See Winning Modern Quilts on Display at QuiltCon 2015

Relationships with family and community. A neon-green computer processing board. A ghostly face. Geese in flight. These are just a few of the diverse themes and images seen on the winning quilts on display through Sunday, February 22, at QuiltCon 2015 in Austin, Texas.

The Modern Quilt Guild’s international show and conference drew 1,350 quilt entries to its juried show competition, and 369 were chosen for the show at the Austin Convention Center. Among these, judges selected 42 winners, which were announced at QuiltCon’s opening on Thursday. “These quilts don’t look like all the quilts that people have seen over the years,” says Alissa Haight Carlton, executive director of the Modern Quilt Guild. “Modern quilters are doing their own thing with their own aesthetic.”

In addition to the quilt displays, this year’s QuiltCon offers workshops, lectures, demonstrations and a showroom with 150 vendors and exhibitors. Day passes may be purchased at the door for $10. Check out the cream of the crop of this year’s modern quilts, along with some works from other influential quilters.

Photos by Lauren Hunt, except where noted

Kathy York of Austin, Texas, won Best of Show for her “i Quilt.” She’s pictured with it at QuiltCon 2015.

York shares the idea behind her quilt in her show statement: “At times I feel alone, but I am not. I am supported by many friends and family. These are the little ‘i’ blocks that make up the big central ‘i.’ The other ‘i’ blocks in the field are for all the people I have never met that support my life.”

Show judge Stevii Graves says of York’s work, “Her quilt is excellent in both design and technique. Her color palette is crisp and modern, with each color placed to complement the design of the quilt. The design of the quilting stitches supports and enhances all elements of the quilt.”


Judge’s Choice, Janine Vangool
Face #1
By Melissa Averinos of West Barnstable, Massachusetts. Pieced and quilted by Melissa Averinos. Quilted by Melissa Averinos and Suzanne Whiteside.


1st Place, Bias Tape Quilting Challenge
CPU
By Katherine Jones of Chigwell, Tasmania, Australia. Pieced and quilted by Katherine Jones.

Modern quilts are defined in part by their use of bold colors and prints, high contrast, improvisational piecing, minimalism and expansive negative space. “Modern traditional” quilts update classic designs.


2015 Best of Show
i Quilt
By Kathy York of Austin, Texas. Pieced and quilted by Kathy York.

Here’s a closer look at York’s quilt. She describes the process of creating it: “I was inspired by Heather Blair Pregger’s ‘Tuning Fork’ series because I love the way she plays with scale and color. It was only after I had made quite a few of my ‘i’ blocks that I realized I didn’t have a plan about how to arrange them. Sometimes inspiration comes that way, in bits and spurts. At some point, I had a brainstorm to arrange the white blocks into a giant ‘i,’ and I felt a huge sense of relief. I knew this was exactly what I was looking for!”


1st Place, Best Machine Quilting
Diving Geese
By Katie Pedersen of Seattle. Pieced by Katie Pedersen. Quilted by Krista Withers.

“‘Diving Geese’ evolved through my desire to create a minimalist design with no recognizable black layout,” Pedersen says. “The triangular ‘geese’ were created using the modern crazy piecing technique and scraps. I used an angle piercing technique to bring the blocks together so that the geese would appear to be diving. I love the ‘ghost geese’ that Krista quilted in.”


2015 Coats Award of Quilting Excellence
Coral Reef
By Marla Varner of Sequim, Washington. Pieced and quilted by Marla Varner.

“The vibrant colors of this bicolor quilt were the perfect canvas for dense hand quilting,” says Varner of her winning quilt. “The quilting is improvisational, with each block inviting me to play with unique designs featuring multiple thread weights and colors.”


1st Place, Appliqué
Anniversary Quilt
By Katrina Hertzer of Calgary, Canada. Pieced and quilted by Katrina Hertzer.


1st Place, Improvisation
The Rabbit Hole
By Nydia Kehnle of Monroe, New York. Pieced and quilted by Nydia Kehnle.


Judge’s Choice, Stevii Graves
For Tanya
By Emily and Miriam Coffey of Lake Junaluska, North Carolina. Pieced and quilted by Miriam Coffey.


1st Place, Handwork
Fuzhou Fujian
By Patricia Lutteral of Martinez, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Pieced and quilted by Patricia Lutteral.


Alissa Haight Carlton, who is speaking and teaching at the conference, cofounded the Modern Quilt Guild with Latifah Saafir in 2009. Today the nonprofit group has 130 chapters and 8,000 members around the world. It connects, educates and supports the modern quilting community through its website, chapter activities, international conference and more.

