Last week was the 4th Annual Garden of Quilts event held here in Utah in the stunning Ashton Gardens at the Thanksgiving Point. I took a ton of pictures so that I could give a virtual experience to all of you who couldn't be there in person.
After a few worrisome/rainy days beforehand we lucked out with perfect September weather for an outdoor quilt show. The setting is wonderful and the gardens are HUGE with lots of different outdoor features such as arbors, groves of trees, water fountains, and secret gardens.
After the end of a really busy week/month/summer I don't feel like I have the wherewithal to organize things nicely by category, style etc. So this time it's just random pictures from my camera. I will do my best to give quilt maker or pattern details where those are available. 🙂
The quilts were displayed from clothes lines through the trees, in large tents, and on various frames and features through the gardens. Here are some of the standouts for me:
This Oh My Gosh quilt made by Charlene Nelson was large and made up of TINY little nine patch and four patch blocks. Here I am holding up my hand in front of the quilt (do not worry, I did not touch the quilt) for size reference. Mind blowing!
Another darling quilt near by was this Tilda Snowman quilt. The snowmen are a lot of fun but look closely at that quilting. The whole gingham background is not fabric, its QUILTING. And those borders! Insane! It wasn't until I was putting this post together that I realized this quilt was also made by Charlene Nelson. Charlene's artist statement on both pieces merely said, "I was born with a love of textiles in my DNA."
Charlene - thank you for sharing that love. I think you won Garden of Quilts for me. AMAZING work.
One of the things I love about Garden of Quilts is the variety of styles and sizes of quilts. (Recognize my navy blue Quilt Block sampler?) There's everything from basic beginning to intricate and complex.
Here is a collection of modern mini quilts by Christopher Thompson, aka the Tattooed Quilter.
Pixelated Rose quilt made by Andrea Hoke using this pattern.
One of the simple quilts I loved was this quilt called Dad's Band-Aids made by Pamela Ludwig using this pattern from Quilter's Candy. Each of the hearts in the centers of the Band-Aids is made from one of her Dad's shirts. What a great memory quilt idea!
Another great idea were a collection of quilts made from British or French tea towels. One thing I love in England is the commemorative or souvenir tea towels that are available. And yet I never buy them because I don't know what to do with them. Cue a great "Ah-ha!" moment for me!
(And duh, why did I never think of this before.) All the credit goes to Susie Brasher for sharing this wonderful idea!
A few more mind blowing quilts:
Gorgeous fussy-cutting and piecing on this paper-pieced La Passacaglia kaleidoscope quilt and an amazing hexagon/spiderweb quilt made from a collection of selvages. (Sadly, I was distracted - can you blame me? - and did not write down the makers' info for either of these. Apologies to these artists.)
Post update: Selvage Quilt made by Ashlee Cornell!
Two more beauties both designed by Amy McClellan of Under the Garden Moon patterns. The one of the left is called Cobblestones. The dresden variation on right is from a book she published a while back but may be out of print.
I submitted a few of my quilts this year - including this quilt design called Hopscotch and made with Denyse Schmidt prints.
Also my Pine Hollow Patchwork Forest Quilt and my Halloween version of the Summer Bunting pattern. (Also, fun times strolling through the gardens with my friend Amy from Ameroonie Designs.)
Another feature of this year's show was the Charitable Quilt Sale and fundraiser for Stitching Hearts Worldwide. Their mission is to provide humanitarian assistance world wide in the form of needed commodities such as blankets, sleeping mats and hygiene supplies. Some quilts are sold as a fundraiser to assist in their efforts. Loved seeing this one for sale that featured Gingham Girls prints. ❤
One of my most favorite parts of Garden of Quilts is getting to connect and meet other quilters in person. I taught one class this year - my Fly the Flag sampler quilt and had the greatest bunch of ladies in my class. Thank you so much for coming.
This year, for the first time in forever, I also took a class! Violet Craft, master of Foundation Paper Piecing extraordinaire taught this year and I jumped at the chance to up my paper-piecing skills by learning from the master. The class was fantastic and once again, I also really enjoyed just visiting with and getting to know other quilters.
Still hungry for more pretty pictures of quilts in a garden? I put together a quick little video to try and capture the ambiance:
As far as I know, Garden of Quilts will happen again next September and I'm already looking forward to it!
Christine
Thanks for the tour. I really enjoy seeing the variety of designs. And such a lovely setting!
rtrittel
This is such a wonderful way to showcase quilts - in a beautiful garden setting! This event is for sure on my bucket list - one day, I will make it there!
Aileen
Thank you for sharing , Ive been waiting for this blog of yours , I love it . It’s on my bucket list as well
Andrea Avni
What a treat to combine quilts and gardens—thanks!
Rosa Marchiano
Preciosa exposición!!! Y el lugar lindisimo!! Gracias por mostrarlo!!
Mary Kolb
Happy Anniversary!
Sharon
Thank you for sharing, I loved seeing the beautiful gardens and amazing quilts.
Amy
We happened upon Garden of Quilts on a road trip last year. There was a lot of rain so they had to put them in tents. But it was still spectacular.
Candace Allan
Thank you for the very beautiful tour of this event! Lots of inspiration for future quilts. I will forward this to my quilting bee group.