QuiltCon 2017: The Quilts, Part 1

Remember that time I told you all about QuiltCon and promised some quilty-eye-candy?! Well, I got so excited about the quilts and couldn’t bring myself to exclude any from my top picks that I’m splitting this treat into 2 parts! Stay tuned for Part 2 coming soon! {UPDATE: Part 2 is here!}

I’m sharing a few of my absolute favorites from the Quilt Show at QuiltCon 2017 in Savannah. There are sooooo many more that keep popping up on Instagram and the interwebs that I wish I had photographed and/or stared at longer. Hindsight is 20/20 and I’ve already made the request that QuiltCon last forever. Until then, this is all I have! 😀

–

A note before we begin: I took all of these pictures and you are welcome to use them if you credit me and/or link back to this post (because my iPhone skillz are #OnPoint). For each quilt I’ve included a section called “From the maker” where I’ve linked to his/her Instagram and the story of the quilt if they blogged it {most of them have done so and the stories are fascinating to read} – I hope you’ll take the time to explore the links and follow these mega-talented makers.

–

In no particular order…

“Bling” by Katherine Jones of Chigwell, Tasmania, Australia

This quilt won “Best in Show” which should come as no surprise. I got lost staring at it…seriously.

The inspiration for this quilt was a princess cut diamond – stare at it for a few minutes and it will pop out at you. It’s enchanting.

From the maker: The entire quilt was foundation paper pieced in solid fabric. Watch this video of the designer describing her design {also she’s Australian so you’ll love her accent}.

And for good measure…here’s me standing beside this quilt because it was love at first sight.

“Asterism” by Daniel Rouse of Oakland, CA

First, I love that this quilt is made from jeans. You know my love of upcycling AND [you don’t know this yet] I made a quilt recently from pants [that I promise to share soon].

Second, I love the use of light and dark to draw focus to the asterisks.

As noted in the information plaque, asterism is a group of three asterisks that serve as a visual section break in a longer chapter.

“At this dark pivot point in our history I look for the path that will lead us to a brighter future. I constructed the quilt top – both the improvised field and the precision-pieced asterisk medallions – entirely from used jeans, some of them mine and some second-hand.” – Daniel Rouse

From the maker: Read more about Daniel’s quilt in this post on his blog. Follow Daniel on Instagram (@dsrouse) for more inspiration.

“Autumn is Wistful” by Chawne Kimber of Easton, Pennsylvania

As a Southerner, this poem resonated deep within me. I may not have transplanted North as Chawne has, but I know what she is describing and longing for.

“Autumn is a time of transition and the move from warm to chilly always makes me homesick for the ‘South’ – a sort of mythical home. Thoughts range from food to the more elusive atmospherics of memory.”

I loved reading the poem on this quilt and I loved looking up close at the details.

The Design Source noted on the information card states that the technique is inspired by the work of Alabama Chanin. When I approached the quilt to study the details, I realized that the top (blue) layer is jersey {smart! No fraying} and saw the peek-a-boo florals were a vintage sheet {how perfectly nostalgic!}.

From the maker: Read the story about how this quilt came to be here and follow @cauchycomplete on Instagram for more inspiration.

“Blue and Green Quilt” by Shannon Page of Dallas, Texas

What I love most about this quilt is how the quilting was used (and not used) to construct letters on the quilt so that when it is hung you can see a message: “TODAY WAS A GOOD DAY”

As Shannon states beautifully on the information plaque:

“The words drift in and out like a thought before bed.”

From the maker: Read more about this quilt here and follow @nerdcamp on Instagram for inspiration.

“Cursive” by Paige Alexander of Easley, South Carolina

First, the maker is from my state! YAY! She’s a member of the Greenville Modern Quilt Guild.

Second, this quilt is beautiful. As someone whose sister taught her to write in cursive before she started school {#PerksOfBeingTheYoungerSibling}, it breaks my heart that cursive is not being taught regularly in schools any more.

This quilt won 2nd place in the “Small Quilts” category.

From a design perspective, I love the clean lines and how Paige arranged the colors of the fabric used for the lettering to fade – further emphasizing her statement.

From the information plaque:

“I appreciate the beauty of penmanship in everything from historical documents to thank you notes. Cursive was made for the Greenville MQG challenge, Black, White and a Pop of Color, although the idea was conceived much earlier. With the exception of two solid fabrics, the quilt, including the lettering was made from bias stems and hand appliqued. Lower case letters were chosen for the continuous free motion quilting where no i’s had to be dotted nor t’s crossed.”

From the maker: Read more about Paige’s process of creating this quilt here and follow @QuiltedBlooms on Instagram for inspiration.

“Go your own way” by Jessica Wheelahan of Sydney, Australia

I absolutely love the vibrant colors on this quilt!

And the hand-quilting … #TooSmittenForWords

Quilt details from the information plaque:

“Inspired by a vintage block I picked up a time ago. I moved the shapes around and improv pieced these units using a tightly planned colour scheme to create movement within the quilt. Hand quilted with pride.”

Seriously, the hand quilting! I love the texture it adds and the mix of straight stitches with those cute little plus signs.

From the maker: Follow @birdie_beetle on Instagram for inspiration.

“Gradient Greys” by Amy Ellis of Heber City, Utah

First, I really love the neutral tone of the quilt and the pop of color the binding adds – making it feel like a fancy frame.

Second, I love the mix of machine quilting (vertical lines) and hand quilting (horizontal lines).

From the maker: Follow @amyscreativeside on Instagram for inspiration.

“I Know the Stars are There Beyond the Clouds, 2” by Heidi Parkes of Milwaukee, Wisconsin 

Oh gosh.

I’ll try not to gush too long.

Ever since QuiltCon registration opened last summer, I’ve been following Heidi on Instagram and watching her process. Not only is she a super talented hand quilter, but she’s also an amazing yoga teacher {remember how I told you about her class?!}

I stared at this quilt so long I almost asked for a chair. It was mesmerizing. 

The story of this quilt from the information plaque is too beautiful to exclude:

“Just as we look to the sky, and we must remember the stars – we must also look deeper to find the root of our fears, attractions, and habits. While always influential, the unconscious mind can be as hidden as the stars.

A yearlong undertaking, this quilt is hand pieced with Korean Jogakbo (patchwork), using bed sheets and translucent fabric. The knots tied in front are inspired by African American quilts, and are used to represent stars, and to highlight the constellations/neural pathways represented in the quilt’s concept.

Physically expansive like the sky, this quilt is a space for meditative reflection.”

Yes, it is.

Heidi’s creative use of darker fabric to create transparent details behind the design is so neat!

I also love how you can see the hand stitches from piecing and the random use of different color thread. It makes it feel like a creative adventure that was exploding from within and Heidi had to grab whatever thread was closest just to get the excitement out of her head and onto the fabric. I love it.

From the maker: You can find more information about Heidi and her work here – and follow @heidi.parkes on Instagram for the most meditative inspiration.

 

–

If you’re craving more, check out all of the photos I took in this album on our Guild’s Facebook page OR browse the #QuiltCon or #QuiltCon2017 hashtags on Instagram.

Stay tuned for Part 2 coming soon! {UPDATE: Part 2 is here!}