Highlights of Houston Quilt Festival: Part 2

As promised, here is a small showcase of some of the quilts on display at International Quilt Festival that stopped me in the tracks and drew me in closer for some amazing details.

OR-7 by Christina McCann

This past summer, I saw a photo of Christina's quilt in a magazine and was in awe of the color and design.  So I was excited to see it in person and learn more about her inspiration. In the description card, Christina writes "This is a tribute to the first grey wolf in Oregon since 1948.  He wandered alone in the state and into California before settling in the southern Cascade Range, forming his pack.  I hoped to capture his determination and elusiveness."

Hebras de Vida-Threads of Life by Pilar Donoso

Pilar "made this quilt thinking about how we build our life, just like fabric, with threads of different color, width, and strength. Our life is not a straight, even thread, but it is full of color, the colors that we choose..."  One of the Quilt Angels was nearby and shared how each of the woven bands is an individual quilt that was then woven and stitched together.  I love the color and how the quilting design alternates between pebbles and wavy lines.

Transformation Times by Cecilia Koppmann

Cecilia writes "the starting point of this quilt was the leftovers of a miniature quilt.  The colored squares with circles were so attractive to me that I couldn't bring myself to throw them away."  While I love a good rainbow quilt, what really caught my eye was the combination of pebble quilting and hand embroidery to create wheel spokes inside each of the circles in the lower left of the quilt! 

Antelope Canyon Mosaic by Kim Lacy (top) and Conversations by Lou Ann Smith (bottom)

Kim Lacy had several quilts on display but Antelope Canyon (top) was my absolute favorite.  I just loved the warm color combination and all the wonderful details she created through the piecing, quilting, and painting!!  Lou Ann Smith's Conversations (bottom) piece is an abstraction of lawn chairs from her backyard and I just love her whimsical take on an every day object!

Here are four more quilts that drew me in due to their exciting color palette (top left, clockwise):

• An Old Woman With Joyous Face by Marina Landi & Sao Paulo (based on a photograph by Rarindra Prakarsa, used with permission)
• Into the Light by Karen Eckmeier who created a giant log cabin using her fabulous top stitch piecing technique
• Jewel Beetle by Esther Tronchoni Simo (based on a photograph by Levon Bliss in an exhibition in the Oxford University Museum of Natural History)
• Purple Coneflowers by Jan Soules ---this quilt just spoke to my heart!

The next few quilts used techniques that really intrigued me.

Lindsey by Helen Godden

Helen used "yarn in directional layers as I would paint on a canvas, adding movement and texture as Van Gogh would."  Wow!!

Cora by Carol Morrissey

Above, Carol recreated a photograph of her granddaughter "using circles that I die-cut from my hand-dyed fabrics."  Below, Carol used the same technique with a little more negative space to showcase two cats she rescued as kittens.

Keith and Mick by Carol Morrissey

The next two quilts used thread play to create some exciting design elements.

Fallen Petal by Karen Lee

I really liked the lace-like quilting that Karen stitched to recreate a few fallen petals.

New Again by Karen K. Stone

Densely stitched lines of pink and orange thread sparkle against the starry backgrounds!

What a treat to meet many of the exhibiting artists, including Brigitte Morgenroth from Germany. 

Claudia (left) and Pisa (right) by Brigitte Morgenroth (center)

Claudia's special exhibit was entitled "Classical Quilts in Modern Style."  Brigitte had a talent for showcasing the weave of the fabric (including lots of gorgeous silks) to add wonderful movement and another layer of design into each of her quilts. We had a chance to chat with Brigitte and she was such a delightful woman.  I couldn't resist snapping a picture of her with one of her quilts as a backdrop.

I hope you enjoyed this small collection of quilts from Houston Quilt Festival.  I will leave you with these two quotes displayed in Janet Claire's "My Story So Far" exhibit.

Yes!  And Yes! Yes!!