Quiltcon!

My normally predictable life has been anything but lately. What will probably be the highlight of my year was my trip to Quiltcon, the first-ever convention of the Modern Quilt Guild.  After all those years at home with Gwen, I felt anxious signing up for this event and registering for workshops all three days. I even considered backing out at the last minute!  Thank goodness I didn’t because I haven’t had so much fun or seen so many fabulous quilts since the Gee’s Bend exhibition came to Memphis several years ago.

At first I was sure I would be the one old fogey in a sea of skinny hipsters with pink hair and copious body art/piercings. But this convention drew every kind of person you could imagine!  There was pink hair, gray hair, no hair, and even blue hair on the ladies in the Spoonflower booth.

All the modern quilting rock stars were in attendance, most of them teaching workshops and showing quilts or new lines of fabric.  I saw Lizzie House, Jay McCarroll, Denyse Schmidt, Weeks Ringel, Amy Butler, Thomas Knauer, Yoshiko Jenzenji, Angela Walters, Anna Maria Horner, Alicia Haight Carlton, Jacquie Gering, Mary Fons, Sherri Lynn Wood, Lotta Jansdotter, Malka Dubrawsky, Penny Layman, and Elizabeth Hartman to name a few.

And I saw quilts! Rows and rows of wonderful, colorful modern quilts! I had to go through the show at least once every day to take it all in. In the front of the exhibition was a display of antique quilts. Here are a few that look very much like the “modern” quilts we are making today.

This little quilt, Ode to Paul Klee by Serena Brooks of Los Angeles was my favorite in the mini quilt category.

And here are a sample of quilts that caught my eye. There are many more in my Quiltcon Flickr set.

Adrift byt Tina Michalik

Paper Shredder by Pamela Johnson

Lifesavers by Lee Heinrich. I love what she did with those stripes!

Bolt by Rebecca Roach

Whoa!  Hold the phone! OMG it’s NANCY!  You know, THE Nancy. As in “Sewing With…”.  She was not listed as an instructor or lecturer, so I guess she was just checking out the modern quilt movement. It was such a trip turn around and see her standing there! She is even prettier than she looks on TV.

OK now back to the quilts. Here is my favorite.

Pantone Circles by Elizabeth Brandt.

And another one by the same artist.

Mobile

My second favorite.

My Tribute to B.C. Binning by Diane Thompson

A few more

Cool blue Kona Modern by Terry Aske.

Up in the Air by Latifah Saafir

This quilt won best in show. What a creative way to update the traditional double wedding ring pattern!

Double Edged Love by Victoria Findlay Wolfe

Here is a detail of the winning quilt.

Even the ribbons were show-worthy!

It’s going to take several posts to cover everything I saw and did at Quiltcon. Overall this event was well-planned, seamlessly organized, all-inclusive, and generally spectacular in every way. Kudos to the MQG board and volunteers for putting on a first-class show!

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Tags: Modern Quilt Guild, MQG, Quiltcon