Visitng the 2017 Quilters Showcase

The 2017 Quilters Showcase held at the Birch Run Expo Center in Birch Run, just west of Frankenmuth, MI, is in its fifth year but this was the first time I attended.

The Stitching Well quilt shop of Bay City, MI organizes the showcase, bringing together local quilt shops and quilt vendors in conjunction with a show including over 200 quilts by Mid-Michigan artists.

Here are some of the quilts that caught my eye.

Carnivale by Jeannie St. John is paper pieced

Rockin' Round Robin was made by Jeannie St. John and five other persons. 

Detail of Rocking Round Robin

Carolyn Pickard's Ewe-niquely Yours was her first wool applique!
The Back Street Quilt Shop of Bad Axe, MI offered this as a block of the month.

detail Ewe-niquely Yours

 The wool applique is 3-D. The detail is amazing.

Detail Ewe-niquely Yours

Star Bright by Bobbi Essex is a cheerful Modern take on a traditional pattern

Carol's Revenge by Valerie Stephens was a BOM quilt, full of fancy machine embroidery stitching.

Detail of Carol's Revenge

Hearts & Hands by Jeanne Robinson is a reproduction of a quilt from the
York County Heritage Trust collection, York, PA

Detail Hearts & Hands

Ladybugs for Kyler by Bonnie Gabriel and Garden Rows by Elaine Camp

I ran into a number of quilters I know from my weekly group and the local quilt guild, including Chuck Blanchard who had several quilts on exhibit, including Las Cruces.

Las Cruces by Chuck Blanchard

Detail of Las Cruces.  Constructed with machine applique and trapunto.

The Raven, a pattern from Blackbird Designs caught our eye. I may need to buy this pattern book! Each block was inspired by a line from the poem The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe.

Sue Matlock's verision of Blackbird Designs pattern The Raven
included borders with 'Quoth the Raven, Nevermore'

There were so many great vendors with a huge variety of wares. I loved the Michigan inspired patterns and hand dyed fabrics at Windberry Studios of Milford, MI.

Windberry Studios patterns

Windberry encourages creativity

Windberry Studios preprinted fabrics and patterns

There were vintage quilts included in the show. Below is an embroidered Bird Life by Ruby McKim.

A 1988 Log Cabin made by Georgette Windler brought back memories of quilt fabrics and stitch-in-the-ditch quilting days.

This Depression era Wedding Quilt was made by Dora Begley for John and Margaret Gerlach's weeding.

The show had something for everyone. There was ample parking and easy access, no stairs, and all on one level in one huge room.

Threads Quilt Exhibit at the Troy Historic Village

I was pleased to attend the quilt exhibit sponsored by The Troy Historic Village, held August 7-18, 2017. The Village is located in Troy, Michigan in Oakland County. Although it is only a few miles away this was my first visit.

Troy Historical Village Main Building

Over 100 new, antique, and vintage quilts were displayed in the historic buildings.

Gazebo at the Troy Historical Village with Barn Quilts

The quilts were loaned by quilters from across Metro Detroit, including the Cameo Quilters Guild in Clawson, MI; the Great Lakes Heritage Quilters; the Oakland County Quilt Guild; the Quilt Guild of Metro Detroit; the Troy Community Center Quilters; and local quilters not associated with a guild.

My first stop was the Troy Town Hall originally built about 100 yards from this site.

My Grandmother's Flower Garden by Cynthia Anderson

Butterfly Hankies by Glynis Sylvia

Hollyhocks by Sandra Kaufman

The next stop was the Old Troy Church, built in 1837 for the Protestant Episcopal congregation organized in 1827, then later sold to the Methodist Episcopal congregation in 1868. It was in use until 1963 when a new Methodist church was built.

The church has an old layout with the altar in a corner. Quilts were displayed on the pews.

 An antique crazy quilt was on display, created for a pastor's retirement.

The Methodist Church parsonage was next to the church, and had been in use until 1963! I am sure the pastor's wife was thrilled to move into a modern building, but nothing could match the ambiance of this historic Gothic building.

A Slow Walk Through the Roses by Diane Ladue

One of the upstairs bedrooms had a modern convenience, seen below. The stairs are very steep and high.

 More quilts were in the kitchen.

The General Store is a reproduction building. The store not only was a place to purchase supplies but included a post office and it sold tickets for the Detroit United Railine, an electric train line that ran from Royal Oak and up Livernois to Troy.

Lucy Lesperance's award-winning quilt Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds was showcased in the store.

Vintage quilts owned by local collector LaVere Webster were on display throughout the village, including the Butterfly below. It was made by his grandmother Grace Ellen Hensley in 1936. He watched her make with a quilting bee, but it disappeared from his life for sixty years until it came up at an auction. He made sure to have the winning bid!

The Sunbonnet Sue and Overall Sam quilt was made by Mable Fuller Hagin.

 I wanted to just take a seat and wait for someone to come play a game of chess!

The Poppleton School was built in 1877 at Maple and Crooks. As Troy grew the school was saved and transported to the village in the 1970s.

Storybook Quilts and the books that inspired them, loaned by the Quilt Guild of Metro Detroit, were on display on the student desks.

In the entry was Lucy Lesperance's eye catching Daisy Dilemma, inspired by a class by Kay Nichols, and embellished with 'sparkles.'

Built in 1832, the Casewell House is registered with the National Register of Historic Places.

 It was filled with antiques.

Inside were new and vintage quilts and a nice collection of antique coverlets loaned by LaVere Webster.

Mariner's Compass owned by LaVere Webster

1853 coverlet owned by LaVere Webster

The beds had crazy quilts.

The 1840s log cabin was such fun to see.

In the main building was a quilt that really caught my eye, Life is a Journey by Betty Chan. I was thrilled to find she was in the church as a docent and we had a long talk. I will write a separate blog post about the story behind this quilt.