My Favorite Paducah Quilts

There are so many gorgeous quilts at a big show...every quilt has to be pretty amazing to even be juried in. So in all that greatness, it's sometimes hard to pick favorites. For me, the favorites were the ones that had something unique, that led me to remember them through the whirlwind of all the amazing quilts I saw.  A lot of why these quilts stood out to me is related to my current quilting interests and passions. So here are some of my top choices and a little bit about why:

This is called "Four Loons and Friends" by Patricia Sellinger. Unfortunately my photo is a little blurry. Also unfortunately, somebody pinned a ribbon right on top of one of the ducks! I wanted to go right up to the quilt and move it. Seriously, who did the ribbon pinning?

Here's a close up of the center that came out less blurry. I like this quilt because it combines some elements of a traditional medallion sort of design with some fun applique elements. I am definitely on an applique kick right now but an all-applique quilt can be overwhelming to look at with just so many details. I like how this has a smaller number of appliques with a fun theme and a consistent color scheme. Plus I love that each of the ducks is a different species. It has fun elements to keep you looking but doesn't blow you away with intense detail.  I am a fan!

 This is called "Ancient Sentinel" by Valerie Sauban. I actually saw a photo of this online a few months ago and saved it for inspiration because it was so striking. Elements that make this amazing:

• The colors. I love how the color scheme incorporates the purple and bright blue
• The simplicity of the scene. The lone tree packs a punch. Your eye isn't trying to figure out where to land here!
• The internal element that overlaps onto the border. I've tried to do this myself once or twice and it's technically rather hard, at least for me. But it sure looks cool.

Another completely awesome element was the quilting. There were sheep quilted all over the sky. They were something you only noticed when you gave the quilt a close look.

This photo is blurry, but a lovely flower was quilted in behind the skull. This quilt had a lot of fun treats for those who took the time to give it a closer look!

Okay more Paducah posts soon!