QuiltCon 2019 Nashville – A Summary of the Quilt Show

Mar 27, 2019 | QuiltCon

by Laura Loewen

We have done our best to appropriately credit makers. However, please do not hesitate to email info@bouldermqg.com with questions or comments about quilt makers. QuiltCon is a little crazy and we did our best to grab photos of signage.

QuiltCon is a whirlwind four days of quiltiness overload. Experiencing QuiltCon may be on many modern quilters’ bucket lists. If you ever have a chance to go, take it. You will come away with a “QuiltCon hangover” full of inspiration and knowledge. I will discuss the things that I took away from the quilt show at QuiltCon 2019. This is an editorial review by just one attendee.

SHOW STOPPERS

There is always a class of quilts that are the most photographed at each QuiltCon. I call these quilts the “show stoppers.” The photographs of these quilts are as fabulous as the quilts themselves. Each of these quilts glow and the people gravitate towards them during the show. Everyone wants a picture so they can share it on their own blog/social media/instagram. Here are just a few of some of the amazing quilts that I consider show stopping.

OUR GUILD’S QUILTS

This year our guild was represented at QuiltCon by our group charity quilt and by two of our members, Anne D. and Laura L. Our charity quilt was hanging in a prominent location in the main hall outside the show and vendor conference room. Everyone who took the elevators to the third floor room saw the quilt as they headed towards the show.

A bit biased, but I thought the BoulderMQG charity quilt was one of the most stunning in the charity quilt collection.

Anne Deister’s @springleafstudios quilts hung at the show in the MQG Quilt of the Month exhibit and in the Use of Negative Space category. Anne’s negative space quilt also graced the pages of the 2019 QuiltCon magazine.

Laura Loewen’s @loewensewen quilts were displayed in the Quilting Challenge : Two Color exhibit and in the Handwork category.

TRENDS + SURPRISES

I came away with the impression that there were several apparent trends at QuiltCon among the quilts on display. I first noticed that almost every quilt fell within two groups, bright bold colors or earthy neutrals. The bright colors were clean and clear and often paired with other bright colors; less often paired with neutrals. The earthy fabrics tended towards ecru, blush, and copper tones. Those quilts felt light and delicate. Very few quilts crossed into both groups and even fewer fell outside of these classifications.

A second trend I noticed was the lack of the solid white expanse. I think that ship has sailed. The piecing and color/fabric selection of today’s modern quilts is much more sophisticated than just leaving a blank canvas. Within the minimalist design and the negative space categories, the space was filled with detail, texture, and color.

Even when the quilt appears to be just blank “white” it is actually filled with piecing and quilting details, such as in these three quilts:

I was surprised at the amount of printed fabrics included in the show quilts. So much of my view of a show-worthy “modern quilt” included solid fabrics. There were still many quilts that used only solid fabrics, however, at least a third or more of the quilts in the show contained prints. Most of the quilts that contained prints did also use solid fabrics. The printed fabric added depth, texture, and dimension. I am happy about this trend and am looking forward to exploring it in my own quilts.

The last trend that stood out to me, and I have also mentioned several times, is texture and dimension. There was so much dimension in these two-dimensional works that I am glad I was able to see them in person. Makers used quilting thread weights, colors, and size of stitches to create depth and differentiate areas of the quilts’ design. There were a lot of linens, wovens, and shot cottons. Where fabrics appear as solids there is actually a lot of texture. There was even some use of fabric to create 3-dimensional components. I am including only a very few photographs of quilts that demonstrated texture and dimension.

CATEGORIES + ACCEPTANCE

One last thing I came away from QuiltCon with is the overwhelm of the sheer volume of quilts in the show. There were most definitely over 500 quilts hanging if you include special exhibits and charity quilts. Unfortunately, I did not get to see every quilt in the show. And as far as large, international quilt shows are concerned, QuiltCon is actually pretty small.

There are 12 categories that you can enter your quilts into. There seemed to be a lot of crossover between categories, many quilts would qualify for many of the categories. The entrant selects the category to submit to, besides Small Quilts and Youth which is determined by size and age, respectively. It seemed like the largest categories were Modern Traditionalism, Piecing, and Quilting Challenge : Two Color. Even those categories probably had less than 50 quilts each on display. The smaller categories were Group or Bee Quilts, Handwork, and Applique. Professional quilters have quilts hanging alongside amateur and hobbyist quilters. Everyone is judged and juried into the same show.

