Road Trip - Quilt Odyssey

If you are anywhere near Hershey, PA this weekend, you must go to Quilt Odyssey.  You will not be disappointed.  In its 11th year, this quilt show has the most amazing, highest quality quilts for such a small show.  Several of the quilts I have seen either on the cover of a magazine or having garnered the highest honors at much larger quilt shows.  The predominant trend is beautiful applique with unbelievable quilting.  Long arm quilting is the quilting of choice.  And on most of these quilts, there was only one person listed in the write-up. This means that the quilter making the quilt is has also mastered long arm quilting.

To stay with the theme of beautiful applique with amazing long arm quilting, the quilt made by a group of women volunteers (I think it was 35 volunteers) at Longwood Gardens won a well-deserved second place ribbon for their quilt, "Seasons of Pollination".  It was machine quilted by Lisa Calle.  A couple of my friends were involved in this collaborative  project.  The quilting can best be seen in the light colored background.

There are 147 judged quilts in the show.  In addition, there was an extensive display of 4 block quilts from the late 1800's, early 1900's.  These quilts were predominantly applique and red and green. 

This was my first time at this show.  So I was quite surprised when we left the ballroom with the quilts.  The quilts were in one room and then we headed to the other room that was FULL OF VENDORS!  So remember I just counted the quilts listed in the program and they numbered 147.  There were 83 booths in the vendor hall.  It was shopping heaven.  I bought things I didn't even know I needed.  And more.

As my gang left the show, laden with bags and bags of goodies, we congratulated ourselves for doing our patriotic duty and supporting the economy.  Now to get to all those projects.