Fabric: The Search for the Perfect Piece Transforms Paducah During the AQS Show

Beautiful Batiks from Indonesia, A Favorite Among Quilters

If you are a quilter, you most probably have a stash of fabric that's taking over part of your house and your life. Quilters need a selection to pick from and that elusive perfect color or design ever calls us to adding to our stash, "just in case"... For some, it can actually become a disease, an urge to have and collect more than could ever possibly be used in a lifetime. Most artists struggle with this need to have supplies on hand, "Oh, I will use it someday..." which competes with the reality of storage demands and the ever-present war against clutter.

Rolls of complimenting colors allow a quilter
to have a nice selection without purchasing too much fabric.

At almost $10 a yard in most specialty stores, purchasing fabric can be a serious financial investment. So, a quilter will go glassy eyed when they see fabric on sale. And, when you have a large gathering of quilters such as the AQS Show in Paducah, a whole city will transform itself to try to meet this need and reinvent itself in fabric opportunities. Paducah is known as "Quilt City, USA" and local businesses join in the fun, hoping to attract visiting quilters in for their non-fabric wares.

"How about a coffee and cookie, dear Quilter?"

The show itself is hosted in the Convention Center which is located right on the river, downtown, within walking distance from the Quilt Museum and the downtown businesses. Half of the space at the Convention Center is dedicated to vendors who come with their wares from all over the world. Then, AQS sponsors other sites around town for satellite vendors.

The Finkel's Building downtown on Kentucky Avenue,
normally empty, becomes a satellite space for AQS during the Quilt Show.

Non-AQS businesses and groups also set up vending opportunities. The Rotary Club of Paducah/McCracken County hosts an annual show of antique quilts and also rents vendor spaces.

The guys at the door collect $5 per visitor, money that is used to fund educational and scholarship programs.

Inside, quilters become inspired by the quilts they see.

Inspiration leads to temptation.... "Hmmm.... I think I need some more fabric for my stash..." Vendors are there to supply the need. "What to get? What to get? ..."

Fabric makes the quilting world go around.

And, for those who don't want to go to the trouble of making it, there are plenty of lovely finished quilts available...



Oh, and quilters also need their tools: scissors, thimbles, thread, templates, batting, rulers, glues, special paint sticks, and on and on. Every year there are new inventions that help expand the quilter's universe of possibilities.

Quilting templates, a coveted accessory for some.

Many of these things are not easily accessible in most towns or cities. You can find almost everything online, but that's never the same as seeing something right in front of your face where you can size it and touch it. And, of course, there are all those one of a kind pieces that you will not see on the internet, things that can be incorporated into a quilt, or that you just have to have.

Vintage lace and doilies.

Informal vendors also have wares to sell. The streets are filled with tents and people trying to get in on the action.

When else will Paducah fill up with 30,000 women or more, all with big bags they just might fill?

Charter buses take the quilters to the different points in the city that have vendors or exhibited quilts. Parking, of course, becomes difficult downtown. A couple of fun modes of transport include the trolley or you can go by horse and buggy!

Paducah's trolley.

Horse and buggy, a fun way to see Paducah's downtown.

Others just enjoy being outside and seeing the city come alive. I ran into my friend, Stefanie Graves of Cowango, working on a watercolor down by the gazebo.

Stefanie Graves talking to a visiting quilter.

One of the best things about this invasion of quilters and vendors in Paducah is that most of the people that come are really, really nice. (Note emphasis on Most...) This kind visitor took a photo of Stefanie and me. She modelled Stefanie's hat...

Me with Stefanie Graves.

Well, I had done my rounds and it was time to get back to work. Yep. I'm a vendor, too, hoping like everyone else that some green dollars will make there way into my grubby hands... My niche is a small but special one in the quilting world. I sell ethnic textiles online and in my permanent booth at English's Antiques at 212 Broadway, downtown Paducah.

Rachel Biel Taibi of Rayela Art

You can find the links to my stores on the third column of this blog. Rayela Art has stores on Etsy, eBay and 1,000 Markets. They are a bit depleted right now as I pulled a lot out for the show, but will be restocking soon.

