Whoa boy!

This is a big honour here in Calgary. The Festival of Quilts is THE quilt show in town. Quilts take over the historical village, with displays on buildings, fence, in the trees, in the homes and buildings of the park. There are workshops (I taught last year) and dinners and a vendor mall. There is also a special Quilter of Distinction exhibit profiling a local quilter. Guess who gets her own show in the Opera Hall this year?

Seeing as I’ve been quilting for exactly half my life this doesn’t make me feel old at all…

Now I have the hard task of determining what quilts to share. What quilts represent me? What quilts tell my story?

For years I’ve said that I don’t really have a style. At least, I don’t think so. My willingness to experiment and play means that I am open to trying a lot of things. Clearly, improv plays a huge role, but I’m not a one trick pony. I like handwork too. While my first love is prints I do embrace solids more now. And I’ve never met a half square triangle I didn’t like. Just how many quilts will they let me cram into the Opera House?

This is a huge honour for me. I’ve been going to this quilt show for 18 years myself and long admired many of the quilters I’ve seen get this distinction. Yes, it makes me feel old. And does it mean I don’t have more work to share? There has to be a joke about getting a lifetime achievement award while you are still living and working.

Meh, at the end of the day I’m just going to keep making quilts. It’s what makes me happy. Thanks for noticing.