Quilts from Quilt Market 2016 • part 2

The following quilts were exhibited in the center of Quilt Market this year, in a special exhibit.  They are the prize winners from Houston, and the area around them was always calm and quiet, so it was a nice place to visit.  Here are the rest of the pictures I took.

Why Knot? is by Tanya Brown, who writes: “This quilt was inspired by watching my Cub Scout son practice knot tying, an exercise designed to torment the uninitiated.  In this piece, the metaphorical nightmare of becoming hopelessly engulfed in one’s own knots is made real.”  Follow the link on her name to read her (hilarious) description of how this piece came to light, as well as interesting reading on her process.

Ravendale Star, by Linda Fleschner, is a quilt where she did not design the entire thing before she started but knew that she would “use the Ravendale paisley print in a Radiant Star.”  She goes on to say, “When that was finished, I designed the border feather, staying with a black and white palette–a big departure from the bright colors I normally use.”

(Okay, I took this one because it bulges slightly in the middle, just like mine do.  However, mine aren’t as intricate or beautiful or amazing as hers.  This is my make-me-feel-better-about-my-creations shot.)

Laura Fogg‘s Visions of Apple Pie.  Her artist’s notes say: “Looking up into a loaded apple tree on a hot summer day, I imagined all of the things I could make with the glorious fruit.”

Anniversary Roses, by Susan Gorder.  She writes: “The appliqué rose blocks and borders were my take-along project on many trips over several years.  Once the top was finished, it took me another six months to hand quilt.  Instead of traditional grid quilting behind the appliqué, I decided to quilt feathers and to repeat elements of the border design around the center blocks.”

White Holes by Peter Hayward.  His notes state that “I wanted to take the basic concept behind op art quilts to a new level by adding color gradation and concentric lines as a way of enhancing the 3-D effect.”

Magical Zone, by Keiko Ike.  She writes: “I wanted to create a mysterious quilt with design and color.  I perfectly pieced the extremely sharp points in the Mariner’s Compass, which is normally difficult to finish flat.”

A Coastal Town is made by Nobuko Kotani and quilted by “14 friends from Kanagawa.”

She writes: “This started from a fabric I found while I was on a trip.  The pattern on it was interesting, so Katy designed a town with many unique houses along a coast.”

Can you tell I loved all the details?

Dance, by Marisa Marquez (of Madrid, Spain): “Every little girl’s dream is to become a dancer–elegant and graceful.  As we grow up, we continue dreaming.”

Audrey II Plus 3, by Marianne Mulheron.  Her notes say that “In response to a Spring Into It quilt challenge, I used real springs to attach three dimensional baby plants to their carnivorous mother, Audrey II, from the movie Little Shop of Horrors.”

Mysterious Letter, by Noriko Nozawa.  Her notes say: “The Kana letter, which is a Japanese inherent letter, is the main theme of this work.  Although I used the Japanese traditional letter, I added a sense of fun by changing the color, placing the letter randomly, and repeating it.”

I love all the different textures in her quilt.

Arroyo Grande Album is by Andrea Perejda.  She writes: “Folk-art appliqué has been an interest of mine for many years.  I started with Threadbear’s pattern for their Civil War Bride quilt top.  I altered it considerably, adding personally meaningful motifs and appliqué sashings.”

Laura Wasilowski‘s Bird on a Branch #6.  “This quilt,” she writes, “depicts a view of my front garden.”

Exuberance, by Enid Gjelten Weichselbaum, was “[i]spired by the layering of colors created in watercolor paintings.”  She “used layers of bright organzas to ‘grow’ a joyful bouquet of flowers and a transparent vase.

That’s it for my quilt show today.

I’ve been working on my own quilts, finally tackling the hard job of quilting through two layers of batting (some make this look easy, but really, they are lying. . . unless they are on a big machine).

I’m also working out the thorny problem of those pesky border instructions for our Oh Christmas Tree border post, which is coming up quickly.  Don’t worry.  I’m on it.

It’s all coming July 2nd–just in time to stay home that weekend and sew!  We’re almost finished with that quilt. Just keep on  quilting; we want to see YOUR quilts next year in Houston, and then Quilt Market!