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QuiltCon

QuiltCon

A whole new world.

 

Something wonderful has been going on in the world of quilting, and it was only recently that I was fortunate enough to stumble upon it. Imagine a 4 day extravaganza with 15,000 people, 500 quilts, dozens of vendors, countless exhibitors and a plethora of workshops. Ok I’m imagining it, but obviously this isn’t a real thing…Oh but it is! You’re lying…I’m not! You’re talking to yourself…Ok that’s fair. But what is this magical place I speak of? QuiltCon.

In 2009 Alissa Hight Carlton and Latifah Safire founded the Modern Quilt Guild. This guild was originally created to give modern quilters a community in which they could meet in person to build connections and share tips and ideas with other modern quilters. But, what’s a “modern” quilter? Good question. Modern quilts contain many of the same characteristics as modern design—the use of bold colors, high contrast, negative space, improvisational piecing, updating classic designs—and are primarily functional. As the guild began to grow, they expanded to more and more communities, and now consists of over 200 guilds around the world. (Yes, Kansas City has a branch, called the KCMQG, click here to go to their page. Or if you’d like to go to the MQD headquarters page, click here. )

Once the Modern Quilt Guild (MQG) became large enough, they began putting together a convention for all their members to show their work, participate in award winning and competitions, as well as gather for workshops and the trading of ideas. This became QuiltCon. This year QuiltCon was in Pasadena, California. I’ve decided to put together a list of a few of my favorite quilts from the show, all of which placed in the top 3 in different categories. Click on any image to enlarge it.

Piecing 2nd Place: Mirror Ball. 60”x60”. Pieced and quilted by Maria Shell.
2nd Place: Black, Brown, and White in Orange. 78”x78”. Pieced and quilted by Karen Maple.
1st Place: Canterbury #2. 38”x38”. Pieced and quilted by Debbie Grifka.
eQuilter Award of Quilting Excellence: Ribbon Quilt. 105”x105”. Pieced by Sarah Bond, quilted by Carol Heisler.
American Patchwork & Quilting Flying Geese Challenge. 1st Place: FREE MOTION. 54”x68”. Pieced and quilted by Mary Keasler.

 

If you would like to see the FULL list of winners from the 2018 QuiltCon, click here. QuiltCon 2019 will be in Nashville, TN February 21-24, 2019.