Reflections on QuiltCon 2024

-



In February, I was in Raleigh, NC for the whirlwind week of the Modern Quilt Guild's annual show, QuiltCon. 

This is the third year I have been able to see my work hanging along side the work of talented quilters from around the world. But this is the very first time I can share that I won a ribbon! My "Ghana Batik Study" took second place in the Handwork category. 


This was such a surreal experience!! QuiltCon 2024 kicked off with the award ceremony streaming live on Wednesday evening. Family who couldn't make the trip were able to watch the proceedings from home, and "quilty" friends from my modern quilt guild were there to cheer me on. To be honest, I'm not generally comfortable with the spotlight, but I was filled with a warm sense of gratitude for being recognized in this way. 

The convention floor: quilt show (left) keynote speaker/special exhibits (center) vendors (right)


The next morning I was eager to get to the show. In the past, I've enjoyed starting at the beginning of the exhibits and stumbled on my quilts like every other quilt show attendee. This time I just really wanted to see that ribbon. LOL

There it is in the distance!

When I finally located my category, I found a woman taking a picture of my quilt! Time to extend myself and engage in conversation. I quietly asked "Do you like it?" (after all she had taken a picture of it.) "Meh" she said. "it's alright. I'm just taking pictures of the ribbon winners."

Humbling.

But I had to chuckle, because didn't that just put me in my place?

It was an early, gentle reminder of "what it's all about," of my priorities and my motivation in making quilts. 

I create because I feel impelled to generate ideas and to make that idea or vision a reality. That's my primary focus and once the last finishing stitch has been taken I have met my goal. I share it with others in hopes of making them smile, or presenting something that calls the viewer to look closer, or inspires them to explore their own voice. 

Our creations will resonate with some people, but not with everyone who sees them, - and that's ok. If it touches just one person it has been a blessing. The one thing I know for certain is that it feeds my soul to be able to create and express myself in this way.   

And there you have it in a nut shell: the high and (not really) low of QuiltCon 2024 for me.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

Ooops, I did it again

-
Image
You know when you make a mistake and you end up thinking " Man, I really should have known better!"? I recently experienced that moment when I took my latest finish out of the wash, hung it to dry, and later found that the backing I used had bled through to the front of the quilt. Maybe it wouldn't have been so bad if it had covered the entire quilt, but in this case I have a strip of a stronger color on one side of the back: Heartbreaking to think that after all that time and effort, the piece was ruined just because I forgot to turn to the cold/cold setting for the delicate cycle on the washing machine. But then it occurred to me to "put it out there." I posted the problem on Instagram and got back several suggestions. The most popular solution was Dawn dish soap. And I'm happy to report I've met with success!!! It did require some persistence though. First, I tried applying Dawn to the affected areas and then putting it through the wash with a bit of ...
Read more

A Follow Up

-
Image
Shifting Contour When last you heard of this quilt it had been saved from the scourge of fabric bleeding. But I never posted the whole quilt. So here it is.  I have called it Shifting Contour because, in my mind, the patterned fabric plays the role of the background on the left side of the piece. On the right side, the patterned fabric moves to the foreground and becomes a solid shape against the cream background. It is an experiment with the concept of negative space. This year our local guild has taken the lead from our parent organization, the Modern Quilt Guild, and focused on a specific topic each quarter. They covered categories which can be found in the annual QuiltCon quilt show: modern traditionalism, applique, negative space, and minimalism.  I found defining these terms has been really helpful, as sometimes it's difficult to identify why a certain quilt is in a category, in which category a quilt "belongs" when entering it, and even how to deliberately incorpo...
Read more

Q=A=Q 2025 Opening

-
Image
  The first weekend in November was the opening of the annual Quilts=Art=Quilts show at the Schweinfurth Art Center in Auburn, New York.  Q=A=Q Opening Night The show includes seventy quilts created by fifty three artists from around the world, including  Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Hungary, Kuwait, Switzerland, and the US. This is the second year that I've been honored to be juried into Q=A=Q.  It requires a bit of effort to get to upstate New York on opening night; there are no direct flights from our location. So I'm doubly grateful for the support of family who joined me to take in the experience.  This is very different from a large quilt convention. While you can get up close to the work at any kind of quilt show, the more intimate setting of a gallery brings a unique perspective. The environment elevates a quilt to the status of art. I love that there are so many ways to present my work. I know this is a relatively new phenomenon and it reflects c...
Read more