United Church of Hyde Park's quilt show

On a recent visit to Chicago, I was able to attend the 26th Annual Quilt Show held in the United Church of Hyde Park, located at 1448 E. 53rd St.  It was my first time to attend a quilt show held in a church and I was enthralled by the setting as well as by the beautiful quilts on display.

This annual Quilt Show was open Friday, April 15 (noon-6pm) and Saturday, April 16 (10am-4pm) with a $6 entry fee.   The idea for holding the quilt show "originally came from a church newsletter in Rhode Island about how they had draped quilts over the pews" said Lampkins, a co-chair of the Quilt Show. Thus the tradition began to raise money for the benefit of the pipe organ and capital fund for the church.

The beauty of the church's interior is a lovely setting for displaying the quilts which varied from traditional pieced and appliqued quilts to modern quilts, art quilts and even one or two that were almost completed.

 A printed program gave the particulars of the quilts which were draped in numeric order (perhaps the order in which they were submitted?).

Viewers were free to wander up and down the aisles to look at the quilts draped over the pews.

On display at the front was this quilt, made to celebrate someone's 50th anniversary.  The photos covered many ages and stages of their marriage with charms added as embellishments.

Pipe music filled the church - adding more wonderment to the setting of this show. 

Photos can't quite capture what a spectacular setting for a quilt show this was.

I hope to see future quilt shows held here, perhaps during a parent visit (my sons will begin their college studies at the University of Chicago and Lake Forest College this coming fall....)

Throwback Thursday

I can't believe it is already that time of year ... 

  the International Quilt Festival and Market opens soon in the fair city of Houston.

In honor of Throwback Thursday, I'm featuring a few of my favorites ...

 

from 2008: My three guys with Mary and Pat outside their Thangles booth at the end of the day.

from 2013:  I've joined my quilting sisters, Sara Hochhauser and Mary B Hayes in Chicago -- their neck of the woods, so to speak.  This documents my first trip north to the Chicago International Quilt Festival.  I hope to return often!

 I really should dig deeper in my archives of photos for earlier photos of my annual quilt family reunions at the International Quilt Festival!  I know have many .... stay tuned ....

Cows in Chicago = ChiCOWgo

     I enjoy whimsical quilts and I saw a fabulous display of whimsy while attending the International Quilt Festival in Chicago last June.  Here are three quilts from that fun exhibit:

 

Vino Cow by Sandy Thompson 

 

 COWmen Miranda by Sue Cresse

 

Van Gogh’s Cow by Mary MacNeil

     Other quilts that appeared in the exhibit were Purple Cow, the Cow Jumped Over the Moon, and Cowculator (a mathematical genius of a cow, of course!). 

 

     The quilters made their quilts using The Purple Cow pattern from Mary Lou Weidman's and Melanie Bautista McFarland's book Out of the Box with Easy Blocks then added their own whimsical twists for this creative ChiCOWgo quilt exhibit.

Aren't they fun?  

Makes you want to drink a glass of milk....

.... maybe grab a cookie too.

Soutache in Chicago

One morning during my visit to Chicago, my friend Sara Hochhauser took me on a wonderful fiber tour of the city.

Our first stop was at a charming little shop called Soutache which carries a diverse collection of ribbons, trims, buttons and bows.

The ribbon wall is a true rainbow of luscious colors .... I wanted a snippet of every single hue!

This small corner features my favorite display of buttons and more elegant embellishments - perfect for bridal events, perhaps.

Don't you  love the display cases?  Beautifully finished accessories and hard-to-find 'hardware' to make your own pieces are tucked inside the different drawers.  The flower blossom pins made from exquisite bias silk (on top of the round table) look simple to make, if one has the right ribbon.... so I had to buy a small bit (which now lingers in my growing ribbon collection ...).

Another absolute favorite item to browse through are the many many many buttons.  How does one select which to buy?  Button jars fill this window, and more button containers, baskets and bins fill cabinets and line the walls.  I narrowed it down to a few buttons, now tucked into my wee bag of delightful treasures, sweet petite items to remind me of this delicious shop.

If you are going to be in the Chicago area, be sure to pop by Soutache located on Damen Avenue.  They have a Facebook page (doesn't everyone?) and are rebuilding their website at this time.  You will "Step into the Magic"  when you visit this fine establishment filled with lovely embellishments, believe me!

Chicago

I wandered north this summer to Chicago, Illinois - a place I have never been to until now.  I fell in love with this amazing city and am especially fond of the amazing architectural treasures there (who knew?  not me, but now I do!).

A "Must-Do" for every first-time visitor to this city is to take an architecture boat tour.  The tour guides are well-versed in many facts and details.  They do enjoy telling the "world's tallest building when it was built" stories (there are several!) too.


Here are just a few of my favorite sightings in and around Chicago this summer:

 

The first image features the Wrigley building (in the center), the Tribune building (on the right - both were built in the 1920s), bridge entry points and a smattering of other buildings too (can anyone identify these for me, please?)

a detail of the Wrigley clock tower

 

one angle looking up the Tribune

 

MichaelAngelo greeted us each time we left our hotel.

 

a close-up of this great faux-art portrait/sculpture

This is the Chicago Water Tower, built in 1869. Not the only surviving building from the Great Chicago Fire (rumors saying this are all false), this is the second oldest water tower in the United States (click here for the Wikipedia listing).

 

Cloud Gate by Anish Kapoor

More often called "the Bean", this public sculpture was built between 2004 and 2006. Located in Millennium Park, it is a favorite crowd pleaser.

Last but not least is Wrigley Field, the home stadium for the Chicago Cubs baseball team.  Great news:  they WON the game that we attended!

P.S.  Chicago has sandy beaches too, so don't forget the beach towels....