In case you missed it, you can read all about my experience at QuiltCon 2017 here and journey through the first half of my favorites from the Quilt Show here.
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.
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“Homespun” by Mary Kerr of Woodbridge, Virginia
This quilt was a part of the “Modern Traditionalism” collection and is the perfect balance. I love the modernization of the pattern (& quilting) design paired with the more traditional fabric chosen. Often with “Modern Traditionalism” we see the opposite: traditional pattern design + modern fabric. This quilt is so unique.
Story of the quilt from the information plaque:
“This wonky star began its life as a piece of worn vintage top. By individually piecing the star points I was able to cut around the damaged areas and reinforce the fabrics as needed. The star is set with vintage muslin and bound with homespun fabrics from 1900. I did not attempt to remove the areas of discoloration. I feel they add to the Homespun feel of this quilt …the grey hair and wrinkles of our textile world. Donna James’s quilting perfectly compliments this off kilter star!”
From the maker: You can find more information about Mary here.
“Infused Plaid” by Cassandra Beaver of Urbana, Ohio
The quilting on this quilt is amazing! She really used the quilting in such a cool way to draw out the plaid design.
No surprise, this quilt won 1st place in the “Use of Negative Space” category.
About the quilt:
“A simply pieced central design creates the basis for this quilt which allows the quilting to become the star of the show. Linear matchstick quilting is done using the same color of thread as the fabric it passes through. This process extends the colors of the piecing across the surface of the quilt and develops a plaid pattern in the process.”
From the maker: You can follow Cassandra on her blog The (not so) Dramatic Life and on Instagram @cassandra.beaver for inspiration.
“Lincoln” by Kim Soper of Huntington, New York
I read about this quilt {here} prior to QuiltCon and couldn’t wait to see it in person!
The brief story of the quilt from the information plaque:
“This quilt (passion project!) developed out of a desire to create an entirely improv-pieced, recognizable image without use of template, paper-piecing, or applique. Using an iconic image of Lincoln that had been converted to WPAP (vector-based geometric pop art) by Ihsan Ekaputra, it was constructed using 6-inch blocks. The backing fabric is a repeating pattern of the original image of Lincoln. The binding is a nod to the vector-style of art on which the quilt is based. The end result is a quilt that is both identifiable as the intended image, and distinctly my own.”
From the maker: You can read the real story of this quilt here and follow @lelandavestudios on Instagram for inspiration.
“Reject” pieced by Tula Pink and quilted by Angela Walters
It took me a minute to see the words, but isn’t this just the coolest?!
“Say Anything” by Lysa Flower of Maple Ridge, BC Canada
I have seen this pattern before and was super excited to see it at QuiltCon! The design is so nostalgic and just plain awesome.
While trying to find the “story” of this quilt, I discovered that it’s going to be made into a pattern for purchase soon {#BeStillMyHeart} – details here.
From the information plaque:
“As though I was struck by lightning. The inspiration and design to make this quilt happened that quickly. I was searching for something new to do with my cassette tape pattern (shown at QuiltCon 2016) then BAM! Memories flooded me with my first boombox…they ended with John Cusack holding a boombox over his head in the 1989 movie, Say Anything.
House rules for my paper pieced quilts:
- Three sides are shown of the object.
- Same family hues are used to accentuate depth.
- All lines are horizontal or vertical. Any diagonal lines are on a 45 degree angle.”
From the maker: Find more photos of this quilt here and follow @lysaflower on Instagram for inspiration.
“Still With Her” by Liz Harvatine of Burbank, California
I love seeing activism quilts {is that a real phrase for those? I’m going with it}. I couldn’t help but see Hillary‘s logo during the election season and think “that would probably be a pretty easy quilt block to make” – and what d’ya know! – several people have already done that {here, here…}.
The story of this quilt is lovely…
“I made the basis for this quilt, a giant Hillary logo, the day before the presidential election. I felt so much hope and excitement and I channeled it into my sewing. The day after the election, all of that energy and feeling of promise was gone, yet it seemed so sad to leave this quilt unfinished. I decided to cut it apart and add to it; put it back together. I want to keep that feeling of hope. I want to build off of what could have been and create something even better in the future.”
Sewing is therapy for many of us. For me it helps me process things/feelings/situations I’m brewing over. I think the final product Liz created truly captures the feelings of so many after last November’s shock.
It won Judge’s Choice.
The Design Source was obviously based on Hillary Clinton’s logo, but Liz used a pattern for the logo written by Maritza Soto {found here}.
From the maker: Follow @ladyharvatine on Instagram for inspiration.
“Gotham Transit Authority” by Catherine Jarett of Walnut Creek, California
As someone who loves to travel, obviously I thought this quilt was way cool.
The quilt is actually a map of the Gotham City subway – the fictional city where Batman lives {this was noted on the information plaque and not something I knew off the top of my head, ha!}. As noted by Catherine:
“Every line is a different color, planning and piecing were a fun challenge.”
I have found myself seeing quilt patterns in everything I see – road signs, company logos, on the floor (carpet, tiles, rug designs)… I can completely understand staring at a subway map and thinking: “Wouldn’t this make the coolest quilt?!” And it totally did!
A really cool added detail was in the quilting.
Around the edge of the upper right corner of the quilt, “gotham transit authority” is stitched and adds a really neat overlay detail. This quilt and the design were just outstanding!
From the maker: I can’t seem to find Catherine anywhere. For that, I totally admire her! Google is pretty powerful and if you can escape the internet monster, you go girl.
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Craving more quilty eye-candy?
You can find photos and stories of all of the QuiltCon 2017 Award Winners here.
This recap from Quiltin’ Jenny called “6 Things I Saw at QuiltCon“ was so lovely. It’s worth reading word-for-word.
And if you still haven’t read my recap, you can find it here! And check out the first part of the quilts I fell in love with at QuiltCon here.
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Already looking forward to QuiltCon East 2019! Can’t wait.
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resliced by Jordan 
Oh, I am just in love with Say Anything!! So retro and beautiful!
Me too!! You’ll have to keep an eye on her website – a pattern for it is coming soon!
Jordan, thanks for the revisit of QuiltCon! I can’t wait to hear about your class with AMH. I heard her lecture at a guild in Landrum! Very inspiring!
The workshops were so great! I enjoyed Mod Corsage far more than I imagined! I learned a lot. I had the pleasure of driving AMH on Sunday & she mentioned she was heading to Mauldin, but I didn’t connect it was to your guild! So neat that you met her too! Her lecture in Cola. was great. 🙂
Wow! Thanks so much for including me in with all these magnificent quilts! I’m very honored. Sadly I didn’t get to QuiltCon this year but seeing the quilts like this with the write ups, it’s like being there! Thank you for that too 😀
You are so very welcome! Thank you for the inspiration you shared through your quilt! 🙂