Vintage Quilts At The LaConner Quilt Museum

The second floor at the LaConner Quilt Musem was dedication to a vintage quilt collection. Perfect for me - since vintage quilts are favorites for me. The fan quilt was truly wonderful. The fan blocks were only about 5 inches and the background was a wonderful 30's warm yellow. It was in excellent condition.

I thought that this Sunbonnet Sue was especially fun all in red. Lots of cute details.

This excellently crafted DWR was made in , I think, 1987 .... it shows amazing skill.

The star quilt below was truly spectacular - thought the lighting left a bit to be desired. I was grateful that photography was allowed at all. This masterpiece was made in 1840 - and it too is in great conditions - just a few age apots and some wear near the center of the star. These quilts were a treat !

Joan Colvin's Work at The LaConner Quilt Museum

Two friend's and I had a lovely relaxing day today. My friend, Janet, had been exhorting me to make it over to the mainland for the Joan Colvin exhibit at the LaConner Quilt Museum - and she graciously offered to drive (I LOVE it when someone else drives!). We stopped at one of favorite quilt stores to buy some of Judy Robertson's special hand dyed fabrics (a once a year opportunity at the shop) & next we went to a favorite yarn shop. Then on to the museum! Janet & I are museum members - and your membership entitles you to two guest passes - so our friend Mary was set. Joan Colvin's work was far more complex, lush, dimensional and rich that I had imagined from books I had seen. In fact, I purchased her book today and was surprised at how the photos in the book pale so significantly in comparison to the real richness & beauty of her work. Our quilt world has truly lost a significant talent whose work will be sorely missed.

Joan Colvin did lots of pieces depicting one of my favorite birds - crows. Her work encompasses so much more that just fabric ... she utilized a wealth of rich, sumptuous fabrics of all kinds - silks, flannels, velvets, lames .. all found perfect placement in her quilts. She used a rich embellishment palette as well - paint and shimmer - so beautiful. I don't think anyone represented salmon any better - her salmon pieces just shiver with shimmer. I could not pick a favorite if I were asked to .... but the crows - maybe. If anyone lives in the area I suggest that you try your best to get to this exhibit before it's over on December 30th. It is WELL worth a drive. Most of the exhibited pieces are privately owned - and may never be shown again in a public venue. The museum is also a great place to make a holiday contribution -they really need our support to keep the museum growing . It's a rare and appreciated resource for all of us who love quilts and quilting!

The second floor of the museum had a wonderful collection of vintage (lots of 30's and some from mid 19th century) quilts on display. I have a real weakness for vintage quilts - especially 30's - so I'll save the second floor for another day.