QuiltCon from my perspective

I’ve finally categorized, edited and sorted through the pictures I took of the quilts from QuiltCon 2015. This is the view from my perspective.

There were so many beautiful quilts and I tried to take pictures of the 1st place winners from the main categories. So let’s start there:

i quilt by Kathy York — Best in Show: i Quilt by Kathy York

i quilt detail — Quilting detail of “i Quilt” by Kathy York

i quilt back — Quilt back of “i Quilt” by Kathy York

Best Machine Quilting: “Diving Geese”, quilted by Krista Withers, pieced by Katie Pederson

diving geese detail — Quilting detail of “Diving Geese”

coral reef — Quilting Excellence Award: “Coral Reef” by Marla Varner

Quilting Detail of "Coral Reef" by Marla Varner — Quilting Detail of “Coral Reef” by Marla Varner

flight path — 1st Place, Piecing: “Flight Path” by Mary Menzer

flight path detail — Quilting detail of “Flight Path” by Mary Menzer

breathe — 1st Place, Minimalist Design: “Breathe” by Leanne Chahley

fuzhou fujian — 1st Place, Hand Work: “Fuzhou Fujian” by Patricia Lutteral

fuzhou fujian detail — Quilting detail of “Fuzhou Fujian” by Patricia Lutteral

1st Place, Modern Traditionalism: "Long Island Sampler" by Kim Soper — 1st Place, Modern Traditionalism: “Long Island Modern Sampler” by Kim Soper

Quilting detail of "Long Island Modern Sampler" by Kim Soper — Quilting detail of “Long Island Modern Sampler” by Kim Soper

2nd Place, Modern Traditionalism: "Deconstructed Lone Star" by Amy Struckmeyer — 2nd Place, Modern Traditionalism: “Deconstructed Lone Star” by Amy Struckmeyer

deconstructed lonestar detail — Quilting detail of “Deconstructed Lone Star” by Amy Struckmeyer

1st Place, Small Quilts: "What's The Frequency, Love?" by Sheri Cifaldi-Morrill — 1st Place, Small Quilts: “What’s The Frequency, Love?” by Sheri Cifaldi-Morrill

1st Place, Bias Tape Challenge: "CPU", by Katherine Jones — 1st Place, Bias Tape Challenge: “CPU”, by Katherine Jones

1st Place, Improvisation: "The Rabbit Hole" by Nydia Kehnle — 1st Place, Improvisation: “The Rabbit Hole” by Nydia Kehnle

Quilting detail of "The Rabbit Hole" by Nydia Kehnle — Quilting detail of “The Rabbit Hole” by Nydia Kehnle

Judge's Choice, Improvisation: "Face #1" by Melissa Averinos — Judge’s Choice, Improvisation: “Face #1” by Melissa Averinos

1st Place & Judge's Choice, Youth: "Rainbow Magic" by Mollie McMahon — 1st Place & Judge’s Choice, Youth: “Rainbow Magic” by Mollie McMahon

1st Place, Group or Bee Quilts: "Playing with Little Bits" — 1st Place, Group or Bee Quilts: “Playing with Little Bits”

1st Place, Spring Couture Fabric Challenge: "7 up" by Debra Jalbert — 1st Place, Spring Couture Fabric Challenge: “7 up” by Debra Jalbert

People's Choice: "Quilt For Our Bed" by Laura Hartrich — People’s Choice: “Quilt For Our Bed” by Laura Hartrich. Image source: The Modern Quilt Guild

I love the ribbons that were awarded to each category. These were all made by the talented Elizabeth Hartman.

I missed a few categories, but it was a last minute thought to catch what I could of the winners. From my perspective, it looked like the judges were quite taken with any kind of straight line quilting, most notably matchstick and parallel lines.

I also saw a lot of concentric circle quilting (which I really like). Here are a few of my favorites:

"Back to Basics" by Melissa Corry — “Back to Basics” by Melissa Corry

"Infinite Whispers" by Jennifer Chon — “Infinite Whispers” by Jennifer Chon

"Huckleberry" by Rebecca Bryan — “Huckleberry” by Rebecca Bryan

I noticed that many of my favorite quilts were from the “Modern Traditionalism” category. I think that seems to define my style of quilting at the moment. I also LOVE all of the bright colors! Let’s take a look:

"Modern Chevron Remix" by Cynthia Whitten — “Modern Chevron Remix” by Cynthia Whitten

