The Mancuso World Quilt Show name is missing one word, “Class,” that could very well be included in the title for the show is “all class” from beginning to end. We were amazed at not only the number of entries this year, but the quality and originality of the work presented. We decided to visit the room where the small quilts and vendors are located, first, more out of habit than anything.

As always, any public event is a chance to people watch. I could not be more amused than to see a tiny, older man pushing a cart, sort of like a baby buggy, with his little white dog zipped into a container so that nothing but the dog’s head stuck out. I hope the dog enjoyed the show. I know we did!

This is a critical review, and although Jim took 73 photos, I have photo edited only the quilts that I liked the most. The choices are based on a sense of wonder at the workmanship, or the awe generated by the theme of the quilt. Believe me, there are many other worthy quilts that are not shown here. These photos are provided to again recognize the quilters, and to light a fire under those individuals who have not yet ventured out to see the show in person, in the hope that you will support and enjoy this event. Admission is $12. each.

The first small quilt that caught our attention is called “Mark in Time” by Dana Biddle. The size of the figures is so miniscule! They appear to be hand-painted and outline-stitched by machine.

“Mark in Time” by Dana Biddle

Since a certain friend of mine just bought herself a thirty year old VW bug, this next quilt by Ellen Piccolo and titled, “1969,” caught my attention. Again, it is one of the small quilts in the exhibit, measuring only 12″ square.

“1969″ by Ellen Piccolo

“Red Barn with Salmonberries” by Laura Fogg is breathtaking. I love the way she manipulated the leaves, and how she achieved her goal of creating a lot of texture in the piece.

“Red Barn with Salmonberries,” by Laura Fogg

A very compelling piece is the quilt by Carol Elrod titled, “Mothers.” She has written a very sentiment on her entry form, which you can read for yourself after the photo.

“Mothers” by Carol Elrod

Text written by Carol Elrod to accompany her “Mothers” quilt

The following two quilts were made by the same person. The first is a traditional style, pieced quilt called, “Giant Feathered Star,” by Sally Bramald of the United Kingdom. Her second quilt is in a much different style and is titled, “Contemporary Strippy.”

A traditional quilt style by Sally Bramald of the U.K.

A British style “strippy quilt” in modern colors and styling by Sally Bramald.

As you can see, these are all examples of quilts that were important to their makers as they were imparting their own visions. Quilting is continuing to become more and more a venue of personal expression as many people have moved past the rudimentary stages of learning to make a quilt and they are now adopting quilting as a means of self-expression.

Kudos to all who were accepted into this juried show. Congratulations to David and Peter Mancuso for again pulling off such a seamless result. All seemed to be well-organized. Vendors were busily selling their wares, and no one that I encountered had any complaints about anything!

A quilt show is a labor of love, and we are thrilled that there have been so many shows at the Radisson Hotel in downtown Manchester. We are so glad we attended this show. If you visit , he has some additional comments there about a quilt that made his heart sing.

Enjoy!

Patricia Cummings

Tags: , , , , ,

This entry was posted on Friday, August 14th, 2009 at 11:42 pm and is filed under . You can follow any responses to this entry through the feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.