QuiltCon, the Modern Quilt Guild quilt show and conference, was in Pasadena, CA a few weeks ago. My sister and I, and many members of our local Modern Quilt Guild, took advantage of the nearby event and classes. I showed the photos from my class with Heather Jones, Improv Half Log Cabin, on my last post. There is much about the Modern Quilt movement to admire, one of which is the inspiration modern quilt designers and quilters draw from traditional sources. That section of the quilt show was most attractive to me and nearly all my photo taking occurred in the Modern Traditionalism area. Here are a few of my favorites, and why. All photos were taken at QuiltCon 2016. Each photo below the quilt has the artist name and backstory.
Blue Spiderwebs: The freeform spiderwebs were fun and I loved the black around the webs separating them from that deep luscious blue background.
Focal Point: The offset setting and multiple prints mixed with a few solids was eye-catching. This was not a large quilt, perhaps 40-45" square. The spiral quilting was so well done and is something I must try sometime.
Handcrafted Triangles: All those deep saturated colors were completely juicy and beautiful to look at. I've done some improvisational piecing and it can be fun. It can also be frustrating when you cut off points when you didn't mean to!
Octagon Shimmer: I thought this quilt, which was large in size, had such a sophisticated look with the grays and muted solids throughout. The small improv triangles gave a quirky touch. The quilting was gorgeous too.
Picnic Petals: Another large size quilt with a wonderful mix of solids and prints. I liked the overlay look with some colored solid backgrounds and lots of white.
Forest Abstraction: These animals were so sweet and charming. I'm not sure how she did the final application onto the backgrounds, but they were full of life and joy.
Melon Wedding Ring: This was my absolute favorite of the Modern Traditional group. Again, the deeply saturated colors felt very rich and captivating. The quilting was beautiful and I liked the different background print choices. Completely unboring!
My sister and I didn't get to spend too much time in the vendor section, but I must say the fabric company booths were so inviting,with samples and things to make and stitch, places to sit and chat with other quilters, and plenty of inspiration, as well as freebie buttons, pins, and giveaways. It was a completely different vibe from any other quilt show vendor floor. I wished we had had more time to spend there. QuiltCon East is in Savannah, GA next year. I'd encourage anyone who loves fabric, thread, and design to see the show and take classes. I'm hoping QuiltCon returns to Southern California again in the not too distant future.
My iPhone took a swim a couple of weeks after this event and one thing the restoration from backup to my replacement phone taught me is that I need to upload photos and videos regularly to my PC. Do it now, people!