Quilting detail of "Modern Chevron Remix" by Cynthia Whitten — Quilting detail of “Modern Chevron Remix” by Cynthia Whitten

"Sunset" by Corinne Sovey — “Sunset” by Corinne Sovey

"Fifty Shades of Geese" by Patricia Roche — “Fifty Shades of Geese” by Patricia Roche

Quilting detail of "Fifty Shades of Geese" by Patricia Roche — Quilting detail of “Fifty Shades of Geese” by Patricia Roche

"Gypsy Wife" by Catherine Mosley — “Gypsy Wife” by Catherine Mosley

"Half Square Triangles" by Tara Faughnan — “Half Square Triangles” by Tara Faughnan

"Grand Pineapple" by Allison Lee — “Grand Pineapple” by Allison Lee

"Spiced Chai Quilt" by Katie Blakesley — “Spiced Chai Quilt” by Katie Blakesley

"Improv Double Wedding Ring" by Natalie Sabik — “Improv Double Wedding Ring” by Natalie Sabik

I also love the piecing category. It’s probably my favorite part of the quilting process besides buying and picking out my fabric. Here are some of the quilts from that category:

"Gaggle of Geese" by Janice Ryan — “Gaggle of Geese” by Janice Ryan

"Teal Sunshine" by Matthew Wheeler — “Teal Sunshine” by Matthew Wheeler

"Bauble" by Emily Cier — “Bauble” by Emily Cier

"Modern Migration" by Sue Bouchard — “Modern Migration” by Sue Bouchard

"Moccasin" by Anne Marie Chany — “Moccasin” by Anne Marie Chany

Quilting Detail of "Moccasin" by Anne Marie Chany — Quilting Detail of “Moccasin” by Anne Marie Chany

"Icy Waters" by Amy Garro — “Icy Waters” by Amy Garro

Quilting Detail of "Icy Waters" by Amy Garro — Quilting Detail of “Icy Waters” by Amy Garro

"City Center" by Angie Henderson — “City Center” by Angie Henderson

From the “Handwork” category, this is my personal favorite and the reason for my new obsession with hexagons and English paper piecing:

"Geometric Rainbow" by Nicole Daksiewicz — “Geometric Rainbow” by Nicole Daksiewicz

geometric rainbow detail — Quilting Detail of “Geometric Rainbow” by Nicole Daksiewicz

I love applique and found a few that I had taken pictures of from that category:

[The American Context #16] Christina's World by Luke Haynes — [The American Context #16] Christina’s World by Luke Haynes

"Sticks and Stones: The Border Test" by Rachel Kerley — “Sticks and Stones: The Border Test” by Rachel Kerley

I also took pictures of a few quilts that “tickled my fancy”:

holy sh_t sherlock — “Holy Sh*t Sherlock” by Kristy Daum

"The Conan Quilt" by Allison Chambers — “The Conan Quilt” by Allison Chambers

It was nice to see the quilts from “do. Good. Stitches”.

Here are some of them:

"Pixelated Pinwheels" from Lee, New Hampshire — “Pixelated Pinwheels” from Lee, New Hampshire

"Trellis Crossroads" from Florence, Colorado — “Trellis Crossroads” from Florence, Colorado

"Watercolors" from Alleboro, Massachusetts — “Watercolors” from Alleboro, Massachusetts

"Eclipse" from Bellevue, Kentucky — “Eclipse” from Bellevue, Kentucky

"Gradient Patchwork" from Peabody, Massachusetts — “Gradient Patchwork” from Peabody, Massachusetts

"Birds on a Line" from Austin, Texas — “Birds on a Line” from Austin, Texas

There was also an exhibit of “The Quilts of Gee’s Bend”:

"The Quilts of Gee's Bend" Exhibit — “The Quilts of Gee’s Bend” Exhibit

"Railroad Crossing" from The Quilts of Gee's Bend Exhibit — “Railroad Crossing” from The Quilts of Gee’s Bend Exhibit

My own award for most photographed quilt (by me) goes to this quilt by Nydia Kehnle:

"Tessellation 3" by Nydia Kehnle — “Tessellation 3” by Nydia Kehnle

Quilting detail of "Tessellation 3" by Nydia Kehnle — Quilting detail of “Tessellation 3” by Nydia Kehnle

Obviously, I am smitten with Nydia’s free motion quilting. I love the random and creative details that make you want to look for more.

