Wednesday, February 27, 2013

QuiltCon - The Quilts

The quilts in the show at QuiltCon were amazing. There were so many great quilts, and quite honestly, any and every single one of them could have received a ribbon for one reason or another. I feel like a lot of people are hesitant to submit quilts to shows, especially juried shows for fear of being rejected and not juried into the show, or not winning.

I thought I'd share my two cents on the topic. I submitted two quilts into QuiltCon and one was accepted into the show.  I felt honored to have my quilt in the show with so many other great quilts.  It was fun to have people talk to me about my quilt and the other quilts.  I even got a big hug from Mary Fons when she found out I made the Dazzling Diamonds quilt in the show.

I didn't submit my quilts expecting to win.  And guess what? I didn't place in my category and I'm still extremely proud of my quilt.  I had several people tell me that they thought my quilt should have won, and my response was that I was flattered, but the winning quilts were also very beautiful and very much deserved to win.  The beauty of quilting is that we all have a variety of styles and ideas.  For some people orange is their favorite color.  It's my least favorite color.  I quilt what I like, and that's the most important thing to me.  I can only imagine how difficult judging a quilt show is and I have a deep respect for those that have to do it and a deep respect for the decisions they make. You may not agree with their decisions, but often times you have a chance to cast your vote in a viewers choice category.

So, as I get off my soapbox and show you the quilts, I just want to encourage everyone to submit quilts to shows if they want.  Don't be afraid of rejection or not winning.  If you love something, chances are someone else will.  But remember that there are things that might not be your style, just as what you create might not be someone else's.  Just don't take it personally. And, as you're walking around viewing quilts at shows, remember that there's a person out there that made and love each quilt in the show.

Here were the 1st and 2nd place Modern in Miniature quilts by Catherine A. Redford and Charlotte Newland.

This quilt by Victoria Findlay Wolfe won best in show.


I was so happy to see this quilt in person.  I've admired it online and it's my inspiration for a bee quilt I'm making.  This quilt by Karen Anderson-Abraham won the quilting excellence award.

I love HST quilts and this one by my new friend Jessica Pierre'auguste was beautiful.

I love lime green, which meant it was no surprise that I loved this houndstooth quilt by Leslie Lamb.

As a paper piecing fanatic, it's no surprise that I love this quilt by Susan Strong.

I am absolutely in LOVE with the colors Katie Bickesley used in this HST quilt.  Don't be surprised if you see me make something in these colors some day.

My love of color means I obviously love this quilt, which was pieced by Jim Smith and Andy Bunhammer.  When I first saw it, I thought it was a stack and whack quilt.

This was a great quilt by Thomas Knauer.  The quilting was awesome too!

I love the low volume and mix of prints in this quilt by Latifah Saafir.

I love both the colors and design in this quilt by Katie Pedersen.

I really like the pattern of this quilt by Lee Heinrich.

This is such a happy quilt by Janet McWorkman.

And finally, this quilt by Alison Glass won viewers choice at QuiltCon.

There are a bunch of other blog posts with other quilts from the show, so be sure to check them out.

Oh, and stay tuned for a giveaway with some loot I snagged at QuiltCon.  

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Tropical Delight

Well, I'm pleased to say that I have finally finished my one block wonder quilt, which I am dubbing "Tropical Delight" this month - more than five years after I made the top!

With all this snow we've been receiving here in New England, a little bright, tropical inspired quilt can certainly bring a little happiness to an otherwise white and brown landscape.


I used a yellow Oliver & S Modern Workshop print for the binding that I had in my stash.


The top was pieced with fabrics that I got from Joann's a while ago.  I'm pretty sure I was actually still in college, so it was probably 7-9 years ago.


The back is not my usual one fabric backing.  The floral you see here is the same fabric on the front of the quilt, just not all chopped up.


I quilted this one using an Angela Walters inspired floral design in a green So Fine! thread.


I'm very glad to have this one all finished - my goal as part of the "A Lovely Year of Finishes" challenge.

Fresh Poppy Design
My Button

Monday, February 25, 2013

QuiltCon - The Final Day

Well, QuiltCon officially wrapped up yesterday and it was one heck of a show.  Day four consisted of several lectures that were very interactive and talked a lot about the Modern Quilt Guild as a whole.


After checking out of our hotel, we went and saw Mary Fons talk about the future of quilting.  She was such an engaging, entertaining and passionate speaker.  I really enjoyed what she had to say.


This was followed by a lecture on color by Luana Rubin.


At this point, it was all MQG focused.  Alissa Height Carlton talked about all of the changes and events for the guild.


We then listened to two panel discussions on guilds, and the most interesting, various activities guilds can participate in.  I took a lot out of the last panel and came away with some great ideas for the Boston MQG.

It was then time to head to the airport, where our flight was delayed and I didn't end up getting back to my aunt's house until after 2am.  I'm all inspired to quilt after spending four days talking, seeing and hearing all about quilts.  

