You may not be happy about this, but I just found 45 more QuiltCon photos that I hadn’t pulled off of my phone….this series of QuiltCon favorites may go on for a VERY long time!!

Today let’s look at the Applique category. As usual, the MQG definition of an applique quilt is a bit different…..

This was the very first quilt that I saw and photographed on the show floor…..

I was super impressed with the machine applique…..

Such a smooth satin stitch.

Then, I looked at the statement and realized that it was made by a friend who used to be in my quilt guild. I see her quilts everywhere….. it is SO much fun!!

This next quilt reminds me of the gorgeous architecture that we have seen around the world….

I am attracted to the simplicity of the design.

This next quilt is one that just makes me smile….

I like the bias tape applique and would love to try some….maybe this should be the handwork project that I want to get started. I would never have picked this background fabric….

…but it is PERFECT for the whimsical nature of the quilt.

I like the design of this next quilt….

In her statement, she says that she made two earlier quilts with an original block design made up of a half circle and a quarter circle. But, in this quilt, she took that block and cut it in half, and repeated it.

My guild has a “Drunkard’s Path” challenge coming up in June and this has me thinking about ways to split the block up…..

This next quilt has an electric quality to it…..

Her appliqued points are SO crisp that I originally thought it was pieced and in the wrong category!!

WOW….

That’s five quilts and I have five more to show tomorrow. Come back to see more gorgeous applique!!

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Thank you…….

Okay….let’s finish up the Improvisational Category at Quilt Con 2023.

I took a LOT of photos of this first quilt because I loved the soft tones and deep textures……

I don’t know about you, but after looking at this quilt for a few minutes, I felt like I had been to the beach!!

I love SO many things about this quilt, from the geometric fish…..

…to the skinny seaweed…..

….and don’t get me started about the quilting…..

IT added SO much texture to the quilt.

This year I seem very much drawn to curves so this quilt quickly pulled me in…..

Natalie said that sewing these gentle curves helped pull her thru the uncertainty of the COVID panic. I can see how it could do that!!

All I can say about this next quilt is WOW…..

Obviously, it is a simple idea with simple piecing but MAN does the quilting make a statement…..

I found this Black and White quilt to be very calming….

I started a piece many years ago that used these tiny strips…..

I think that it might be time to pull it out again!!

This final quilt appealed to me for the colors used….

…but as I looked further, I started to enjoy the layering effect that she could attain…….

It reminded me of the dilemma I have with my hotel carpet quilt that I had talked about in this post……

Floor or inspiration???

Maybe, just maybe I have a glimmer of an idea for how to approach my quilt.

Alright….we have now finished the Improvisation Category at Quilt Con. Don’t worry, there is still a LOT to come!!

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Today we will continue with yesterday’s Improvisational (I said Innovate in the heading) category quilts from Quilt Con 2023…..

This first one has lots more curves for me to be enthralled by……

This one is inspired by NASA animations depicting ocean surface currents!!! I am CONSTANTLY amazed at were we get all of our inspiration!!

I saw this next quilt as a cute quilt but then read the statement and found out that is about death…..

I still like it!!!

I am not normally a fan of piecing that has no real definition to it but this quilt ticked my fancy…..

Jane said that her design idea was to have one or more focal points and to somehow “explode” the center of each outwards to create a sense of motion. I would say that she definitely accomplished that!!

I think that the thing I like about it is the background with the “dots” of greys and blacks among the whites!!

I love the rich colors in this piece…..

This was probably my favorite quilt in this category…..

It makes me feel like I am sitting in the middle of a greenhouse, smelling the mulch and enjoying the warmth.

I especially love how the quilting amplifies the shapes…..

I will leave it there for today and tomorrow we will finish up this category. There is LOTS more to see!!!

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As I have said previously, I am NOT good at improvisational piecing, so I was excited to see the quilts in this division.

The first quilt was one that I saw at Houston and I loved it just as much this time…..

The colors are so intense and the black squares just accent them.

The story on this next quilt was interesting…..

I love how she incorporated thread into the design……

This next quilt reminded me of my desire to piece circles but I love how she sliced them up……

And then there are the Big-Stitch circles that tie it all together…..

Karen Stone made this next quilt and it was awarded a 2nd-place ribbon…..

It is a very similar style to her quilt from the Pieced division (see yesterday’s post) and, once again, I love the colors, the design, and the quilting….what else is there!!

The last quilt for today won the 1st-place ribbon…..

Susan says that she works intuitively, moving back and forth between the design wall and the sewing machine as she ponders, designs, and engineers each piece…..doesn’t that sound wonderful!!

Come tomorrow for a few more in this category!!!

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Thank you…….

Yesterday I started posting some of the quilts from the Piecing Division of QuiltCon 2023. Today I want to finish going thru my favorites…..

This one is a bit wild and crazy but won a Second Place ribbon…..

I am NOT good at improv piecing and really do admire those that can do it!!

This quilt won Third Place…..

I really like the bright fabrics against the dark purples.

Have a look at the quilting…..

I adore the daisies with lots of additional lines in the petals. I need to play with that some!

The curved piecing in this next quilt was PERFECT……

In her artist statement, she says that the fabrics include both solids and gradations which gives it more depth. I hadn’t noticed the color changes but not it is all that I can see.

Here is “Raspberry Lime Rickey”….sounds refreshing…..

She said that she wanted to focus on color interactions in these kaleidoscope blocks rather than the strong graphic contrast that you find with most kaleidoscopes. I think that she definitely accomplished that.

The next quilt is really groovy……

This makes a fun quilt!!

When I saw this next quilt, I thought that it was applique and wondered why it was in the piecing division…..

If you use a color filter, you can apparently see all three of the expressions on the man’s face. What I enjoyed about it was getting up-close and personal with the piecing…..

That is a LOT of little bitty pieces!!

The last quilt won the NACQA (National Assn. of Certified Quilt Judges) “Award of Merit”…….

It is foundation pieced using 20 colors and 1,453 fabric shapes!!

I particularly like the light reflected in the quilt!!

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Well, that is it for Piecing. tomorrow we tackle the “Improvisation” category…..it is a biggie!!!