APWQ: Can't show the quilts

Linda, Carol, myself, and Kristin enjoy the show.

I took tons of photos to share with you from the Association of Pacific West Quilters Show, which just ended in Tacoma. When I arrived, I saw a sign that said we could put photos on our blogs as long as we gave titles and the quiltmakers' names, so I planned my post as I snapped away.

After spending hours on it tonight, I checked the brochure for some category names and noticed that it said we also need permission from the quiltmakers before putting their quilts on our blogs. I swear the sign at the show didn't include that detail. My husband said to go ahead and post it anyway, but I'm going to play by the rules. (There was no contact info given on the labels, so I can't very well get permission from the 20 artists I planned to feature.)

My friend Anne shows one of the fabulous market bags she made.

Instead, I'll show you some of my friends at the show, a view of Tacoma from the convention center where the show was held, and a vendor who did give me permission to put him on the blog.

View of Tacoma from the convention center.

Vendor at the Leilani Arts booth, which sells recycled silk.

Luckily, I asked this vendor if I could take a photo of him at the Leilani Arts booth and put it on my blog. He said yes. You can read more about it at www.leilaniarts.net, but here is a little background from the web site:

Leilani Arts is an importer of high-quality and exotic yarn, fibers, beads, and other crafting supplies from Asia and all over the world. We work directly with women's collectives who hand make our rich yarns in an interesting and humanitarian way: Silk sari factories in India donate unwanted silk trimmings and fabric scraps direct from the factory floors to local women’s cooperatives. The women sew the residual silk remnants together end-to-end to compose a continuous skein of silky ribbon. For our recycled silk sari yarns, the same women's co-ops shred the sari scraps and handspin it into a colorful, textured yarn, transforming factory fragments and waste into something useful and beautiful.

We at Leilani Arts are happy to be a part of this important effort and are proud to bring it directly to the knitters and crocheters of America. It allows underprivileged women's groups to have a sense of purpose, achievement, empowerment, self-determination, and financial independence in communities that most need it. It also recycles silk waste into a unique yarn that can be transformed into one-of-a-kind garments, quilts, and other projects all over the world. It’s a win-win situation for everyone involved, but especially for the women who hand-produce these wonderful products.

Have a colorful day