DIY Wednesday: Highlights from the AAQG Quilt Show Part 2

More FABULOUS quilts to ooh and ahhh over!

The last set of great quilt pictures to come next week! If you're interested in quilting check out the Austin Area Quilt Guild or sign up for a beginner quilting class at The Stitching Studio!

xo,
Anne Marie

COMING IN APRIL 2009:
The Bearded Ladies Present: Shop Austin

DIY Wednesday: Highlights from the AAQG Quilt Show Part 1

I'm going to let the photos do all the talking tonight....check out my Flickr Set for detailed information about each quilt & the artists' statement.

Because I took so many great pics, I will feature just a few of my favorite quilts...

Congratulations to my mom, Mary Beard, who won 3rd place in Miniatures and organized the Demonstrations of the show. She is an inspiration to many!

More fabulous pictures to come over the next several days. If you're interested in quilting check out the Austin Area Quilt Guild or sign up for a beginner quilting class at The Stitching Studio!

xo,
Anne Marie

COMING IN APRIL 2009:
The Bearded Ladies Present: Shop Austin

ACL Alternative - Quilts!

Quilts. That's a weird word, eh? To many people that word conjures up an image of a threadbare, ratty old "blanket" their grandma made and that they use to wrap up furniture when they move.

To others, it brings to mind a cherished family heirloom - handmade with love and used for generations to provide warmth on a cold night.







Still other images can come to mind - how about a piece of art that hangs on the wall? A heavily embellished creation made with hand-dyed fabric, beads, embroidery, buttons and goodness knows what else. A striking composition in an art form still under-appreciated.




The image I think of when I see or hear the word Quilt is a combination of all those above. I have a handmade turtle quilt from my great-grandmother that I use every winter, several art quilts that I hang for holidays, one I use on my bed daily, and one I use to wrap up in on the couch. Simply stated - I LOVE QUILTS and I will NEVER use a "comforter" again in my life. Nooooooo way!

This weekend is a BIG weekend in Austin. There's the ACL festival, the UT-Arkansas Game and... The AAQG 2008 Quilt Show! My mom has been a member of the Austin Area Quilt Guild (AAQG) for as long as I can remember.






















So this weekend is the perfect opportunity to discover the new love of your life in Quilts!

There will be fantastic Quilts of all sizes - from miniatures whose small pieces will boggle your mind to King Sized Quilts of striking proportion. There will be fabulous Art Quilts, and a unique Wearable Arts section on display.

In addition my Mom, Mary Beard, has organized three days worth of demonstrations. You can catch *me* giving a demonstration on purse making techniques Sunday.

You can shop the latest in hip, retro and heirloom cotton fabrics from the fabulous vendors, browse the gift boutique, and bid on amazing items in the silent auction.

Grab the family and head out to the AAQG 2008 Quilt Show this weekend!

What: AAQG 2008 Quilt Show
Where: The Crockett Center; 10601 N. Lamar between Braker Lane on the north and 183 on the south.
When: Friday to Sunday, Sept. 26th - 28th
Cost: $6 per person; Children under 12 free


IMAGE CREDITS: From top to bottom: Vintage Quilt in Silent Auction, Crazy Quilt by Mary Murdoch, Art quilt by Beth T. Kennedy, Two art quilts by Naomi S. Adams. Click on the pictures for more information.



**************
Anne Marie Beard

The Bearded Ladies Present: Shop Austin!

Thrift Thursday: Antique Quilt Block

One of my favorite pastimes is rummaging through piles of fabric at thrift stores. On occasion, I come up with a real treasure. My mom is an avid quilter, and I absolutely adore quilts - especially old quilts.

I found this hand-pieced quilt block about 2 years ago in one of my favorite vintage stores - New Bohemia in Austin, Texas. I had found two blocks from the same maker months before, and given them to my mom. Then I found this one, and decided to keep it!

I think the fabric is from the 1930s - but I am not sure. It is very old, and the prints are amazing. I just pinned it to a piece of acid free paper and framed it in a cheapie frame. It hangs in my "textile corner" at the iTaggit offices.

One of the things I love about iTaggit is how I can store so much information about each item - multiple pictures, the story of how I bought it, and all kinds of specialized fields depending on the item's category. My mom recently added a collection of her small quilts - check them out! Much more on quilting and quilters to come!