Spring Quilt Market

Big trade shows and conventions are not my cup of tea. Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt. When people started talking about Spring Quilt Market in Portland a few months ago, I really couldn't be bothered with the whole idea.

A picnic with my girlfriend, Linda, at the beach, sprawled out on a vintage polyester quilt wearing nothing but sunscreen and a smile sounded like a much better idea. That was the plan, but the beach forecast didn't look great and it seemed like a lot of out-of-town friends would be visiting. So, I changed my mind and made a last-minute request for a credential badge.

Thankfully, my request was granted and the unplanned, four-day whirlwind tour of the quilt industry began. I was still ambivalent and had no official business at the event, but there were plenty of potential opportunities. It is a multi-billion-dollar industry, and there are tens of millions of quiltmakers in the United States, so it's kind of a big deal.

Spring Quilt Market may generate some new opportunities, but I am not exactly in hot pursuit of more work at this stage of the game. I'm much more focused on home life, being in love, and the simple things like a home cooked, candlelight dinner for two.

It is wonderful to live here in Portland, the City of Roses; but if there's no time to stop and smell the roses, why be here at all? There's a lot more to be said about the whole Quilt Market experience, but I will simply say it was great to see friends and I hope everyone had a wonderful visit. Safe travels, and I will look forward to the next time we can all be together.
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#HelloPMQG & Friends

Elizabeth Hartman is one of the talented locals at 2018 Portland Quilt Market

The 2018 Spring Quilt Market is underway at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, and several talented locals are in the house!

Violet's booth is also OMGgorgeous!

Portland Modern Quilt Guild is well represented with stunning exhibits by Elizabeth Hartman and Violet Craft.

Oh Dear by Christine Yi, a fellow member of Portland Modern Quilt Guild

Christine Yi has a quilt is on display, as one of the big winners from last year's Quilt Festival in Houston.

"Fireweed" by Jean Wells Keenan

Valori and Jean Wells from Sisters are also there. Jean is in the winners' circle exhibit, and Valori has a wonderful exhibit showcasing her new line of fabrics and patterns.

I absolutely adore Valori Wells.

We caught part of Valori's schoolhouse yesterday, and enjoyed learning more about the fabulous new collection. We loved hearing about her "Trip Around the World" quilt, which includes all the fabrics she ever designed-- 40 collections over a 20-year period. Amazing!

This Trip Around the World includes every fabric Valori ever designed.

I was delighted to see Christina Cameli's new eco bags, coming soon from C&T Publishing. They previewed the bags during a C&T schoolhouse yesterday, but we got to touch them today. Hello Gorgeous!

The bags are made of recycled plastic, and I can't wait to buy them. Coincidentally, C&T/Stash Books is the publisher of my second book, "Modern Roots" and the soon-to-be-released free motion quilting book co-authored with Mandy Leins.

Linda and I hadn't been to a Quilt Market before, but I'd been to Festival a couple years ago when I was exhibiting at the Texas Quilt Museum. Yesterday, we got to visit with Karey Bresenhan and Nancy O'Bryant Puentes in the VIP Suite, and we ran into industry superstars around every corner.

It was fun trying to explain who they all are and what they do, but my mind was fried by the mid-afternoon. Mostly, I was proud of the local peeps --- #HelloPMQG -- and happy to see friends from near and far.
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Diagonal Grids in Hawaiian Scrap Quilts

 

Recently I noticed something intriguing about Hawaiian scrap quilts. Many of them incorporate diagonal grids as design elements.

These diagonal grids are often secondary designs created with string-pieced blocks, typically foundation pieced in diagonal strips on a cloth foundation.

The blocks are directionally alternated to create diagonal grids, diamond or windowpane designs.

Using a cloth foundation is a practical solution when working with unwieldy, bias-cut strips and garment fabrics made with a variety of fiber types.

Sometimes the grids are made of geometric units, such as squares and triangles. Four-Patch and Broken Dish blocks appear frequently. 

It is interesting to see the variety of elements quiltmakers would use to create a diagonal grid, but it also makes me wonder. Is the diagonal grid a prevalent design element in Hawaiian decorative arts?

If so, where did the diagonal grid originate? Why did it resonate so powerfully with Hawaiian quiltmakers?

I looked for diagonal grids in kapa cloth designs but didn't find enough examples to make a definitive statement. It is worthy of further investigation.

Other home furnishings such as woven lauhala grass baskets and floor mats include diagonal grids.

