QuiltCon East 2017 - Part 1

Di left yesterday morning - Saturday, March 11. I drove her and her two very packed suitcases to Brownwood, one of the squares in The Villages, where she caught a shuttle to Orlando. From there she was to fly to Dallas to connect to her non-stop flight on Qantas to Sydney. Coming here, her entire trip took more than 30 hours door-to-door. The Dallas to Sydney Qantas flight alone is 17-1/2 hours! As I write this, Di's still in the air!

Our last selfie

As expected, our good-byes were difficult, with both of us shedding tears, and expressing thanks for our adventures. As therapy, I spent Saturday thoughtfully muddling through housework, laundry, ukulele-playing, and sewing. But again this morning I missed her while making fresh vegetable juice. I didn't make as much for just Dan and me. And I keep expecting her to walk out of the guest bedroom. 😞

It's time I shared a little about QuiltCon, which I've already determined has to be more than one blog post. QuiltCon is so much more than "a quilt show," especially when participating in a couple workshops, used an all-lecture pass (there were 23 lectures available and I attended 13), made a point of attending free demos, and intentionally and accidentally met up with quilters known through Instagram and blogs. Those four days of QuiltCon were intense, interactive, tiring, fun, and not-to-be-missed. I have no regrets for investing time and money in attending this wonderful quilt show in Savannah. In my 30 years as a quilt maker, I've never enjoyed any show as much as I did this one. No doubt it was made extra-special by Di's presence.

Here are some of the 15 or so Australian quilters who were at QuiltCon. Twins Michelle and Monique from Sydney bookend Di (second from left); Best of Show winner Katherine Jones from Tasmania (wearing black); and Lorena, also from Sydney.

Katherine's 98" X 98" winning quilt was definitely a show-stopper, and deserved the recognition it received. Katherine told me she designed it in four identical quadrants, first making foundation papers and then piecing them with solid fabrics. The name "Bling," is perfect for the gemstone that Katherine describes as a "princess cut diamond."

Bling, from the back.

Katherine quilted it herself.

Katherine made this "Smoke" quilt too. 

I love how she used thread density, several thread thicknesses and weights, and color to create a vaporous effect. 

From the back...

Another winning quilter used a similar quilting technique. This is Cassandra Beaver's "Infused Plaid Quilt," that won first place in "Use of Negative Space." Except for a few pieces of fabric, the plaid effect is all thread! This pattern is in the Mar/April 2017 issue of Modern Patchwork magazine.

This 46" X 60" quilt, "Lincoln" by Kim Soper not only won first place for Improvisation, it also won the People's Choice award.

I found my own quilt in the show where 19 quilts from the Michael Miller Luxe Challenge were displayed. I didn't win a ribbon, and didn't expect to, but "Lime 'n Luxe" will appear in the to-be-published-in-2019 Modern Quilt Guild coffee table book.

By the way, the top I'm wearing is one made from a Spoonflower knit with a design from our Central Florida MQG logo! Emma Thomas-McGinnis is the creative force behind several Spoonflower designs from our chapter logo.

These are the first-, second- and third-placing quilts in the Luxe Challenge.

Susan Clay, 59" X 62"

Kari Anderson, 62" X 58"

Dawn Golstab, 80" X 80"

See all the Michael Miller Luxe Challenge entries here, on the Michael Miller Fabrics blog.

To see more MQG quilts, open this link to the MQG site of winners.

QuiltCon is definitely about people. Lots of this happened in the hallways, lecture hall, classrooms, and show, as people bumped into one another - and thanks to having our real name and handle on our name tag - realized they've been Instagram followers of each other. Lots of hugging and chatting. It was always fun to meet a friend!

Jacquie Gering, Jacquietps, is from Kansas City and is chair of the MQG Board of Directors.

Di and I were tickled to discover that during a lecture we sat next to MyBearPaw, Jo Avery of Edinburgh, Scotland. We could have chatted with her much longer!

SewGoodSewFar, Anna of Texas...

I was able to chat extensively about teaching with ChristaQuilts who is Christa Watson of Nevada. We could have talked a lot longer too.

I really admire the improv quilts of CapitolaQuilter, Karen Foster, of California.

She showed me around the QDAD (Quilt Design a Day) exhibit of quilts, of which she was a part. 

Here's Amy Johnson from Virginia, of AmysQuiltingAdventures. 

I so admire Amy's free motion quilting and ruler work - she has a retail and online store - and it was a treat to also share dinner with her and the Australian and New Zealand contingent.

Since I can't post all the pictures here, I'll make this the first of several QuiltCon installments.

Though I have to say, the abundance of photos I took during Di's visit can't begin to compare with those taken by Di! I can't wait to read her upcoming blog posts, not only to see her pictures, but to read her impressions of her American experience. Di is an excellent writer whose wit and humor shines through her writing, and makes her blog a fun read. I highly recommend you visit her at www.SnippetsnScraps.blogspot.com Linda