Monday, March 20, 2017

QuiltCon 2017 Recap, Part 3: Quilt Show


This is Part 3 of 3 of my QuiltCon 2017 Recap. 
Read "Part 1: People and Places" here.
Read "Part 2: Lectures" here.

So, let's talk about this quilt show, shall we? QuiltCon hosts the largest modern quilt show in the world (to my knowledge), with over 400 quilts and several special exhibits. I already shared my main takeaways from the show in the March 1 issue of The Wonky Press newsletter, so I'll keep these comments brief.

Attending a quilt show in person is a lot like reading a quilting blog, or listening to show and tell at a guild meeting. By reading the cards that accompany each quilt, you take a walk in the creators' shoes.

In this age of the internet and social media, people from all around the world can see the quilt show! If you love the modern aesthetic and you get the opportunity, though, I encourage you to attend QuiltCon in person. It's different. I found myself being very introspective and looking for moments that I could go examine quilts by myself. There were details that popped out at me only the second time through all the quilts, and it was especially fun to see how certain quilts helped enhance others around them.

Everyone attends quilt shows to look at something different. Personally, I enjoy looking for innovative quilting and those quilts that use the quilting itself to enhance their message. Here are some of the quilts that have stuck with me 3 weeks after the event.

"Madonna" - pieced by Brittany Bowen Burton 
Quilted by Natalia Bonner on a longarm (I had the pleasure of meeting Natalia, too).
This quilt, to me, shows the many, many options that solid fabrics provide for quilting (plus, yay to big stitch hand quilting!) It also won Best Machine Quilting on a longarm.
 
"Transparency Quilt 1" by Melissa Everett
This one was quilted using the design as inspiration. It looked like watercolors in person - stunning.

"Murmuration Minued" by Janice Marquardt.
This was probably my favorite quilt in the whole show. It was in the "Use of Negative Space" category; I'm assuming the quilting was the reason. Check out the sun and moon - they are subtle but they add to the picture so beautifully. I love the modern traditional look of this quilt (taking the plus block and morphing it into something wholly different). This quilt was on a side aisle; in my quilt show, it would have been front and center. ;) (this is not to say the quilts were placed according to the show organizers' liking). :P

"Wild Abandon" by Kristin Shields
 The quilting and colorwork on this piece were so well done. I've been following Kristin's work for a while and it was a thrill to see some of it in person. She's fearless.

 "#CUquilt" by Ginevra Martin
 Hand quilting (and yay imperfection!) made a statement on this unique quilt (also, there was a lot of purple. Love!).

"Fireworks" by Jeannie Jenkins
This unusual, bold color scheme was truly a showstopper in person. It won 2nd place in Modern Traditionalism.

 "Still With Her" by Liz Harvatine
This quilt, which won a Judge's Choice ribbon, was placed on the middle aisle. Also a showstopper, especially from across the room. The piecer had created a large Hillary block right before the U.S. election and cut it up afterwards, only to sew it back together. I saw a lot of people taking pictures of this quilt. It gave me a healthy dose of hope.

"Light and Shadow" by Rebecca Loren
The color scheme and quilting on this quilt were astounding. It's a modern version of a traditional star block that the piecer found on the Quilt Index.

 "Lincoln" by Kim Soper
Lincoln's eyes. This quilt won first place in Improvisation and also the Viewer's Choice Award. I'd watched Kim create this quilt via her blog and Instagram; to see it in person was such a pleasure.

I could honestly write another 2 posts about quilts from QuiltCon, but these were my all-time favorites. What did you get to see at QuiltCon (whether in-person or online) that inspired you?


One little piece of me was at QuiltCon - our guild's charity quilt! When our guild couldn't decide on angles or curves, we combined them to make star and moon blocks. Thanks to Janet and Laura for helming this huge project. I quilted the whole thing with wavy walking foot quilting and handquilting, and I also made the bottom left corner green star. Teamwork at its finest.

 

8 comments:

  1. It is hard to pick favorites at QuiltCon, and I like how you found details that spoke to you in many quilts. I agree that the idea and execution of Murmuration Minued was stunning (and so incredibly clever) and seeing the Lincoln quilt in person stopped me in my tracks.

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  2. Thanks a lot, Jessica! For those of us who could not see it in person, it's great to not just have the photos, but also "hear" opinions on what it's like to see. I like all of the quilts that you chose to show here, lots to admire and to learn.

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  3. Thanks for sharing Jessica. I am wondering if the hand stitched (big stitch) quilts were stitches through all three layers? This requires alot of hand strength. Also wondering if this group of people used a special batting to make it easier. I often add hand stitch to my quilts but it's usually through one layer to preserve my hands. Would love to get to Quiltcon one day. We'll see if life brings me this opportunity.

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  4. Thanks for this post on QuiltCon. I really enjoyed reading all your posts. I love seeing the quilts that you have posted. I don't think I would ever make it to one of their shows so appreciate anything I can read about it and different people's perspective on the show. survivor972002@midco.net

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  5. I absolutely love the colors in Rebecca Loren's Light and Shadow. I loved all your photos, but that was the one (not having seen any of them in person) that really spoke to me. Thanks!

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  6. So much enjoyed your post and view on these quilts. I'm sure none of us would mind another..... QuiltCon is on my places to go when the children are older but in the meantime I shall enjoy seeing them through other eyes.

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  7. Thanks for the way you formatted/wrote this post - so much more than just photos of what was there.

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  8. wow so love "Murmuration Minued" by Janice Marquardt and I can't believe I didn't see the quilt once on IG over the Quiltcon event !! thanks for sharing your photos and thoughts :)

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