What a stunning show and what a venue for it! The photos are fantastic. I love quilt shows, partly because I am in such awe of not only the creativity and color but the very perseverance of making all those stitches. How many on a quilt do you think? A million? Two? I don't know -- I just know I wouldn't be doing it!
Fabulous post. Thanks for taking us there!
The quilts are gorgeous, and Bulloch Hall is a wonderful venue for the show.
The "pink" tree near the top of your post (actually, I think of it as purple) is sometimes referred to erroneously in Georgia as a tulip tree, but it is not, as a tulip tree's flowers are yellow. The tree in your photo is a magnolia x soulangeana and one of my favorite sights in early spring. The big white magnolia blossoms one sees in June are another variety, magnolia grandiflora.
The quilts are lovely. I'm always being surprised and impressed by what tremendous variety and sense of colour quilters have My cousin belongs to a Quaker quilt group in Seattle, and they make lap quilts to give to cancer patients. It's such a kind and thoughtful thing to do -- to give something of such beauty to someone who needs a dose of cheer at such a dreadful time. The traditional designs are fascinating, but the ones which the quilter designs for him/herself are the ones which really blow me away. Thanks for sharing.
One is more Beautiful then the next! What a fantastic show this is---so original and all of them so personal...I Loved all of Laura's--some were so exquisite that they take your breath away. I LOVED seeing all the close-ups where you can see the stitching and all the very particular details...! Great Post,my dear Vagabonds....I look forward to the next installment!
I love the quilts,especially #9.
These shows are fascinating! I most of all admire all the appliques ones which are of course unique and show the artist's own imagination and skills. Patience ans time are two key ingredients. No 28 is wonderful.
Such industry, such artistry. Thank you so much. These are simply stunning.
I also loved the collage of grandson and snow and the magnolias. Another beautiful post.
Just think of how much love and work goes into making a quilt. The happy face one is especially adorable.
How nice that you live close enough to your girls to enjoy your grandchildren.
Sam
Vagabonde, I'm glad that you were feeling well enough to attend this amazing quilt exhibit at the beautiful old house.
What an immense variety of approaches to quilting were on display...and you still need to take us upstairs! My favorite of all you've shown us so far is Number 63. I do love those colors.
Amazing that you've got trees abloom already...this morning we are seeing some slushy remains of last night's snow. Enough snow! Bring on spring flowers. xo
I think quilt number 10 is the best! Although all of them are awesome. I wonder how do the quilters make them: by hand or by sewing machine?
Thanks for sharing!
Vagabonde, My mother was into quilts quite a bit and we have 8 or 9 of them, mostly antique plus a couple that she made. One of the antique quilts is from the Civil War era and another was from the late 1800's...a crazy quilt that was made out of silk pieces that unfortunately has fallen apart. Thanks for all the great photos! Take Care, Big Daddy Dave
First off... I'm a bit surprised to know there's snow in Tennessee, just my ignorance of U.S. geography maybe. I thought it's way down south. Now to the quilts, they are amazing! I'm not good at handiworks with needles, threads and stitches but enjoy looking at them. What a wonderful exhibit! Thanks for sharing life in Tennessee. Love the cute looking grandson photo esp.
BTW, would you like to join in for a Proust read-along, you reading in French so we can compare thoughts? We've just started a slow read only for Vol. 1 of In Search of Lost Time.
What a lovely post V. I remember your last visit to Bulloch Hall too. Those quilts are just gorgeous - just imagine the hours and hours they took to complete. Glad you enjoyed your trip and caught up with your family. xx
What an amazing collection of quilts it must have been wonderful to see so many and appreciate the work that goes into them!
Your images of the blossom are so beautiful, roll on spring!
Sarah x
I love the blooming trees, we're still in the snowiest part of the year where I live.
Dear Vagabonde, thank you so much for sharing these true works of art with us. The quilts by Laura Davidson were awe-inspiring. So much beautiful in that intricate quilting. I look forward to viewing the quilts on the second floor. Peace.