I find it fascinating to see what people do with their hoards of fabric. I have my own stash that keeps growing and am committed to also using it up, making new pieces as time goes on. I always push myself to learn something new, to push the boundaries of what I have seen and translate it into something that becomes mine. Sometimes it works and sometimes it's an "Now what have I done?" experience. I am definitely inspired by cultural textiles, but also by contemporary fiber artists. The possibilites seem limitless...

Today is the last day of the show here in Paducah. Life will resume its normal pace and we will all play with our new fabric and supplies. We are all grateful for those of you who have been here and hope to see you again next year. And, for those of you who have not been to Paducah, do visit us sometime! It's a great community with wonderful galleries and year round, we are

"Quilt City, USA"!!!

Fabric: The Search for the Perfect Piece Transforms Paducah During the AQS Show

212 Broadway is Ready for The AQS Quilt Show in Paducah!

English's Antiques at 212 Broadway in Paducah
makes way for quilters!

Last year, during the AQS Quilt Show in Paducah, I rented space from Barry, owner of 212 Broadway's store, English's Antiques. I liked being there so much that I have a permanent space right to the left, as you walk in. Summer was decent, Fall brought the collapse of our economy, local, national and worldwide, and forget doing business in January, February and March. So, as the Dogwood trees start blooming in Paducah, we all anxiously await the annual event of the AQS's Quilt Show in Paducah.

Paducah is a small city in Northwestern Kentucky. The most common statistic that I have heard is that our population is around 26,000 during the night and around 40,000 during the day. People who live in rural areas may work or shop in Paducah during the day and go home for the night. We are also conveniently located almost smack in the middle of a triangle that joins Nashville, Memphis and St. Louis, all major cities under three hours away from Paducah. With two major hospitals, a thriving artist community and other amenities offered in our humble city, this river town has slowly emerged from a depressed state to a stable one. The Quilt Show, an annual event, doubles our population for a few days. Women with big bags come from all around the world for the show, hosted by the American Quilter's Society, and make a few key stops around town, including the downtown strip closest to the Ohio River. Our hope is that they (could it be you?) will also stop in at 212 Broadway, located within a couple of blocks from the Quilt Museum and maybe four blocks from the Show.

Barry, owner of English's Antiques,
takes a stand in front of my booth.

Barry came to Paducah from England for that age-old calling of love for a woman. That woman didn't work out, but he found another woman who did, Diana. An electrician by trade in the Old Country, Barry found his niche in Paducah by importing English antique furniture, gorgeous pieces. He has shoved them to the back to make room for vendors hoping to cater to all these wonderful women (and men!) visiting our fair town.

Barry and Diana discussing something important
about the Quilt Show in Paducah.

I sell ethnic textiles from around the world. Kilims, Suzani, Indian spreads (make great quilt backs!), Ralli quilts, and much more. If you know what these words mean, my booth should call to you in the night! I depleted my online stores and brought my treasures to 212 Broadway, hoping that at least some textile lovers would find me in this ocean of fabric. My niche is a small one, but those who love these textiles are fervent about their calling. I am also a quilter and fiber artist and love incorporating remnants and ethnic fabric into my own work.

But, 212 Broadway also offers much to more mainstream quilters. Several vendors are there, selling their wares. Bob Davis, member of our Paducah Fiber Artists group, is selling his wife's quilting fabric stash. Once Helene Davis jumped into dyeing her own cottons, she never looked back, making her commercial (and huge!) stash obsolete. You can buy it by the pound. (I have a pile accumulating...)

Bob Davis selling Helene's stash to a Japanese customer.

Helene's quilts are also displayed and available for purchase. I can't wait until the day I can finally afford one of her masterpieces!

Diana, Pam and Helene, fondling fabrics and chatting.

Several other vendors also sell fabric, quilt crayons, quilting supplies, and more.




Today was our first day. We had a steady flow and hope that it will conitnue throughout the week. A couple of vendors have offerings that go beyond the quilting circles. Bunja is back with African beads, masks, and textiles.

Bunja selling African beads, masks and textiles at
212 Broadway in Paducah.

Diana especially likes Bunja's masks...

Diana can be scarier than this!
(All with Southern charm, of course!)

