Apparently, I lied to you!!
I said that I had finished posting about QuiltCon 2023……and then I found this photo that I had taken in my hotel room……in my shower to be exact!!
Isn’t that a fun design and, my-oh-my, think of the things that you could do with it!!!
As I always say…..
Over the past several weeks I have had the privilege of sharing some of my favorite quilts from Quiltcon-2023.
Thank you to everyone who read the posts and especially those who commented on them
There were a few other highlights of the show…..
This stained-glass window was at the end of the walkway that connected my hotel to the show floor……
I wonder how many people stopped to photograph it on their way to the quilts!!
I saw this amazing jacket and asked to take a photo……
Isn’t that a great use of a woven fabric piece!!!
I took two classes and came back with new thoughts from each.
In the first class, we talked about piecing an inset circle. I have done this before but never used liquid glue to hold it in place before piecing….
Previously I used a glue stick, which worked fine, but this glue was SO much better. I learned that it worked even better when ironed in place!!
The second thing that I learned in this class was about using Karen Buckley circle templates. Again, I have used them before but loved the suggestion to wrap the thread around the circle to hold it further in place!!
(the bits of white on the edges are spray sizing)
In the second class, we learned to quilt straight-lines REALLY close together!!
The trick is to start with lines that are 1-inch apart…..
….split the difference until they are 1/2-inch apart…..
….split again and they are 1/4-inch apart……
….and one more time gets 1/8-inch……
I PROBABLY shouldn’t have needed an entire class to learn that!!
I liked the results even more when using a thicker thread!!
We used a walking foot (compensating foot) to complete the process but I will try it on my sit-down longarm and see if I can use rulers to finish the design.
I will say that I was relatively disappointed in my classes. One of the instructors was not in control of the class timing and we didn’t get much done. However, I did meet some very nice people!!
And as I said, I am not sure that I needed a 3-hour class to learn the quilting technique. I would have enjoyed more information about thread sizes and needles!! Having said that, the class ran from 6 to 9pm and it was nice to just sit and mindlessly sew after a full, busy day!!
Overall, my first QuiltCon experience was excellent!! I was fortunate that it was only 1.5-hours from my house and I was able to cram it into my springtime….ie. busy…. work schedule.
If you have joined me on this trek, please subscribe to the blog so that you will see my newest posts. I am planning to continue on my grid-quilting journey and there are lots of quilts from my Guild show which was 2 weeks ago.
As always……
I have often wondered how the “jury” portion of a quilt show entry works. If you don’t know, the jury is a group that looks at ALL of the entries and decides which will be allowed INTO the show.
Then, the judges go thru the ALLOWED entries, look at each quilt, and award ribbons based on merit.
Steph Skardal (@stephskardal) is someone who I have been following on Instagram and she was part of the jury for QuiltCon 2023.
She shared her insights in the following post. I hope that you enjoy the read…..
I entered two quilts in the show……
…and it was interesting to compare each to her criteria and understand why “Star Explosion” was accepted and “Cordwood” wasn’t!!
It is NEVER too late to learn something new!!
…………………………………………………………………………………………
Subscribe to my mailing list and receive this free pattern for “Dancing Squares”…..
You can sign up HERE……
Today we will finish up my favorites from the Ruby & Bee Fabric Challenge at QuiltCon-2023!!
The maker of this quilt wanted to create an “optimistic and dynamic quilt with this palette”……
I would say that she DEFINITELY accomplished that goal!!
The next quilt made good use of “Big Stitch” quilting…..
I apologize that the photo is a bit blurry. At this point, I was running out of time!!!
The maker said that this quilt inspiration appeared to her one night as she was trying to go to sleep….
I like the multi-coloring of one block design!!
This next quilt appealed to my funny bone…..
She said that, when she saw these fabrics, a nostalgic feeling rushed into her mind and the quilt was born!!
The next quilt used “Orange Peel” blocks to their best advantage…..
I appreciate the binding that juxtaposes dark against light!!
In regard to the next quilt, Tzitzi wrote…..
When I was brainstorming ideas for the R&B Fabric Challenge, I suddenly decided to take a different approach. Pondering on the fact that everything – absolutely everything in this world has an inner part – one that is seldom seen, one that not many care to see, one that speaks to you through your innermost voice, I decided to meander into this reality.
YES….it is pieced inside out!!!
I love the three-dimensional nature of the quilt and her hand quilting is the perfect offset to the piecing!!
So much innovation!!!
The last quilt in the R&B Challenge….and the final quilt in this QuiltCon Review is my favorite in the challenge category…..
Jennifer said that as she was playing with flying geese blocks, she discovered that the design looked like Circuit Board. This could possibly be explained by the fact that she works in the IT industry!!!
The quilting is perfect for the design too…..
Well, we have finished our tour of the quilts of Quilt Con 2023.
BUT…..there is lots more to come!!!
If you enjoy this blog, please share it with your friends!!!
Thank you…….
Today is part three of the Ruby & Bee Fabric Challenge quilts from QuiltCon2023.
As I look at each of them, I am amazed at how different they are!!
The first quilt for today features PERFECTLY smooth curves….
This is a super simple design but executed perfectly!!
I was pleased to have my quilt share the cubicle with it……
The next quilt was dubbed as being about contrast…..
….”Sharp angles and gentle orange peel curves provide contrast of shape, and strategic placement of the fabrics take advantage of high color contrast.”
My eye is immediately drawn to the blue and white “petals” on the left and bottom edge!!
These poppies just dance across the quilt…..
She challenged herself to used curved piecing to make the flowers and I think that she met that challenge well!!
We moved into the abstract realm with……
From her Artist Statement…. “This quilt began as a way to play with wheel/fan blocks and ended by taking me on an unexpected longarm thread tension odyssey! After much joy followed by much frustration, I am happy to have escaped mostly unscathed but with many lessons learned for the future”.
Haven’t we ALL felt that way at some point in our quilting career!!! Well done to have stuck with it AND have it accepted into the show!!
I love the next quilt….
She based the quilt on things that she learned in a Mel Beach workshop using Lorrie Faith Cranor’s “Interleaves.”
Yet something else that I need to investigate further!!
This quilt inspiration came from the “Dogwood Blossom” block as seen in the “Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns (B. Brackman)……
She certainly took that inspiration and ran with it…..Well done!!!
The next quilt is a nod to a traditional “Wedding Ring” quilt…..
She did a fantastic job of working within her limited fabric palette!!
Finally, I saw this one in progress on @TheQuiltyArchitect” Instagram page…..
It almost made me decide NOT to submit mine!!
I am truly enamored with the perspective he managed in this quilt and, oh my, the precision of his curves!!
Come back tomorrow for the LAST of the Ruby & Bee Fabric Challenges. I promise that there are lots of goodies left to see!!
…………………………………………………………………………………………………….
If you have an interest in ruler quilting, check out this online course…..