Quelle magnifique collection d'ouvrages uniques! Do you do quilts? I have never been brave enough, yet. But would like to try one to see if I was able to do such a thing. Bon retablissement.
Wonderful!
Ciao Vagabonde, I hope that now after the bad cold you are back in full form, the snow of Tennessee excites me because I like a lot, but here where I live I can see very little and then the quilts! But as they are beautiful, an event of great art made by hand!!
Smiling day!
Hope you're feeling better by now dear. What awesome work - how could one ever choose a favorite quilt, each one is so beautiful in its own way. Loved them all!
Hope your daughter is doing well and that you will soon have another sweet baby join the family. What an exciting time!
Hugs - Mary
•✰ •✰ •✰ •✰ •✰ •✰
Hello et merci à toi Chère Vagabonde pour cette publication toute en beauté !
Je suis en admiration !!!
Que c'est BEAU !!!
Encore merci !!!!
Bises et bonne fin de semaine ! :o)
•✰ •✰ •✰ •✰ •✰ •✰
Coucou Vagabonde.
Grand merci pour cet excellent post.
Quelles belles et magnifiques réalisations ! Quel beau travail !
Ici on appelle ça du patchwork, il y a un club en ville.
Le magnolia est magnifique.
Soigne toi bien.
Bises
Oh my goodness what amazing quilts!! My late mamaw would have loved to have seen all of these :)
Those quilts are truly wonderful, Vagabonde! Such colour, pattern and beauty lifts the spirits, especially on a cold, snowy day here in Wales. I love your blue skies and blossom too, as they remind me that spring will arrive here too, if I'm patient. :-)
What a beautiful setting for those gorgeous quits! Such skill and imagination leaves one gasping...i think my favourite is the monochrome beige and cream one. You did a fine job of photographing them. Looking forward to going upstairs!
a new grandchild on the way
now that is exciting
incredible that it would snow in georgia on March 1
glad you have recuperated from that bad cold
the quilts are divine
have you heard of gees bend in alabama? it is small but interesting, if you are ever in that area, stop by and have a look .
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/geesbend.html
Beautiful pictures. The flowering trees are wonderful and the quilts are just amazing.
Completely fabulous quilts!
What elegant quilts.
Came to you via Frances and Vivian Swift.
I have added you to my side bar, as I am somewhat of a wanderer too!
All best wishes from New York.
Thanks for commenting on my blog. The quilts are gorgeous but when do you find the time to write such extensive blog entries? I can barely keep up with mine every 4th day !
I must admit that some of these quilts are truly beautiful, even tough my interest in the art of quilting is limited.
This collection of quilts is one of the most amazing I have ever seen. I am struck by how individual each and every one is. I am also struck by the creative energy and imagination that went into each one of these quilts.
I hope you are feeling better.
These are wonderful quilts, Vagabonde, though I have to say that I find quilts intimidating. I have this fear, being a non-sewer, that if I admire them too much I may find myself chained to a sewing machine, or worse still a needle. I would be even worse than I am at DIY. It takes me all my time to sew a button on. But they are, these quilts, most excellently beautiful and probably they are quite harmless. Hot, though in summer.
Oh, my! So much beautiful work! Having made/worked on many quilts, I know just how much labor and love is involved to produce them. Thanks for sharing this visit with us.
enjoy your posts it is very interesting to read thank you
Thanks to all of you who left a message and to those who read my post and did not leave one – I appreciate your visit. I did post many pictures of quilts, but they are all so pretty that it is hard not to show them. If this is your fist time on my blog, welcome. If you asked me a question I’ll go on your blog to answer it. Thanks again for your kind words.
Vos recollections sont toujours très belles et intéressantes. J'aime les quilts Les couleurs sont
formidables.
What a stunning exhibit of quilts! Quilts are such works of art! I’ll have to stroll though this several times so I don’t miss a thing. Thanks for the tour.........
~Emily
The French Hutcu
Wow!!! Those quilts are just stunning! I think I like "Stars in my Garden" and "In My Garden" the best. I guess snow is as rare there as it is in South Africa. They had "real snow" last year too.
Post a Comment