AQS Nashville 2006

Today was round 2 with the AQS Nashville show. My shoes held up (meaning no backache). My feet will be sore tomorrow, but I saw it all!

Highlights:

• "Quilts That Saw Us Through the War," a collection of WWII vintage quilts, all patriotic in theme. (Oh, Debra, how I wanted to take pictures for you.) One had parachute silk as the background, appliquéd with planes, flags, etc. Another was Lemoyne stars, each spoke of each star made of red, white & blue strip-piecing. Some were embroidered with names of men from the community, one with the places they were serving (mostly England) and fabrics chosen to relate to the location.
• I thought it was a moving exhibit until I walked into "Alzheimer's: Forgetting Piece by Piece." Several had photo-transfers of the afflicted loved one, many used crazy patches for the background. The emotion was so exposed—so out there—that the information table for this group offered Kleenex. I was snapping away until reprimanded by a gracious docent. The collection and the artists' statements were available on a CD, which I wanted to purchase, but they had sold out.
• "Oh, Wow! Miniature Quilt Collection of the Ameican Quilter's Society" took my breath away. One little pineapple quilt—the strips couldn't have been any wider than 1/8". I stared at it and started laughing (my "Oh, Wow!") and looked at the docent. She laughed too and said, "I know." How old was the artist? Surely she had younger-than-bifocal eyes.

The competition quilts were mostly traditional and not very interesting except for their workmanship (acknowledgement here that a newbie has no business criticizing the sweat, blood, and tears of others). The few art quilts or contemporary designs were refreshing in contrast.

Eleanor Burns's voice is truly unmistakable; Sandy Bonsib borrowed my guidebook. It was funny to see a lot of faces familiar from TV and books. No classes or lectures for me. Maybe next year. Or never.

I skimmed books, looking for ones worth investing in. Some I'd thought I wanted, I now know I don't. The only one that appealed (I was sorely tempted to pay the $30 retail price) is Karen Stone's book.

I sought the vendor of broken china jewelry whose work I saw 2 years ago. I've collected red & white Staffordshire china for a long time and I want something special for myself. She didn't have much in red right now, but she likes doing commission pieces, so…. where's my broken china?

Saw some lovely fabrics (mostly batiks), but nothing I couldn't live without. I picked up some pieces I'd previously passed over and regretted, and a few staples (black-on-whites, some red-&-blues for a quilt I've been planning for a long time). I picked up a few neat notions, and a handy little wooden hanging bin to hold my rotary cutters more safely than the tool tray I've been using. No extravagances (though I did talk with a Bernina rep—just for future reference), nothing to feel guilty about. Some minor inspiration, some major admiration. Contentment. Exhaustion.