Then, there is Bumble Beads, a local jewelry business with a nice selection of affordable necklaces and earrings.

Bumble Beads Jewelry in Paducah, Kentucky.

So, if you are in Paducah for the AQS Quilt Show, do take some time to come and find us. And, if you read this blog, let me know! I would love to put some faces to that cyber world out there. I plan on being at my booth in the afternoons. I want to roam around in the mornings as this event makes of me a tourist, too.

And, for those of you who are not coming, I apologize for the bareness of my online stores. I pulled lots of things out and will replenish after the show. If I sell a lot, you will see lots of new gorgeous textiles. My Etsy store is still pretty full, so go there first. Links are on the right column of this blog. To all of us, may we each enjoy a wonderful week of eye candy, inspiration and good folk!

212 Broadway is Ready for The AQS Quilt Show in Paducah!

Paducah Quilt Show, April 22-25, 2009: Important Notes

Rachel Biel Taibi and Heidi Lampe
at the AQS Show in Paducah, 2006.
Heidi came all the way from Brazil!

The American Quilter's Society hosts an annual quilt show here in Paducah every year. Thousands of women (men do come, too) with big bags descend on the city, giving a much needed economic boost to our local economy. All of us are putting our gears into drive, getting our red carpets out and shining up our wares as we prepare for one of the great highlights of life in Paducah. Are you coming? If you are, I'd like to direct you to some important links and places that I hope you will follow and visit.

Where to Find Rayela Art in Paducah

My selfish nature wants you to come find me and my stuff! (Heh, heh, chuckle, chuckle....) I sell textiles, fabric and remnants on Etsy and eBay, but I also have a permanent booth at English's Antiques, 212 Broadway. English's is located conveniently on Paducah's main street downtown, the second block from the river and only two blocks from the Quilt Museum.

Rayela Art has a large booth at English's Antiques. 212 Broadway, downtown Paducah.

Last year I rented a temporary booth space and then moved into a permanent one after the Quilt Show. I will be at my booth during the afternoons and hope that you will come find me!

Rayela Art specializes in textiles from around the world.

Find Rayela Art's Friends in Paducah!

Other friends will also be renting space at English's. Bob and Helene Davis of Hand-Dye Fabric will be back with their wonderful selection of Helene's cotton hand-dyed fabrics and boxes and boxes of her commercial stash. After Helene started dyeing her own fabric, she no longer had much use for her extensive stash which she had collected over a period of 15 yrs. This is now being made available to the public and is sold by weight.

Bob and Helene Davis will be at
212 Broadway during the Quilt Show.

Irene Reising used to have a retail store which specialized in vintage quilt tops. She still has a large collection left and will also be at English's this year. Irene usually comes up with several vintage sewing machines and other interesting collectibles, so it will be interesting to see what she brings this year.

Find vintage quilt tops with Irene Reising
during the Quilt Show in Paducah.

All of us are part of Paducah Fiber Artist's, a group which meets monthly at each other's houses. It's a pot luck, usually delicious, and we bring our work for show and tell. I love seeing everybody and look forward to our meetings every month! This year, Heart of Healing Gallery, will be hosting a show representing our group.

Heart of Healing Gallery exhibits the work of
Paducah Fiber Artists during the Quilt Show.

Heart of Healing Gallery is located at 233 North 7th Street in Paducah's Lowertown neighborhood. I work there every Saturday and Sunday afternoon from 12-5PM, so if you are the weekend before or after the Quilt Show, you will find me there. Dr. Christi Bonds, who owns the gallery, is a medical doctor who also practices Chinese medicine. The gallery is housed in the same building as her clinic, Integrative Medicine of Kentucky. Dr. Bonds is also a fiber artist, a member of Paducah Fiber Artists and we share the same passion for ethnic and cultural textiles. Aside from our group show, you will find an incredible collection of Kuna Indian molas, vintage kimono, Hmong pandau, Chinese paper cuts and peasant paintings along with other textiles and ethnographic items. I will also have a corner there with some of my ralli quilts, suzanis and textile stamps.