I have more pictures, but I’m losing steam (and my butt is numb from sitting so long at the computer). Maybe there will be a part 2. If you want to see the full spectrum of winning quilts, you should visit The Modern Quilt Guild Blog.

My apologies if I didn’t get the quilt names correct or if I misspelled any names. I did the best I could. I even had to leave a few out because I couldn’t give proper credit to the maker.

This is definitely the “QuiltCon view” from my perspective. I am sort of new to the modern quilt world. I’m still not sure where I fit in, but I had some personal insights following my QuiltCon experience. I see that I’m drawn to the use of color in modern quilting. I love the solids, the low volume and the rainbow colors. I also find that I like the combination of vintage and modern together. That is a match made in heaven! I’m not a big fan of the minimalist designs, and quilts that “scream” modern don’t grab me too much either.

I guess I’ve got one foot in the modern door and the other foot is still too comfortable with the traditional world to completely cross the threshold. And that’s o.k. with me.

22 Comments

Just came across your blog. Thank you so much for sharing these beautiful quilts. I also consider myself a traditional modern quilter. I’m going to the QuiltCon 2016 and really looking forward to seeing many more beautiful quits. Have a happy new year!

Amazing talent. Your pics are like seeds of desire on damp, fertile soil. Thank you so much for sharing – they inspire me.

Thanks for sharing. I enjoyed the pictures. Im sure you had a great time. I too am more of a traditionalist.

Fabulous post. It took a lot of time and thought! The quilts you picture here are amazing, especially in person. I think that is what blew me away the most. In preparation for the show, lots of quilter’s blogged about their entries, and their quilts were just lovely. But when I actually saw them hanging there, in person, many of them made me gasp.

WOW! So many beautiful quilts. Thanks for sharing!

Thank you so much for sharing these fabulous photos of these extraordinary quilts !!
Diane

Thank you so much for this wonderful tour of the show. I feel as if I were right there along with you. These are amazing works and I am dumbfounded at their beauty.

hi Julie
you must have taken hundreds of photos, I’m sure it was hard to stop, with such an amazing selection of quilts from so many talented quilters!
Lots of ideas there. I too love all the bright colours, and am very tempted to try more modern quilts. I see too that I would have to start collecting a whole new stash of solids!
Thankyou for sharing your marvellous experiences at Quilt Con.

Thank you so much for sharing.The machine quilting is just unbeleivable!

Thank you very much for sharing your photos – it takes such a long time composing a post like this. The improvisational piecing that is seen doesn’t really speak to me unless it is a background for something else like applique. I never really “got” the excitement about the Gee Bend exhibition but I do get the modern take on the traditional quilt. I guess it has something to do with feeling that I can relate to the thinking process of the person who looks to the past and come up with their own take using modern fabrics and techniques but not so much to just throwing fabrics together and see what falls down then sew that together and leave it at that

Congratulations for this hard work to put together your photos and bring closer to me QuiltCon! Thank you so much! So many wonderful piece of work, so many quilting artists!

Thank you so much for this virtual quilt show!

Thank you for sharing your lovely photos. That’s a lot of editing. I love them all!

Wow!!!!! Thanks so much for sharing. Very inspirational

These are absolutely stunning…I, too, have fallen in love with the modern quilt movement, but, as yet, haven’t made one myself…but I will though…I’m thinking…I’m thinking…

Julie, thank you so much for sharing. I have really enjoyed this post. I wish I could say I have a foot in quilting at all!! Someday I may be able to follow this hobby and do more, but for now I will enjoy what you post and what you show me. I guess my foot is in your blog!! – That is a good thing, right?

Hi, Julie! This is an absolutely FABULOUS, FABULOUS post!!! I enjoyed it very much! Thank you for all the photos. I am with you–I like the modern-traditional the most at this point in my quilting hobby. I’m forwarding your post to several of my friends. Again, it’s fabulous! Thank you, Lori 🙂

Beautiful photos, thanks so much for ‘taking us with you’!

Thank you so much for sharing these wonderful quilts. I am in awe and inspired by the talent and effort it took to create these quilts.

This was awesome! What a fantastic show. I am really drawn to the modern but all of the quilts were wonderful. Thank you so much for taking the time to share.

I would like to send you a picture of the quilt “home is where the heart is”
could you give me your mail ?
thanks a lot for your pattern…
have a nice week
See you

Thank you so much for sharing the pictures. I am in awe of all of the talent and beauty of each quilt.