I have never been to a quilt auction before. All that changed this weekend! The Lutheran Churches of South Dakota have summer camps all over the state. The women of the Lutheran Churches donate quilts to this auction to raise money for the summer camps. Last year, this auction raised $45,000. This year, it raised $47,000!

Here’s a sampler of the creative & beautiful work of the “Dakota-made” quilts. There were about 100 quilts in the live auction, I took close-up pictures of the quilting (the part that holds the top, batting and back together) on about 25 of the quilts.

Ivy

Hand-Stiched

Scrolls & feathering Leaf & loops (looked great on camp & deer-themed fabric)Stars & Scrolls (this quilt sold for around $700) This quilt was 100 years old!  This quilt sold for $1400!Feathering in white lattice. Each white block center features a flower.And, the quilted triangles surround the flower. Beautiful!This quilt also featured some custom-type work. The pink lattice between blocks was all wavy/scrolly. 

This tie-quilt reminded me of the colors in my own baby quilt.Meandering in tan. Loops in plaids. Loops & a leaf Flower & leaves This vintage quilt was made from old feed sacks. They recommended dry-clean only.  Flowers & large circles I hope this gives you some inspiration for the quilting on your next completed top! I know it gave me lots of ideas. Here’s my favorite of the day:And my #2 favorite: Most of the time, I use almost 100% printed fabrics in my quilts – I love florals, stripes & everything in between. But, I am learning that solids (like the whites in my two favorites above) can really help the machine or hand quilting “pop.” It can also make the other colors and the blocks more drastic. I’ll have to try adding more white soon!

Thanks for reading!