“There’s an overall growth and surge in all things handmade,” Haight Carlton says. “In a world where so much is digital, a lot of people appreciate making with their hands and seeing what other people are making with their hands.”

QuiltCon 2016 will be held February 18 to 22 in Pasadena, California. The 2017 event will be in Savannah, Georgia.


On Saturday evening members of the Quilts of Gee’s Bend will give QuiltCon’s keynote presentation. The Alabama quilting collective’s bold, geometric and improvisational style has been a major influence on modern quilters since the group’s first exhibition in 2002, at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. The group’s quilts have been shown at museums around the U.S., including the Whitney and the Smithsonian, and have been featured on U.S. postal stamps.

This quilt and the next are by the group’s Mary Ann Pettway.

Photo by Mary Ann Pettway


“It All Worked Out” by Mary Ann Pettway of Gee’s Bend.

Photo by Mary Ann Pettway


Modern quilters took notice in 1998 when Martha Stewart Living featured Denyse Schmidt, describing her quilts as having a “chic, modernist aesthetic.” The mention provided inspiration, quilters say, and was an important moment for the growing movement. Another key moment for the growth of modern quilting was Chronicle Books’ publication in 2005 of Denyse Schmidt Quilts. Schmidt is speaking at QuiltCon 2015.


Schmidt’s quilt “Blanket Statement” is pictured in her book.

Other early influential books were Yoshiko Jinzenji’s Quilt Artistry and The Modern Quilt Workshop, by Weeks Ringle and Bill Kerr.

Photo by Susie Cushner


The 2015 QuiltCon Giveaway Quilt “Eames Blocks” was designed by Lorena Maranon, pieced by Jen Carlton Bailly and quilted by Gina Pina. The commemorative quilt will be given away on the final day of the show ($1 suggested donation). The pattern will be for sale at the show and online starting March 1, 2015.

Says Maranon: “I’m fascinated by the graphic design used on vintage book covers. Specifically the bold use of shapes, typography and layout that are inherent in this kind of art form, and I’m often found digging for more. As such, this quilt came via elements I took from an old mathematics book with a cover that was minimal, well thought out and true to its subject. After finessing a bit with the placement of my blocks, I chose an austere and contrasting color palette that would resonate with the retro origins.”

Photo by Scott David Gordon


1st Place, Modern Traditionalism
Long Island Modern Sampler
By Kim Soper of Centerport, New York. Pieced and quilted by Kim Soper.


1st Place, Small Quilts
What’s the Frequency, Love?
By Sheri Cifaldi-Morrill of Woodbridge, Connecticut. Pieced and quilted by Sheri Cifaldi-Morrill.


1st Place, Minimalist Design
Breathe
By Leanne Chahley of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Pieced and quilted by Leanne Chahley.


1st Place, Group or Bee Quilts
Playing With Little Bits
By members of the Baltimore Modern Quilt Guild, Columbia, Maryland. Pieced by Rose Daley, Anna Levengood, Jill Safford, Jessica Skultety, Jessica Levitt, Robin Tillsworth, Rachel Singh and Elizabeth Timmons. Quilted by Rose Daley.


1st Place, Piecing
Flight Path
By Mary Menzer of Virginia Beach, Virginia. Pieced and quilted by Mary Menzer.


1st Place, Use of Negative Space
Blackbird Fly
By Krista Hennebury of North Vancouver, Canada. Pieced and quilted by Krista Hennebury.


1st Place, Michael Miller Fabric Challenge
7 Up
By Debra Jalbert of Clermont, Florida. Pieced and quilted by Debra Jalbert.


1st Place, Youth, and Judge’s Choice, Carolyn Friedlander
Rainbow Magic
By Mollie McMahon of Sutton, New South Wales, Australia. Pieced by Mollie McMahon. Quilted by Mollie McMahon and Jules McMahon.


Quilter, educator, fabric designer and show judge Carolyn Friedlander is speaking at QuiltCon about the similarities between architecture and quilting. Her quilt “Catenary,” seen here, is not part of the juried competition but is on display at the conference. It uses needle-turn appliqué, which she also is teaching at the show. She demonstrates part of the process on this news segment.

Photo by Carolyn Friedlander

See more QuiltCon 2015 winning quilts and event pictures

More:
35 Makers Show Us What They Do With Their Favorite Tools
Modernism Week 2015 Opens in Palm Springs

URL: See Winning Modern Quilts on Display at QuiltCon 2015 http://www.decor-ideas.org/cases-view-id-25648.html