One of the most exciting things about the International Quilt Festival are the BIG winners and this year they were varied and wonderful!!
The Master Award for Thread Artistry was…..
We talked to Judith for quite a while, and she told us about painting the background, drawing in some of the details, and then thread-painting the heck out of it!! She made the quilt sandwich before she started doing the threadwork so the piece is double sided…..
AMAZING!!
The Master Award for Machine Artistry went to……
I like the design of the quilt, but as usual, my eyes go immediately to the intricate quilting…..
Just look at these grid-quilted sheep…..
Exquisite!!
The Master Award for Traditional Artistry was a MANDALA…. color me excited!!!
In her artist statement she says “In a world that isn’t always so colorful, I hope you smile when you look at her!”
I mean…..look at this work…..
Some of those hand-appliqued circles are 1/4-inch!!!
And, the quilting is wonderful too, especially this border made entirely of thread…..
Next is the Master Award for Innovative Artistry……
Tania asks “Do you ever have quilts that whisper to you after you’ve thrown them into the naughty corner?” Apparently, this one kept coming back to her and it serves as a reminder to never give up!
Next is the Master Award for Contemporary Artistry…..
Kestral has been a regular on the “WINNERS ROW” in the last few years…..
Her husband is her biggest supporter and was there this time, showing viewers Kestrel’s process….which is quite interesting!!
She uses her iPad to draw the design and add the color elements. Then, she uses a Cricut to cut out all the necessary pieces that have already been backed with a fusible.
Once all of the pieces are fused to the quilt, the immaculate quilting process begins…..
Kestrel has a fantastic imagination. She and her husband are very humble about her gift and are a joy to talk to!!
I am sure that you have already seen the “Best of Show” in some of the show advertising, but here it is again….
Before we go further, get into your head that it measures 18-inches by 17-inches!!! It is TINY!!
AND, the frame is made from fabric and is part of the quilt!!
In her statement, she said she wanted to “explore unique free-motion quilting to present different picture effects on the front and back of the work”
What effects you might ask……
It is almost impossible to find the cat faces on the front of the piece but they show up brightly on the back! AMAZING!
So here are the Best of the Best, but believe me, there are plenty more to come!!
I enjoyed viewing all of the quilts, took hundreds of photos, and will start sharing my favorites from each of the categories and displays. With over 1100 quilts to choose from, you can expect weeks of quilty goodness…..stay tuned!!
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If you don’t want to miss my personal tour of the International Quilt Festival in Houston, be sure to subscribe…….
Wow! Amazing quilts.