I, Zeb the Duck, went with mom and her friend to the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum in Golden, Colorado.

Quilt Museum

The third biennial quilt challenge took place here and many of the competing quilts were on display.  This quilt, titled Change Begins with a Dream: The Flight of the Magical Lawn Chair won first place.

First place by Bobbi Baugh

Bobbi Baugh of Deland, Florida, made the quilt.   Second place was awarded to Living Fossils I by Charlotte Bird, of San Diego, California.

Second place by Charlotte Bird

Charlotte says time, process and change are persistent themes in her work. The third place winner was Amani by Barbara Yates Beasley of Boulder, Colorado.

Third place by Barbara Yates Beasley

Barbara loves animals and asks, Is this cheetah thinking of dinner?   We liked these other quilts, also.  This is named Tail Feathers.

Tail Feathers by Marcia DeCamp

It represents the bright and layered hues of Pan-American birds against a dark blue sky.   Velvet Shadows was another entry in the contest.

Velvet Shadows by Marianne Williamson

Marianne Williamson of Miami, Florida created this quilt. She says: “I dyed, discharged, and painted silk, velvet, and cotton for texture so that the shadows on the rocky hill would come alive.”

The quilt museum has a private collection. These older quilts, from the museum’s collection, were on display.   All of these older quilts were hand made.  Many of the newer quilts are sewn on machines.   This is called Kansas Sunflower from 1935.

Kansas Sunflower

The Kansas Sunflower and other dahlia-style patterns have retained their popularity from the early 1930’s through today, especially in the Midwest. This is New York Beauty from 1896.

New York Beauty

This quilt shows the work of more than one hand.   The quilters signed their work in the lower portion of this quilt.   We also like Nineteenth Century Tulip from 1897.

Nineteenth Century Tulip by Mildred Johnson

This quilt was completed my Mildred Johnson of Bethel, Ohio. This quilt called Crown of Thorns is from 1880

Crown of Thorns 1880

Information at the time of purchase gave the quilt’s origins as from “Clarksville, TN, Officer’s family, 1880.   This quilt, Turkey Tracks, is from 1927.

Turkey Tracks quilt

The information posted at the museum “In the nineteenth century, the turkey tracks pattern was a traditional one for “freedom quilts,” given to young men on their twenty-first birthdays.   Great care was taken not to call the block by its other name, Wandering Foot—the recipient might spend his life wandering and never settle down.”

For more information visit http://www.rmqm.org