Connie and I were never able to attend the Paducah show because Quilt Market was always scheduled the next weekend – big competition there and as business owners we needed to see our customers at Market.
I’ve received these pictures from several readers who were lucky enough to be at the show.
Reader photos
My husband and I just returned home this evening from our trip to Paducah. The AQS Quilt Show was wonderful!! The quilts we saw will be swirling in my dreams for weeks to come. The exhibits at the National Quilt Museum were some of the best and most engaging that we have even seen there. The weather was perfect, except that dogwood flowering came early this year, so we missed that. The crowds were manageable and I never once had to stand in a long line for a bathroom (practically a miracle compared to past years). We planned that this would be our last trip to the show as we have attended many, many times since 1997. BUT…. we had such a good time that we are talking “maybe one more year.” We shall see!
Great Show pictures! One was a fireworks lookalike. Take care of your nasty wound. Kitties will like your available lap.
Having lived in TN and only a few hours from Paducah, I have been to the show many times. There are lots of categories and not every quilt is difficult or a life time work. Many are done beautifully and are easy for many of us. I always enjoyed the young quilters and anything that was new or different, such as using paints, or ribbon. There are so many creative people and how they express it with fabrics is very diverse. The vendors are overwhelming to say the least. I learned to take a list of things that I wished to purchase for projects I had to finish or wished to make. Vendors are located all over downtown and there are free shuttles to take you around. I loved going each and every year.
I went to Paducah last year with friends. A guild had a bus trip, I said I was going, to 5 of my friends joined me! Helped to fill the bus. It was amazing, but way out of my league. I’ve been to a couple of other AQS shows so I had an idea what it would be like but was overwhelmed at the volume of quilts and vendors. Thanks for sharing the pictures.
The quilts were wonderful. A theme for America’s 250th birthday. Beautiful.
Keeper and the kitty in the old chair. And, Connie’s kitty is so pretty. Great photography.
Mary, enjoying your blog as usual. I always look for it every day.
Thank You for whom ever sent in the photos of all those amazing quilts.Some seem just impossible to make. My favs, though, were the small ones at the end. Something I could make, perhaps, but probably not so perfectly. I am happy to see that so many quilt artists honored the up coming big birthday.
Connies cat is a pretty one. Looks like she is saying…Who, me?? I’m innocent.
To those who shared pictures of the quilts at the Paducah Quilt show, thank you so much!! Love the Americana theme! I’ve wanted to attend this show, but never have. I’ve been to Houston many years ago & attended a show in Lancaster, PA, & also one in Chicago. They can be very overwhelming, but I loved going!! I personally am just trying to finish up some of these projects I’ve started & not finished for some reason. I never wanted to be a quilter who just pieced tops together & never finished or quilted them. And somehow I’ve inherited fabric & projects from other quilters that never finished their projects & passed! But I’ve found a place to donate what I’m never going to use that makes charity quilts & they’re so happy to get nice fabric!
Thanks for sharing all those photos – great quilts!
I went to Paducah a few years ago – 6 of us from our family packed into an SUV (with all the things we needed for several days), which was even more packed when we returned home!! What a wonderful experience! I am delighted to read the comment from our Australian friends that they were treated well and enjoyed their experience.
Sunny and warm here today – the orioles have returned so I need to get some grape jelly put out for them. There was one pecking at the front window this morning to let me know I need to accommodate them!
Gail – I, too, was happy to hear that we Americans came off as a friendly welcoming group! Whew!
The Paducah quilts look like works of art. Way outside my abilities but beautiful to see the Americana theme.
Thanks, everyone, for sharing.
I went to the Paducah show last year and found it to be both amazing and over-whelming. Waaay out of my quilting ability for sure. Really enjoyed Hancock’s of Paducah.
Linda – I’m not much of an “art” lover so I wouldn’t enjoy the show much but I understand quilters take it on as a challenge. Ugh! How’s everybody at your house???? Send me an email
I loved the Paducah quilts! Such creative expressions for our 250th celebration! And I assume they were original designs. We saw The Great Awakening yesterday and I would recommend it to other American history fans. It focuses on the friendship between Benjamin Franklin and George Whitefield.
My sister and I saved up for 12 years to go to America and attend the Paducah Quilt Show in 2018 and to visit Hancock’s and it was so worth it. We live in a rural area in Victoria, Australia so it was a long way from home. The staff at Hancock’s were so welcoming and took very good care of us, we still hear from them through fb. The Quilt show was amazing and we came home with bags full of “goodies”. Everywhere we went the people of America were super friendly towards us and we will never forget their kind and hospitable manner. We hope to be able to go back again before we fall off the perch, but if not we still have wonderful memories.
Oh Roslyn, I love your words “before we fall off our perch”.
I would have been at Paducah that same year as several quilt friends went together in motor homes but we stayed back as our grandson was unexpectedly hospitalized. One of them had a vehicle problem and had wonderful service provided so they had good memories of helpful people.
Ros – what a trip that was for you! For a quilt show? I’m glad it was worth it and you loved it. Those “quilts” are out of this world but I still don’t quite understand them. Did you have so many purchases you had to ship them home?
I think you’re beginning winter there, aren’t you? Our grass is finally green almost overnight. I’m glad we Americans came off as a friendly group!
I’m so pleased to hear you found us friendly and helpful when you visited the USA. The show is spectacular and I went many times while living in TN, such inspiration. Our son traveled around Australia in a camper van for 5 months a few years ago. He found the people to be friendly and inviting. The scenery was diverse from area to area. You live in a great place.
WOW great quilts!! More work than I would ever want to do! Thanks foe showing them!
Beryl – I agree!