Looking back to QuiltCon 2018 in Pasadena CA

We moved house just one week after QuiltCon 2018 and it took us a long time to get everything organised. There is still some chaos and things to be done but we're getting there.

I've only downloaded the photos I took during QuiltCon 2 moths after the event. I just couldn't find the time.

Pasadena Convention Center

But maybe that was a good thing because now I think I have processed the whole experience of having a quilt in the show.

That photo says it all! One happy girl an her quilt!

Splinter in good company

I have to admit I was super excited and also very proud every time I walked by my quilt which was in line with so many great quilts.

Interesting for me was also the judges comments on Splinter. I wasn't sure whether that would be included but as I unpacked the quilt the judges' comments and the presentation sheet were included.

But enough of my own quilt. I want to show you some of my favourite quilts which are not award winners, for the award winners please see here.

I especially liked this quilt by Carolina Oneto, such a great use of colour and shape.

I'm a big fan of Kari Anderson's work and her 'Mama Bear loves to dance' quilt is no exception.

Once again I was drawn to simple, graphic and colourful quilts like this one by Debra Jalbert, that play with colour is so good.

Very cleverly arranged triangles by Nicole Kroesen in her quilt 'To the point'.

And Jacquie Gering... what can I say. She has a big impact on my own designs and I'm always in awe of her work. With her quilt 'Champ' Jacquie explores minimalistic design combined with strong light and dark contrast creating maximum visual impact.

I love subtle colours like the ones Paige Alexander used in her 'Positively Transparent' Quilt of the Month August 2017. Beautiful thread colours too.

I loved that neon pop thread Carson Converse used in her 'Passage' quilt.

I was absolutely stunned by this quilt by Tara Glastonbury. Her quilt 'What's your time worth?' represents the back of an Australian 50$ note and is a critical statement regarding female textile artists trying to make a living while others undervalue their hobby making it especially hard for artists to earn above the national average wage. This quilt had such a great texture, I wish I could have touched it.

These two quilts from this years Charity Challenge were my favourites. LEFT: Original pattern design by Alane Davis, made by the Lake Superior MQG; RIGHT: Designed by Holly Anne Knight, made be the Greater Atlanta MQG (Funny that they both have the light/ dark colour gradient from top to bottom).

This year Carolyn Friedlander was the featured artist at QuiltCon and she had a special exhibition of her work which I loved. I'm a great fan of her architectural fabrics and quilt designs with great colour choices.

Her work was beautifully presented. How cool is that couch?

Also these quilted maps are so good. A different kind of whole cloth quilt.

And there were so many more. I have noticed an increased quality of the mini quilts presented in the show, but that would be too much to show them here.

One highlight for me was the exchange of the mini quilt the Modern Quilt Guild had organised.

My swapping partner was Anne Sullivan of PlayCrafts and her work is amazing. I absolutely love the mini she made me! And how coordinated are our quilts? We even made the MQG News letter with our minis!
You can read more about 'Three', the mini quilt I made here.

I once again opted for the all day lecture pass. Sometimes the less obvious lectures are the best and are surprisingly good.
I only took one class and it was the advanced photography class with Kitty Wilkin and Michelle Bartholomew. Thoroughly enjoyed the class, learned a lot and could have actually done a whole day!

Exploring depth of filed

Once again I truly enjoyed the whole QuiltCon experience and being among like minded people. It was so great to meet quilters in person I have been in touch with via social media.


Today the registration for QuiltCon 2019 opened and unfortunately I will not go next year. I will make QuiltCon an every other year event. 2020 in Austin it is.

Bee blocks for Melanie - Eads Quilt

I love my little quilting bee and the great variety of bee blocks my fellow bees come up with.

Melanie picked this beautiful paper pieced pattern by Carolyn Friedlander, who kindly allowed us to use her pattern for this bee. The pattern is called 'Eads' and you can find it here.

Melanie picked this lovely low volume colour palette with whites and creme tones. It's such a beautiful palette, I love this subtle colour play.

I am usually an improv kind of quilter and I don't really like precise piecing but with paper piecing it's different. I really like the crisp and precise look that you can achieve with a lot less effort than normal piecing. Here you can see more blocks Melanie received already. Can't wait to see the finished quilt!

Connected

I have admired all the mini quilts that have been submitted to be included in the Curated Quilts Magazine ever since that magazine was created by Amy Ellis and Christine Ricks at the end of 2017.
For their upcoming fifth issue in autumn 2018 the topic for the featured mini quilts is 'Connections/ Improv' with a beautiful autumn colour palette.

How could I resist?

And that's my mini quilt 'Connected'.
If you think, hm, that kind of looks familiar then you're right! It's the same improv piecing technique I used in the mini quilt I made for the MQG mini swap. This is further to explore as I really need to make a big version of it!

I randomly quilted in straight, diagonal lines and I think this adds such a nice texture to the quilt.

It's the second time that I used a faced binding and I really like it. Especially on such a small quilt. 'Connected' is only 15 x 15" big and it's the smallest quilt I've made so far.

I used three different colours of 50wt and 40wt Aurifil thread, two beige tones and one light grey.

I hope it gets accepted, but anyhow, if you don't know the Curated Quilts Magazine you should check it out. I bought the first tow issues at QuiltCon in February and I absolutely love that magazine!

Linking to Curated Quilts where you can see all entries!