I just can't seem to get it together with blogging with all else that's going on, but I hope that will settle soon so I can blog more often!
I went to the 15th Carrefour Europeen du Patchwork in Ste. Marie-aux-Mines, France. What an experience! Together with my friend Nanda, we spent a weekend seeing beautiful quilts, meeting wonderful people, and shopping, of course! The fact that it was impossible to see everything (unless we ran ourselves ragged like chickens without heads remembering this trip as only one long blur) wasn't as important as focusing on what we wanted to see, and really learning about the quilts and their history. We took our time, and enjoyed every moment, leaving us inspired, relaxed, and joyful of the experience.
So without further ado, some photos...
Lecture and discussion of the Quilts of Gee's Bend presented by Rudolph Dittrich, Phd.
Exposition of the Quilts of Gee's Bend in a beautiful chateau in Ste. Croix-aux Mines
I have the book, The Quilt's of Gee's Bend, and was so struck by their power, but seeing them "live" was a whole other ball game! Can you belive it that we were told that some visitors were outraged (yes, that was the word they used) that such ugly quilts were hanging here? Ok, well, we all know beauty is in the eye of the beholder....
The towns are beautiful to stroll through with their little stands filled with local products...
In the theatre of St.Marie-aux-Mines was the Amish and Mennonite quilt exhibition...
...and it was a pleasure to see the 30 years work of Yoko Saito ( who was present together with her students) and The Ottoman quilts and costumes of Elizabeth Strub-Madzar....
After seeing so many quilts, and doing "a little" shopping, what better way to relax than to find a spot on the grass and share experiences and treasures found?
This was absolutly the most wonderful quilt event that I've been to in all the years that I have been quilting, made better by not only the sun, the kind and friendly people that we met, but also going with a good friend! Should you have the chance to go, I would really recommend it, it's worth it!
