The International Quilt Festival, Part 3

So, as the first two posts in this series illustrate, I enjoyed myself shopping at the fabulous International Quilt Festival last weekend! But that’s only half the story: the show was also a display of the best, most innovative and beautiful quilts from around the world.

I wish I would have had more time to really soak in these quilts. But I knew that my toddler, Max, was sick at home (and my husband desperately needed a break).  I sped through the exhibits much too fast, and I missed some categories altogether. But I left feeling sufficiently inspired in the end.

I’ve tried to identify all of the quilt names and artists (except for that shot above, which I just snapped quickly on my way out without writing the names down. oops.). Photography was prohibited on about one-fourth of the quilts, so there are some things I can’t share. But here are the ones I loved the most, all for different reasons, and in no particular order.

This one is from the Text on Textiles category. How genius is that as a category? It's a quote from Oscar Wilde (if you're going to quote someone and make an entire quilt from it, I can't think of anyone better than Oscar Wilde). It's called "Wilde Ideas - Strings Attached," by Lisa ONeill.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love purses! So this one jumped out at me from across the room. It's called "Fashion in Motion," by Diane Dempsey, and was inspired by Matisse (I can definitely see that).

People were gathered around these tumbling blocks in awe (the quilt is called "Tumbling in Space,") and I don't know that my picture really represents how 3D they actually looked. The artist, Marva M. Swanson, used hand-dye gradated fabrics to get the effect. Regina Carter quilted it.

These next four are from the Oh, Canada category. Oh, Canada indeed. It's seriously beautiful country, as these artists have shown. My pictures, in order, are of:
1. "Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow," by Carol Steely of British Columbia (this is her favorite west coast vista).
2. "Vancouver City Scape at Dusk" by Terry Aske
3. "Call it the Blues," by Helena Scheffer of Quebec
4. "A Parliament of Owls," by Carol Goddu of Ontario

I think my love for yo-yos is pretty well documented at this point, which is why this quilt—handmade entirely out of yo-yos—fascinated me. There's not a single machine stitch in this quilt (which is really, really large). It's called "Good Morning Sunshine" and the artist, Marion Gagliardi, was inspired by a yo-yo quilt her grandmother made 100 years ago. Thanks for keeping the tradition alive, Marion!

These next two are positively radiant in their color choices. The first one is called "Marilyn" and the artist, Andrea Stern, was inspired by the water towers near her house and how they look different in different lights and seasons (I wonder if she wasn't a little inspired by Warhol, too?). It's totally brilliant. And the other one is "Stairway to Heaven," by Sally Wright. She was inspired by Wells Cathedral in England.

I'm going to close with "Florilegium," by Pat Kroth. It reminds me of everything I love about my garden (everything but the 10 bags of mulch sitting in the driveway, still waiting to be spread). Looking at this quilt makes me feel extremely optimistic.

So, thank you, amazing quilters, for sharing your visions and your talents with the quilting community. And thanks for bringing it right to my doorstep!