The youth category is determined by age, and most of us aren’t young enough to qualify. However, many of the youth quilts fell more towards art quilts with the use of textiles to create pictures or portraits. It is nice to see youth excited about the art of quilting.

It’s really up to fate if your quilt is selected to hang in the show. If your quilt isn’t accepted one year, there’s a good chance it may be selected in another year. The skills, techniques, and quality of the quilts that I saw in the show is attainable by anyone who puts their mind to it.

Colorado Cadence QuiltCon 2017

Feb 9, 2017 | QuiltCon

Colorado Cadence QuiltCon 2017

By Ann Deister

The Boulder Modern Quilt Guild has made a QuiltCon charity quilt since the challenge first began in 2014. Making charity quilts has always been a large part of the BMQG’s mission and I’m thrilled to say we have donated more than 50 quilts over the past three years. For a small guild, averaging around 24 members, I think that’s pretty amazing!!!

Today I’d like to share the process we went through to bring Colorado Cadence to fruition.

When the color palette and theme were announced by TheMQG, we talked about possible directions we could use to depict the idea of scale and agreed upon the color palette we wanted to work with. We also chose to use mostly prints rather than working with solids as we have done in previous years. Using the prints allowed us to use scale at the micro level within the design which gave the final quilt even greater variety and depth.

As chairperson, I developed a few ideas to review at our the next meeting. One of those ideas came from our President, Cynthia, who had seen an article about Roberto Burle-Marx, a Brazilian landscape designer. The article included this wonderful mosaic.

At the review meeting, everyone agreed the mosaic offered wonderful opportunities for exploring the use of scale. The next step was to develop the design. Squares and circles, structured through the use of color blocking, was the basis of our concept. The super large areas of color provided an additional level of scale beyond that within each block.

I started with big blocks of color which provided the larger scale element of the quilt. Then things were broken down into 12″ blocks and the basic design elements of squares and circles came into play.

More and more details were added which provided texture and variety. And with each progressive refinement more and more movement and rhythm was introduced to the overall design.

The layout was then broken into sections based on color and packets of fabric were pulled together that included a small amount of a solid plus a few prints. Participating members were asked to sign up for 2 or more blocks of a given color and to supplement with fabrics from their own stash. In this way we added even more variety to the quilt. Sewing assignments were designed to be flexible so those who wanted could add their own twist to their blocks. The main criteria was to stick with the color scheme and basic square and circle elements. This worked well for our group and we ended up with a little of both. Some made their blocks exactly as the diagram showed and others took liberties.

Over a 2 month period, members worked at home and during our monthly sew days to make their blocks. As the blocks came in, I put them up on my design wall at home to keep tabs on the progress.

All blocks were due in September. Then, during our October sew day, many people pitched in to sew the blocks together. By the end of the day we had not only a finished top but were well on our way to a finished backing made from the leftovers.

Our talented President, Cynthia, took everything home at the end of the day. She completed the backing and then worked her free-motion magic by quilting a variety of different motifs in the various sections of the quilt. We are so lucky to have her skills in the guild. She used her sit down Juki mid-arm machine. Look at all this wonderful texture . . .

By early January it was ready for the finishing touches. Label. Sleeve. Binding.

The vast majority of our guild participated in one way or another. THANK YOU, THANK YOU quilters for all your time and talents. I am so proud of you and our quilt.  This picture shows many, but not all, of the quilters who helped.

Seeing Colorado Cadence hanging in Savannah with the other charity challenge quilts will be amazing. Many of our members will get to see it in person. While I won’t make it to QuiltCon this year, I can certainly vouch for how inspirational it is to see so many quilts, all sharing the same theme and colors, hanging together in one place. AMAZING!!!  And all for charity. Quilters truly are generous people.

The Boulder Modern Quilt Guild is based in Boulder County Colorado. If you live in the area or even if you’re visiting, we’d love to have you join us. Evening meetings are the first Thursday of the month and sew days are the usually the third Sat or Sun of the month. We currently meet/sew in Louisville, CO.

Learn more about us by visiting our Facebook page
Follow us on Instagram too @bouldermqg.