I went to a surprise quilt show today, considering that I only found out about it yesterday. I accidentally stumbled upon the fact that Quilt Expo was happening this weekend across the state border in Madison, Wisconsin. After seeing the long vendor list, I found out it was a really big show, and I whisked my mom and drove there today.
There were a lot of stunning quilts on display as usual. Here are some of my favorites. Disclaimer: these photos are for personal memories, not for reproduction of these works of art.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWOLtxZz9o1AojJai7bOEnUQUi4E3zTSMB8ymzSdnYiLZp2X05Xskv3VmLqxcJwdzlMDxoURb06X4f-QwwauKOIIwCd7Mx7TUvm-tl88AcC-aaaX8nrDJDsu6UEi1PC9aAvGGFqu9A4eVs/s400/IMG_0940.JPG)
Left: Effevescent - pieced & quilted by Marcia Shipman
Right: Backgammon - pieced by Lorraine Stenoish, quilted by Mary Klein
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIHGBs4_t0DmvBkrDfA6xfJCvdYE0fqzGErkMVxD2UhaypXUYKMtqJsm1g9p7W27CMyTMFbfptcJXVl06VQoK2SkgvZZKdG5tIwSurWzL8u9CU2tE8YPBDBVWPRM8AXXYA36GoCAIaZPRD/s400/IMG_0946.JPG)
Left: Dashes & Dots - pieced by Margaret West, quilted by Norma Rheim
Right: Chicago - pieced & quilted by Karla Nitz
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjok-qPw8y-4oWTYEvQq1WDhp1I74a_nZ9g9S45sJfXBzAVMjgUHjH2y1G5DUJez53aOVTeFIroJqPRqwSjBrwK8smHdxclyc7n6UW10lQJXhA4_MtdkjvQJPMalSzLY-jk_mc_EUjCbkV0/s400/IMG_0961.JPG)
Left: Not Your Grandmother's Flower Garden - pieced by Lois Solverud, quilted by Julayne Jelle
Right: Sunburst - pieced by Claudia Mielke, quilted by Dianne Thompson
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpVay_PNojakdmQfyECwpbK4UcinD3mnQ7RMMmkWQh-GCHlNzbHYTDqiSK2F29q-nDXRzZRFVVD3AG_f0bta5cOXfA_hPUFEJFNUCXyHNXdpR52qd58doyboUMeLTxAmwrmiT03_sSbkIm/s400/IMG_0967.JPG)
Left: Links in 50 Shades of Gray - pieced & quilted by Jo Jacobi
Right: Rainbow Play - pieced & quilted by Brenda S. Roach
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcVFhqZTS4ZbrL-vofuLr5EGKPMOrDaklhMqUmhxtW8ofagJZF7CKTao74xJ3KiSrMwVQHKjSdcjsUkJF-DvSPPBKxGgoa6OAB7Er9g2S8eUm6ssoPlFRU95hBb3rCUDMDKIS7Mwh37YhV/s400/IMG_0975.JPG)
Left: Seven Women on My Mind - pieced & quilted by Patricia Geishirt
Right: Pinwheels - pieced by Linda Anderson, quilted by Marilyn Nikolaus
In addition to the beautiful quilts on display, the real draw of such a convention is always the market. I usually like to buy everything online, but during conventions I get to see lots of great new tools being demo'ed, and even try them out for myself. I played with stand-up longarms, and discovered that I have a much easier time doing boxes and straight lines than circles and swirls on there. (I have the opposite issue on my sit-down longarm. My circles look a lot better than my squares.) I get to flip through the fat quarter packs, charm packs, layer cakes, and enjoy the thrill of the hunt. I always leave shows like this with a ton of merchandise, and this one is no exception.
I'm not sure if I can go back next year as it was a bit of a drive, but I'm glad I found out about this show while it was happening and got to go this year.