One of the biggest reasons I wanted to go to AQS Fall Paducah Quilt Week was to see my Cherrywood Van Gogh entry, "Iris." The Dutch Gallery has traveled mostly in the North and West (with a stop in Australia), and has never been close enough for me to see it.
Until now I've only seen photos of the Dutch Gallery in the book and online, and I was so happy to see them in person. Here are a few of my favorites:
"Vincent Nouveau" by Robin Gausebeck of Rockford, Illinois. Robin was also the Second Place winner for the soon to debut Prince challenge. Both Robin and Judith Putnam were at the book signing and we had a nice time talking about Cherrywood fabric and the challenges.
"Blue Sunflower" by Judith Putnam of Paris, Tennessee. This is one I saw in the book, but it never stood out to me until I saw it for myself. Along with all the tiny hand stitched circles in the center, the leaves are beautifully stitched, and it gives them nice dimension.
"Heaven?" By Deb Schultz-Grimes of Pinedale, Wyoming. Philosophical ponderings aside, I love the play on his name and the beautiful stone portal.
"Starry Night on a Sunny Day" by Heidi Proffetty of Bridgewater, Massachusetts. Taken from a picture of her daughter wrapped in a beach towel with Van Gogh's Starry Night on it, this is a fused applique composition from her hand drawn mosaic design.
This is also why Cherrywood fabric is so great to do raw edge fused applique, it doesn't fray.
"Nothing but Blue Skies" by Barbara Jensen of Rochester Hills, Michigan. This is another one I passed over several times in the book, but appreciate much more when you can see the details up close.