The Great Wisconsin Quilt Show 2022

It was live ~ and in person! And it truly was Great!!!

Everyone I ran into was excited to be there. Especially me 😁!

Deanna Springer of Nancy Zieman Productions told me that so many people had enjoyed the show from afar, virtually during the pandemic, that many asked for parts of the show to be shared online this year. So they decided interviewing some of the quilters with quilts in the show would be a good way to reach out to those who couldn’t attend. I was honored to be invited to chat with her about my quilt, and that interview can be found on the Great Wisconsin Quilt Show’s Facebook page ~ along with many others.

I also had the privilege of presenting my Gradation Play lecture each day of the show (thank you to my friend and roommate, Laura, who snapped this pic and helped things run smoothly for me in so many ways!)

The first day of the show PBS actually taped my lecture. That was an honor as well, and it led me to meet a quilter who was part of the PBS production team ~ and she had a quilt in the show. I can’t wait to tell you about Lynn, but you’ll have to wait until next week’s post for that story.

There were so many quilters lined up for the first day of the show,

and the attendance was high! The quilts were truly spectacular, and the variety and quality of vendors was exciting. I spoke with a number of them who said it was a very good show for them! I especially love the ones who get into the spirit of their booth, like these ladies from Purple Pineapple Studio:

My Creating Curves classes were a blast ~ the students were excited to be there and they made my “job” so much fun!

Each year I, like other quilt lovers, like to take photographs of quilts in the show that grab me. I’ve had many of you who can’t attend comment that you appreciate this chance to see them. I truly wish I could share the entire show with you, but that’s not realistic, so I hope you’ll enjoy a few of my favorites, in no particular order.

Hanging next to my Oak Leaf and Swirl quilt was this lovely Cathedral Window. Pamela Kuck bordered her Fields and Flowers quilt with silk embroidered flowers and they were a lovely frame for this traditional pattern.

Peppermint Twist by Joanne Howe also had an interesting border that really added to the quilt.

She used directional pintucking to add the twist to her peppermint twist:

Winter Wind, by Karen Neuendorf, stopped me in my tracks. The twisted and braided twine tree grabbed my attention right away (I’m kind of into windblown trees 😊).

And I loved what the wind was doing to the tire swing and the snowman’s hat.

Joan Bereyl Pierner was a student in my curves class. Imagine my surprise when I learned that the quilt she had in the show was made with beautiful circles ~ and the fairy was her own original addition to the pattern!

Perhaps she should teach a curves class of her own 😊.

Bus Stop by Jill Kerttula fascinated me.

Here’s the story in her own words:

Another pictorial quilt was Madison by Ron Humphrey.

I had no idea Longfellow wrote a poem about Madison, WI!

Then, on the lighter side, it was fun to watch the antics of Wilbur and Orville, Two Silly Squirrels, by Lorraine Stenoish. I think her color palette was delightful.

Bill Hoernke is a friend who taught at the show for the first time this year. He’s always fun to be around and he had an intriguing quilt in the competition.

Here’s the description:

I was very curious as to what part of the quilt came from a panel, and had to laugh when the white glove volunteer turned the quilt back to reveal Bill’s mom’s panel:

Another quilt that made me smile was Zelda the Zebra. My friend and fellow teacher, Lori Dickman, likes to recreate her granddaughter Dani’s art in fabric. It must be fun to have your own personal pattern designer 😄.

Donna Parrel’s Patches of Love had a lovely sashing of postage stamp sized squares that really framed her scrappy blocks nicely:

And this modern quilt called Curvilicious by Roxanna Herder was made up of a wonderful combination of color, design and quilting!

The last quilt I have room for today was made by another friend, Eileen Daniels. She always does amazing things with found items and vintage bits. In her quilt Flowers for Ukraine she added doilies to her appliqués with incredible results. What a lovely tribute.

The entire show was such a feast for the senses and being together with quilters again is better than just about anything! It went by too fast – and I’m already looking forward to next year’s show!