QuiltCon took place in Atlanta from February 23 - 26. I attended the show, volunteered, took a class, saw some many friends and made new ones. It was awesome. Since there is so much to share, I'm splitting my QuiltCon recap into several posts. Part 1 was about my two show quilts.
There was so much inspiration!
As a disclaimer, photographs taken in convention floor lighting do not do these amazing works of art justice. Please search out the makes on Instagram for better photos of their quilts. Sadly, I didn't manage to catch a photo of the Best in Show - I really loved it.
See photos of all the winning quilts here.
Modern Traditionalism - Bright colors were everywhere. (There were 53 quilts in this category.)
(top) Spool Dash by Peter Bryne @petersquilts; Breaking All the Rules by Heather Joyce @creatingquilts (bottom) Watermelon Eyelashes by JoeAvery @joeverystich; Ripple Effect by Nancy Messuri @nancymessuri
Use Of Negative Space - Quilts with a limited color palette really appealed to me. One takeaway for me was to try to make a quilt with just 2 colors. (There were 23 quilts in this category.)
(top) Covid - It's all Greek to Me by Phillipa Porter; Crisp Wasabi by Petra Kolkhof @sewingp @mizrini; (bottom) Charlie's Fulcrum by Beth Clifton @studiobquilt
Improvisational - I enjoyed all the color - either lots of it or just two colors - and was intrigued by the quilts with large shapes. These are just some of my favorites. (There were 67 quilts in this category.)
(top) Turnip by Susan Lapham @susanlapham; Mr Mustachio Toothington by Patti Coppock @patticoppock; The Short Arsed Masked Quilter with Platforms and Royal Connections by Altona Meadows @colorcoddedreams; (middle) On Fire by Robin Oneil @Robinoneilquilts; POP by Jamie Pemberton @jamezetta; Oppsy Daisy by Debbie Kid @dkidd67; (bottom) Along came a Rabbit by Patti Coppock@patticoppock; Hash Tags and Top hats by Irene Roderick @hixsonir; One in Every Four by Carolina Oneto @carolina_oneto
Small Quilts - So many wonderful designs in this category. (There were 38 quilts in total.)
Color Riot by Stephanie Ruyle @spontaneousthreads won first prize!; Exploring the Cosmos: Space Junk by Nancy Powell @napmath3 was also an award winner; Highs and Lows: Year 1 by Cifaldi Morrill @wholecirclestuio (These are 1/4" hexis in this quilt!)
Piecing - Some incredible quilts in this category and I'm surprised I've only got photos of five of them. (There were 45 quilts in Piecing.)
Joan of Arc by Veruschka Zarate @prideandjoyquilting; Ottoman Rings by Tighe Flanagan @tigheflanagan; Storm in the Mountains by Robert Lowe @rbtlowedesigns; Sunshine Daydream by Karen Stone @karenkstone; Heartwall by Diana Fox
Ruby+Bee Fabric Challenge - The color palette for the challenge quilts was an absolute favorite and I loved many of these quilts. (I'd entered my quilt
Sea of Tranquility into this category.) There were 45 quilts in this category in the show.
Vote by Patricia Amburgy; Encircled Darkness by Julie Limbach Jones @limbachjones; Pop Up by Sophie Thomas @softnquilt
Minimalist Design (There were 46 quilts in this category.)
Lipstick by Susan Baverman @wildpoppyquilts; [....] Clara Stoikaw @bimbambuki_blog; Blood Orange by Margaret Kitchen; Tang martini by Anne Marie Cowley @runandsew
Finally, this last quilt Do I Contradict Myself by Melissa de Leon Mason @quiltallthethings was quite unique. It was in the Ruby+Bee category and the piece was quilted with reflective thread. See what happens when you take a photo with a flash? Awesome!
Apparently I captured zero photos in the Applique category (there were 25 quilts), in the Log Cabin Challenge (there were 27 quilts), or in Handwork (there were 25 quilts). I do have a few photos in the Youth category (30 quilts there) that I'll share in the future.
Thank you if you've read through my very long post! There were so many amazing quilts and I'm certain I missed taking photos of some favorites that belong in this post. I did preorder the show catalog so I look forward to studying the quilts with a cup of tea and revisiting them from time to time.
Next post I'll share some overall impressions of the show!
Have a wonderful day!
Patty