Sunday, February 24, 2013

QuiltCon Day 3

I have to say, Day 3 was another awesome day at QuiltCon.  It was filled mainly with lectures, but there were some great lectures to listen to.

The day started with a lecture on copyrights and trademarks by Kristen Lejnieks.


Next up was David Butler from Parson Gray talking about modern lifestyle photography.  David was very entertaining and this was a great lecture to listen to.


After a quick stroll through the show floor, I went to the lecture from the other Butler - someone named Amy Butler.  You might have heard of her.  Anyway, Amy talked about color and where she gets her inspiration from.  Both David and Amy are fantastic story tellers and this was another great lecture.


We settled down for the rest of the day in the lecture hall after a quick lunch and listened to a panel on designing fabric.


Heather Grant came up next and talked about modern quilting, talking about the history of it and what defines modern quilting.  I disagreed with giving modern such a tight, rigid definition like she did, but it was still very interesting to hear her thoughts on the history of modern quilting.


Jacquie Gering was tasked with going right before the big keynote and delivered the only standing ovation lecture, presenting a passionate, engaging and heartwarming lecture on honoring tradition.  Jacquie shared her story about how she started quilting, her family history as creators and the inspiration behind many of her quilts.

To give you a sense of the lecture hall, this is what it looked like in between Jacquie's lecture and Denyse Schmidt's keynote.


Finally, Denyse Schmidt delivered her keynote talking about her roots as an artist and how she got into the quilt business.


We finished the night attending a pincushion swap meet up.  The Kansas City MQG host a pincushion swap a little while ago with several (I think seven or nine) guilds, and those of us at QuiltCon got to meet up with some of the folks who received or made our pincushion.

See, another great day! I'm said today is our last day, but I'm itching to get back in front of my beloved sewing machine.  I've gathered so much inspiration from the show that I'm ready to go back and create magic at my machine! 

Saturday, February 23, 2013

QuiltCon Day 2

Yesterday was another amazing day at QuiltCon.

It started with meeting the awesome Violet Craft, the designer of Madrona Road for Michael Miller. We chatted for a while about her line, the industry and the recent Madrona Road competition.
Here we are with my quilt that is hanging in the Michael Miller booth.

I took some time to check out the quilt show after.  This quilt by Victoria Findlay Wolfe won best in show.  I'll do a separate post after the show dedicated to all of the amazing quilts.

Then it was time to listed to a lecture by Heather Ross.
And after a quick lunch at a local Tex-Mex joint, it was time for a lecture by Anna Maria Horner.
The last lecture I attended before doing a little shopping was a panel discussion on publishing your work in magazines.

We had a little Texas BBQ for dinner and went to the 80's dance party.
Talk about another amazing day.  I'm excited for days 3 and 4.  I'll be attending more lectures the next two days, which I'm really looking forward to.  Stay tuned for more details from QuiltCon! 

Thursday, February 21, 2013

QuiltCon Day 1

Well, I'm sitting bag in my hotel room after a long but wonderful first day at QuiltCon. It started with a 4:20am ET wakeup call to catch our flight to Austin. Once we got here, it's been full steam ahead!
First things first, I had to stop and check out my quilts.  Here's my Dazzling Diamonds quilt.  I'm sporting an awesome ribbon letting everyone know I have a quilt in the show, which was made by the awesome Elizabeth Hartman.
My next stop was the Michael Miller booth to visit my Wonky Road quilt. The folks at Michael Miller were so friendly and I really enjoyed meeting them.

With just a little bit of time before several lectures started that we wanted to see, I had a chance to check out a few of the exhibitors.

The Robert Kaufman booth had an activity for attendees to design their own tote bags.
There was a line at the Spoonflower booth for a chance to win some fabric.
By this point, it was time to hit the lectures.  First up for us was Yoshiko Jizenji on Asian Creation: From Tradition to Modern.
Next up was Heather Jones talking about where she finds inspiration for her quilts.  I always love to see how people design quilts and where they get their inspiration from.  It was a pleasure to hear Heather speak.
Finally, we heard a great panel discussion led by Alissa Haight Carlton on publishing your first book.  I really enjoyed this lecture and found it to be incredibly insightful.

I'm excited to see what Day 2 has in store.  I haven't even had a chance to look at all of the awesome quilts on display or shop the vendors.  Don't worry, I'll be sure to visit the vendors and do a little shopping - right after I check out all of the other awesome quilts on display.

If you want to see live pictures from QuiltCon, I've been posting a ton to Instagram.  

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Off to QuiltCon!

I'm off to QuiltCon bright and early tomorrow morning.  I'm going to try and post to Twitter, Facebook and Instagram throughout the event.  I'd like to try and blog about it during the event, but depending on how tired I am at night, that might have to wait until next week.

Anyway, follow me on the following social media channels if you want to see what's going on at the show:
Twitter: @AQuiltingJewel
Facebook: /AQuiltingJewel
Instagram: AQUILTINGJEWEL

If you see me at the show, stop me and say hi! Don't be shy. I'll be wearing this name badge:

And don't forget to check out these two quilts which will be hanging at the show.