QuiltCon Raleigh - Part 1

I've been home from QuiltCon, in Raleigh, North Carolina, for two days now. I continue to mentally process everything I saw there. From the opening of the event - the Awards Ceremony (which MQG members could watch via livestream) to my last workshop that ended at 9 PM Saturday evening, it was another incredible QuiltCon.

Here are a few interesting statistics about the MQG and QuiltCon. 

And, at the Awards Ceremony it was announced that more than 10,000 attendees were expected during the four days of the show. 

After seeing long lines - like a quarter-mile? - every morning before the show opened at 10 AM, my guess is that QuiltCon attendance surpassed 10,000.  

Once inside the Exhibit Hall, before descending on the escalator (or stairs), there was a panoramic view of the whole floor. Vendors were on the right; quilts were on the left. 

Vendors on the right

Quilts on the left

One of the most exciting moments was being present when the award for first place in the "American Patchwork and Quilting Super Scrappy Challenge" was announced. Our own Central Florida MQG member, Beth Shutty @blue_dragonfly5 won! We're so proud and happy for her!

Those members who were available (21 of our 56 members attended QuiltCon) met at Beth's quilt for pictures. 

And in case you don't know which person Beth is, we're pointing her out to you!

If you see QuiltCon magazine on the newsstand, you'll see Beth's quilt inside. 

In upcoming blog posts I'm planning to share quilt pictures of non-award-winning quilts, so if you'd like to see the winners, go to the QuiltCon website HERE. 

People

Besides quilts, it's the people that QuiltCon is about - those I enjoyed seeing again, and for the first time.

It was delightful to reconnect with dear friend Di @darlingdi from Sydney, Australia who was here in 2017 when we attended QuiltCon Savannah together. This is one of a half-dozen blog posts about her time here.

This is the second time I've met-up with Clara Stoikow @bimbambuki_blog, a lovely lady originally from Germany who currently lives in Manhattan. She made this quilt Scrappy Manhattan that won "Judge's Choice" from Stacey A. Watson.

(Left) Jo Avery @joaverystitch from Scotland was at QC again. I took her Improv Tiny Piecing workshop on Friday evening (more on that later). She and I swapped gifts. 

(Right) For the first time, I met Paola Machetta @cultofquilt of Italy, whose improv work I have admired since first seeing her Sealights quilt at QuiltCon Phoenix in 2022. 

While in a QuiltCon lecture by David Owen Hastings, I learned the he bought Paola's Sealights quilt!

Sealights by Paola Machete

Here's Paola with this year's Nightlights quilt. Doesn't it just glow?

Paola wanted a picture of us with my quilt, Feelin' Groovy made for the Maximalism Exhibit. I'm honored that she asked.

It was also fun to watch people as they looked at Feelin' Groovy.

Some of these sweet friend brought gifts for me.

From Di I received the key fob; from Jo I received the cute little stitchery; from Clara I received the adorable hand-stitched hexagon necklace fob; and the "I (heart) EPP" is from Tina Craig @seasidestitches (no picture). Gosh, it's difficult to remember to take pictures with friends! When you're in the moment, you're just enjoying their company, and not paying attention to making photo keepsakes. 

Such is the case with Candi Lennox @candipursuits of St. Augustine, Florida. Here's she's with a group quilt she made, inspired by a piece of Kaffe Fassett fabric!

Candi and I hung out together looking at quilts and vendor-shopping, and had lunch together... and never thought to take a picture of us together. Sheesh. I'm happy to say she has an eyeglass case and a fold-up shopping bag I gifted her. 

This is Debra Jalbert @madeofhonorquilts formerly of Clermont, Florida, who now lives in Tennessee. Debra made Big Stitch which hung in the Minimalist Category. I wish I had a close-up of this quilt so you could see that she pieced tiny blue and orange strips that she inset as skinny pieces. Impressive work!

I finally got to meet Tara Glastonbury @stitchandyarn who lives in Australia. At QuiltCon 2020, Tara bought my quilt L Cabin, which is now hanging in her Sydney studio. Tara recently wrote a great blog post Modern V Contemporary that I highly recommend reading. She makes a great case for understanding what modern is, and is not. 

Here is Tara with Multifarious Me, her entry in the "American Patchwork and Quilting Super Scrappy Challenge." Tara's quilt came in second place behind Beth's. 

After several Zoom workshops/meetings last year with Irene Roderick @hixsonir I finally got to meet her in person... and tell her exactly what I thought! That she's a very special instructor whose ability to educate me about how to do improv afforded me a big leap toward success. She's the person who helped me finally accept that I can do improv - albeit carefully, and not always successfully. I owe her a lot!

Also along improv lines, I met (L) Lenny van Eijk @modernstitchwitch, and (R) Annie Hudnut @anniehudnut, both of whom had multiple quilts in the show.

Lenny van Eijk made Alien Jungle (63" X 79") for the Piecing category.

Lenny made Summer Journey #1 (39" X 39") for the Use of Negative Space category. 

And Lenny made Summer Journey #3 (39" X 39") for the Use of Negative Space category.

Annie Hudnut made Spin (74" X 75") for the Modern Traditionalism category. 

And, Summer Cherries (64" X 57') in the Use of Negative Space category.

I could certainly keep going, but will share more in a future post. Linda