QuiltCon Special Exhibit Tours

On Friday, Saturday and Sunday I led tours of the four special exhibits at QuiltCon, and it was a lot of fun. The four exhibits were the "Modern Quilt Guild's 2014 Quilts of the Month", sponsored by B. Studio Design; "Pieced With Love: The Quilts of Do.Good.Stitches", sponsored by Beyond the Reef; "Modern Materials, Quilts of the 1970s", sponsored by Bloc Loc; and "The Quilts of Gee's Bend", sponsored by Yuwa Live Life Collection.

"Modern X" the March 2014 Quilt of the Month
by Christa Watson, Las Vegas MQG

We spent some time talking about the charity quilts, how wonderfully dynamic they were in the context of charity quilts made throughout history; as well as the MQG Quilts of the Month. On the first day of the tour we were fortunate to have Christa Watson of Las Vegas Modern Quilt Guild as part of the tour group. She told the story about how she made her beautiful quilt, "Modern X", the March 2014 Quilt of the Month!

We spent a considerable amount of time each day discussing The Quilts of Gee's Bend, and visitors to Quilt Con were also treated to the Gee's Bend episode of Why Quilts Matter, History, Art & Politics on a video loop in the center of the display. Many people stopped and watched!

I told the story of a very special quilt made by Lucy Mingo of Gee's Bend, and for anyone looking for a picture of the quilt, here it is!

"Bible Story" by Lucy Mingo, Gee's Bend, Alabama, 1979

And here is a picture of Lucy signing the quilt, 32 years after she made it!! What a stunning moment that was. I blogged about it, too (click here).

The last exhibit on the tour was "Modern Materials, Quilts of the 1970s"-- my own exhibit of 20 quilts made in the 1970s, and of course, I had a lot to say about them. Topics included polyester, DayGlo, methods of construction, color and design, and it was a lot of fun telling people about the quilts in the midst of the display.

There were lots of great questions, and really an open dialogue about the quilts on display. Great exchanges between myself and the tour groups! I tried to make sure to thank the sponsors, and also made sure to visit the Bloc Loc booth to thank them personally for their generous sponsorship of my exhibit. Special thanks to the volunteers who checked in attendees, brought me water, took pictures, and did everything to make my life a little easier. We had fun!

Modern Materials: Quilts of the 1970s Special Exhibit at QuiltCon

Great day at QuiltCon in Austin, Texas! I got in a little ahead of the crowd before opening to see the 1970s quilts, and Proud Papa!! When I saw them, I let out an audible gasp that only I heard, but it really took my breath away. It is the first time I have seen these quilts up, on display, and they're right at the entrance to the exhibit hall.  

 There are 20 quilts in the exhibit, which is called "Modern Materials, Quilts of the 1970s" and they show beautifully-- much better than I anticipated.

Janis Pearson of Gresham, Oregon made the Stars quilt will all the wonderful calicoes, and I'm excited she will be here to see her quilt on display.

I hope everyone who comes to see the who will enjoy the quilts. They're a lot of fun, and were originally made by everyday people as domestic objects, but they are really works of art.

Deborah Ursell from San Antonio sold me the wonderful quilt with the map of the continental United States, but we hadn't met before. She was here today, and we had a wonderful visit and some great Texas BBQ. Tomorrow: tour of the special exhibits first thing in the morning, followed by a lecture about the 1970s quilts, and another lecture later in the day, called "Masterpiece Theatre". Ready to hit the ball out of the park!

QuiltCon Magazine

QuiltCon will have a special issue magazine, available on newsstands March 3rd, and I'll be in it. My special display of 1970s quilts will be mentioned, and the magazine will be available online through the Interweave store. Thank you, QuiltCon. I'm happy to be part of it! For more details, click here.

Medallions at Modern Domestic

I was passing through North Portland today, on my way to drop off six large boxes of quilts being shipped to France, and stopped by Modern Domestic on Alberta. 

During the last month, they have displayed medallion-alongs from the Portland Modern Quilt Guild members, and the medallion quilt I won in the raffle in December was part of the display.

Lucky me, they were about to take down the medallions, so I got a few pictures, and was able to take the raffle quilt home with me.

While there, I chatted with Lupine, who was working on scheduling shows. We talked about showing some vintage quilts there in the summer, so I look forward to gracing the walls of Modern Domestic later this year.

If you stop by Modern Domestic during the next month there will be another display. It's wonderful that they have a whole schedule of rotating displays throughout the year. Always something inspiring on the walls.

QuiltCon Next Week!

Next week, thousands of quilt lovers from across the country and abroad will gather in Austin, Texas for QuiltCon 2015, the second national conference of The Modern Quilt Guild.

I will debut 20 quilts from my "Modern Materials, Quilts of the 1970s" exhibition, lead tours of all the special exhibits three mornings, give two lectures on Friday, and attend a few of the other events.

I am excited to see friends, meet new friends, and enjoy all the exquisite quilts on display. The quiltmakers of Gee's Bend will be there, and I hope Lucy Mingo makes the trip. I have one of her quilts and I just love her. QuiltCon has a mobile app, handy for keeping track of the busy schedule. Looks like it's going to be a great conference! More info, click here.

Soon after I get back from QuiltCon, I will present my second web seminar. The topic will be 1970s quilts, and the web seminar will take place on February 27th at 1pm eastern. Great opportunity for anyone who missed QuiltCon to learn about the quilts. It will be an eye-popping and an eye-opening presentation. For more information, click here.

inspired

Chris Turner's amazing quilt, completed in 2014, 41" x 41"

Chris Turner of DuPont, Washington was looking for a challenge, and she found one! When she asked if it would be OK to make a quilt inspired by one of my quilts, I thought, "Wow! Ambitious. Have at it!"

the inspiration quilt, c. 1850, Kentucky

At first, I didn't know what would happen. Would the quilt be a UFO? Not that I doubted Chris's ability...she is skilled, experienced and highly capable. It's just such a monster of a quilt, and those cornerstones!! The maker of the inspiration quilt must have been an insane genius and a sewing savant.

"Wow! Ambitious. Have at it!"

That's no trick tape measure, the cornerstone really is less than 3 inches square

just out of the box, but don't worry, the table top is not this quilt's home

Chris worked on it during 2014 and finished in the fall, and I got to see progress virtually through photos she shared. As if I wasn't already beyond blown away by the finished quilt, Chris wrapped up the project by doing something even more mind blowing. She gave me the quilt.

the cornerstones from the inspiration quilt are twice the size of Chris's

What an exquisite gift! I am eternally grateful. And...in case you're curious, the inspiration quilt is 81" x 84". Chris's quilt is 41" x 41". I know...wow. Thank you, Chris, you're amazing! I have to be the luckiest man on Earth.

Princess Feather, after washing

The 1850s Princess Feather has been washed and dried. It brightened up a bit, but is difficult to see in the photos. Here's a side-by-side.

before (left) and after (right) - click to enlarge

A very subtle difference-- you can tell if you look closely at the whites, especially to the left side. Even though all the staining didn't come out, it's cleaner. Remember what the wash water looked like?

 I may try again at some point. There are a few ways to break down stains, but for now I'm satisfied. A lot of dirt came out, and it's a bit brighter and more even. The quilting stands out a bit more, too. I was curious, so I measured it before and after washing. It was 96" square before washing, and about 95" square after, so it shrunk a little. That must be why the quilting stands out more after washing.