The American Quilter's Society Show in Paducah

April is a beautiful month in Paducah! I had never seen a dogwood tree until I moved here from Chicago and have since fallen in love with them. They were in full bloom last year during the show. Unfortunately, we suffered a terrible ice storm during the last week in January which wrought severe damage on our trees. Nature heals itself and the spring has started to show its beautiful face here. The climate is normally perfect for visiting the show and walking around town.

Dogwood trees blossom in Paducah during the Quilt Show.

The Quilt Show is housed in our Expo Center which is right on the river, downtown, and within a couple of blocks from the Quilt Museum. You can find all the info related to the show on the American Quilter's Society's website. The Executive Inn, which is attached to the Expo Center, has been undergoing extensive renovations which are being documented on the AQS blog. Housing can be a challenge, so AQS has also set up local accommodations in people's homes for its members. The Paducah Convention and Visitors Bureau has information on this program and other local information.

The Quilt Show is an inspiration to all of us who are fiber artists. One would think that everything under the sun has already been made or explored. Yet, every year, new works bring a fresh approach to the same materials: needle, thread and fabric. The show houses the work of several competitions hosted by leaders in the quilting industry. My favorite, though, I must admit, is visiting the booths of the hundreds of vendors who also set up with their wares.

AQS Show in Paducah, viewing the exhibited quilts.

Vendors sell fabric, threads, quilting accessories,
books and other tools quilters just must have!

You can see my other posts on the Quilt Show for more information and links. So, I ask you again:

Are you coming to the Paducah Quilt Show?

If so, leave a comment on this post. I would love to know who is coming so I can keep an eye out for you!

Paducah Quilt Show, April 22-25, 2009: Important Notes

The Night Paducah's Sky Fell Down

It all started out as a thing of beauty, the world transformed into a glass palace, a winter's fairy tale. We all knew an ice storm was coming and, to be fair, our winter in Paducah has been on the mild side this year with little snow and bearable temperatures. Now we would get some of our share of snow and ice. Ah, yes.... winter can truly paint some pretty pictures...









I did say we knew this ice storm was coming, right? I thought I should pick up a few groceries, just in case the roads got messy. People's shopping carts were piled high with goods. "Hmmm... I wonder why? Is there a holiday I don't know about?" I guess some people were paying more attention to what could happen, but none of us expected what really took place. After one night of dreamy nostalgia, the trees cried out and our world was transformed, broken into pieces, a snow globe that somebody smashed carelessly...

Our power went out at around noon. No big deal... Surely it will be back soon. Tomorrow will be a week for me, along with about 400,000 other people around the state of Kentucky. For many, it will take three or more weeks before they get that precious electrical juice. What happened?

That night, the temperature dropped. The house was cold, very cold. I had a friend help me move the birds to the kitchen where I have both a gas stove and a gas wall unit, our only source of heat for the next few days.

We set the cages on the washing machine and drier, my fear now that they might die from carbon monoxide poisoning...


Camping gear! What wonderful tools for survival. My Coleman lamp and some candles made the kitchen cozy and I started working on another dog food paper purse. A wonderful audio book, "The Little Book", surprised me by a fascinating plot involving time travel, Vienna and great characters. It took the author 30 years to write it, so he had time to fine tune it to perfection. Such an appropriate story, going back in time to the days where electricity were just starting, a split experience of the world where the present is both modern and ancient history. Kind of like being stuck in a frozen kitchen in Kentucky in 2009...

I finally drew up the courage to face my ice cold bed. Oh, the pain, the pain!!! Sure, my Dad has lots of those stories, "When I was a kid.... bla, bla, bla, I had to walk two miles to school in the snow, .... bla, bla, bla...." I dove in and lay there, the ice princess. Slowly, the bed warmed up. The dogs, confused about the obvious lack of amenities they were also used to, hung around close by. Then, it started.

The sky fell down. All through the night, it crashed. The trees screamed out as each of their limbs was torn off and thrown to the ground. I could only hear it once the branches started falling, but the monster dogs knew what was happening long before I did. Hysterically, they cried, "RA, RAH, RUFF, RUFF, RUFF!!!!!!" as each branch responded with, "KABOOM!!!!" I lay there and wondered if one would come through the roof. What would the world look like tomorrow? What can you do when the sky falls down? Nothing. You just have to wait, quietly and with somber hopes that tomorrow will be OK.