Diagonal grids also appear in pineapples, especially graphic design renditions of pineapples.

Some of my favorite quilts include square blocks with diagonal piecework, creating an overall diagonal grid.

There are also several quilts with Economy Blocks, or squares within squares made with pieced triangles and squares. I love the play between square and diagonal grids in these quilts.

One of my absolute favorites is a quilt that just arrived last week, with diagonal black sashing framing squares pieced with triangles, or Broken Dish blocks.

I will think about this one as I search for more ideas related to the use of diagonal grids in Hawaiian decorative arts. 

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Two more Hawaiian scrap quilts

Two more Hawaiian scrap quilts are headed my way. How could I resist? The first one with the black sashing between blocks is super graphic, a real eye dazzler.

The second one is more of a typical Hawaiian scrap quilt with string pieced blocks forming a diamond windowpane grid.

The use of color is so striking. It's because of the materials -- scraps from aloha shirts, muumuus and other garments produced with beautiful, tropical fabrics. I'm looking forward to seeing these two gems in person.

Coming soon...more Hawaiian scrap quilts!

A few years ago, I learned about the distinct tradition of scrap quilts made in Hawaii and started collecting them. Along the way, I made friends with a vintage reseller in Honolulu who periodically lists scrap quilts. She notifies me every time she has any, since she knows I collect them. There are ten scrap quilts in the latest batch, and they will arrive here soon. Here's what they look like.

When I first started writing about the tradition of scrap quilts in Hawaii, I was struck by the exuberant use of color, particularly the juxtaposition of hot and cool colors. The quilts looked very Hawaiian, even though they did not look anything like traditional Hawaiian applique quilts. To read more about it, click here.

"Modern Quilts: Designs of the New Century" Exhibition

This quilt is part of an exciting new exhibition.

A vintage, 1970s polyester quilt from my collection is part of an exciting new exhibition at the Dairy Barn Arts Center in Athens, Ohio. The exhibition, "Modern Quilts: Designs of the New Century" is scheduled for April 29th through June 17th, 2018. After that, the quilt and other selected quilts from the exhibition will travel to the Schweinfurth Art Center in Auburn, New York from June 30th through August 19th, 2018. 

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The exhibition showcases quilts from the recently released book, "Modern Quilts: Designs of the New Century" and it is an honor to be included. For more information about the book, click here.

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It's a date!

An exhibition is scheduled for next summer at Latimer Quilt & Textile Center.

It's a date! At the recent Clark County Quilters show, I saw my friends from Latimer Quilt & Textile Center in Tillamook and asked if they had any summer dates available for exhibitions. Lucky for me, they did. Quilts from my collection will be on display at the center in July and August 2019.

Kalakoa, Discovering the Hawaiian Scrap Quilt at Latimer (2016)

Each year, Linda's family has a reunion over in Seaside, and I thought it would be fun to offer an exhibition of quilts in the area at the same time. I haven't decided what to exhibit yet, but it won't be a problem coming up with a good show.

"Small Wonders: Doll Quilts by Andrea Balosky" (2011)

Two exhibitions of quilts from my collection were previously shown at Latimer-- "Masterpiece Quilts: Modernism in American Patchwork" (2014) and "Kalakoa, Discovering the Hawaiian Scrap Quilt" (2016). I curated another show, "Small Wonders: Doll Quilts by Andrea Balosky" in 2011. That was the first time I curated an exhibition of quilts, and it seems like a long time ago. A lot of things have happened since then!

I'm considering a select group of quilts from my first book, "New York Beauty, Quilts from the Volckening Collection" (2015, Quiltmania France), because I have never exhibited those quilts at Latimer. The last time I exhibited them in Oregon was actually the first time I had an exhibition of quilts from my collection, and that was in 2011 at the Benton County Museum.

Bicentennial Quilt by Barbara McKie

Of course, there are plenty of other ideas. I am also considering patriotic and/or Bicentennial, although the idea may be a bit premature. I've got enough quilts and latch hook rugs to hang a good Bicentennial show, but the Sestercentennial is in 2026, so I may try to hold off on exhibiting Bicentennial until we are closer to 2026.

It is always interesting to look at the collection and consider what groups of quilts could be pulled out for exhibitions and other projects. There are applique quilts, floral quilts, wool quilts, embroidered quilts, velvet quilts, and lots of 1970s quilts. There are also quilts from each of my three books, the third of which will be released later this year. What will I decide to show? Stay tuned...
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