Sheba surveys the street.

Morning came and, miraculously!, the sky had glued itself together and was back up again. But, the trees.............. oh, those beautiful trees! All of their tops were gone! The dogs went out with me and we looked around in the back yard...

Sheba is suspicious.

Mitchie shakes his head.

Laila analyzes the soil.

Juba gives a speech.

This is in the back yard, facing the house. Note the tops of the trees. The whole city looks like that. Lots of fallen branches to explore...







My neighbor's yard:

The ice, so pretty the day before, had continued to layer itself, growing long icycles, weighing the branches down. And, temperatures dropped- I think it was below freezing inside the house. Not fun.







Here are a couple of before and after photos, the first day of ice, and the next day, after the sky fell down.

My house before.

My house after. Most of the branches that look like they are still OK actually have big cracks in them and will need to come off. That tree to the right of the porch needs to go.

The trees across the street looked like this.

Now they look like this.

Same house, back yard.

No yard was spared. All of the forested areas now have trees that are all the same height. Who was that giant that walked through here, clipping all the tree tops with a rough pair of shears?

It's a big mess!

That was just the first day. We didn't figure on no power ANYWHERE, all stores, banks, hospitals, gas stations- everything being closed for three days! No cell phones worked, landlines were down, no computers. Radio stations were silent. This is when our dependency on all that is electronic and oil based becomes so obvious. Next time, I'm going shopping for a solar powered straw bale house. Yep.

We are fine. Ly, my Vietnamese neighbor, spent the worst of it with me. At 76 years, she has little tolerance for the cold. She also doesn't handle stress very well. But, we all pitched in and had a nice dinner for a couple of other neighbors who had electric stoves, she cooked me some great egg rolls the next day, and thankfully, she has her power back on. When she wailed about all the problems we were having, I reminded her (over and over and sometimes impatiently), that we were the lucky ones. We are not on oxygen or dependent on any machines to live, there are no little babies we have to look out for, we have food, resources, everything we really need.

Ly with our only heat source.

A branch fell down on my power line, pulling the meter out of the wall, so I have to wait in line, along with hundreds of others for service. Doc, the Viking-Looking-Southern-Sounding-With-A-Vice-Like-Handshake, fixed the box today. I'm hoping that in three days I'll be reconnected to the grid. Meanwhile, Darrell, my kind and gentle neighbor, has lent me some juice through an extension cord. The fridge and computer are on and maybe I'll watch a movie tonight. If I turn the fridge off for awhile, I can turn on a space heater. There is a line to get close to it...

Sheba and Juba hog up the heat.

Today the ice melted and we begin to assess the real damage. Much of it is still high up. But, things are getting back to normal. Stores have re-opened (you can't buy a candle in this town!), the power company is working around the clock to address a true disaster, phones are working again, and soon this will be one of those stories that we can pass on, like my Dad gave to me, "Oh, I remember the ice storm of 2009 in Paducah, Kentucky...." (said in a trembly little voice). I feel sad for all of the trees, for people who are experiencing true hardship. I feel exhausted thinking of all the clean-up ahead. But, more than anything, I have experienced kindness from my neighbors. That kindness that glues broken skies all back together...

Stay warm and safe, wherever you are!

Update 2/4/09:
Many thanks to all of you who have expressed concern via e-mail or on the comments in this post. I finally got my power back yesterday. The guy who hooked it up was quite the card: "Well, we're connecting you today, but you can't turn your power on for another week." "WHY NOT?" I asked with fear and trembling. "Because you haven't waited long enough!" Ha. Ha. Ha. I think a week was long enough, although I know that for many, it will be another three weeks. No fun, especially since another cold front has moved in.

Considering everything that has happened, reports seem to indicate that there have been few storm related deaths and that infrastructures are getting back into place pretty quickly. But, for many, time without work means no pay, resources running out, and predictions indicate that many more people will have need of emergency shelter and food. Please continue to keep this region in your thoughts and prayers.

The Night Paducah's Sky Fell Down